THE EXPERIENCE

Retail

Our brick and mortar stores are not just typical retail outlets, but IRL platforms for social interaction, education and community building. Here we offer up a highly curated experience, amplify our core values, and celebrate the diversity of personal style.

The Retail Experience

Face Time With Our Community

Messaging & Brand Elements

The Retail Experience

While The RealReal is largely powered by technology, our brick and mortar stores offer a localized and highly personal experience. Here we lean into our unique vision of luxury and provide an experience only TRR can offer—a one-stop-shop with a sustainable mindset, a curated point of view and an element of discovery.

Our first TRR store opened in SoHo, New York in 2017, followed by flagship locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. In 2021, with the opening of our Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, location, TRR began exploring a neighborhood-centric, hyper-localized retail model that now informs our wider retail strategy. TRR currently has 11 stores and 3 Luxury Consignment Offices across the country.

*Curated furniture at the Madison Luxury Consignment Office*

Curation
While all of our stores have a strong identity, anchored by a consistent color palette and aesthetic point of view, each is unique by design—embracing the history of the location and incorporating local art and one-of-a-kind furnishings hand-picked by our team of curators (and all available for purchase). The product selection in each store is likewise curated to the neighborhood vibe (say, denim, sneakers and trophy Gucci bags on Melrose; Hermès, #oldCéline and Cartier on Madison Avenue; Jean Paul Gaultier and vintage Fendi in Austin) the dialing up and down of various brands helps us tap into a neighborhood's personality and its own definition of the "thrill of discovery." Indeed, since every item we sell is, by definition, one-of-a-kind, our mission is to make every day a new experience to inspire our community to pop in and be surprised and delighted on a regular basis.

*Tile wall at the Brooklyn store by local artist Cassie Griffin*

Community Building
Our goal is to create dynamic, multifaceted spaces that inspire people to come back again and again—to shop, to sell, to grab a coffee, to explore. Our stores bring together irl our community of buyers, consignors, team TRR and experts. We work with local artists and designers and create special events, in-store programming (RealTalk is a series of conversations with topics ranging from the art and science of collecting jewelry to creating a more sustainable tomorrow) and social media content designed to entertain, educate and engage. We even seek out local food purveyors for our CaféCafé.

*A client at a valuation appointment with a handbag expert*

Access to Experts
Our expertise sets us apart from other resale companies (or for that matter other retail companies). At TRR we love sharing our knowledge, so it only follows that experts are at the heart of our stores, available to meet with customers one-on-one and in person. Experts on hand range from on-site gemologists and horologists who provide on-the-spot valuations for fine jewelry and watches, or a fashion-savvy stylist who works with clients to find that perfect look-making accessory. We also offer all manner of services, from bag and watch repair to tailoring. Further examples of the many ways we are able to better connect with our community.

Luxury Consignment Offices

The RealReal Luxury Consignment Offices provide members with free, expert valuations of their luxury items in a transparent, no-pressure environment.

The first LCO opened in 2015 in New York City, offering valuations for fine jewelry and watches. Currently, there are LCOs in all TRR retail stores, as well as in Dallas, Miami, New York City (Midtown), San Francisco (Embarcadero) and Washington D.C.

Our LCOs allow us to educate and build trust with our consignors while setting us apart from our competition with TRR high-touch service and pricing transparency. Potential consignors can meet our experts to learn what their pieces are worth (free of charge), receive a personal valuation document, and, if they choose, can sell on the spot.

Locations

See All Store Images

Expert Services at Our Stores

The REAL Way

Our stores are the ultimate opportunity to connect with our shoppers and consignors in real life. Here’s how:

RELATE
Connect with every customer

How it feels: relatable, approachable, present, appropriately inquisitive, energized, equitable

Approach client
Deliver warm greeting and welcome to The RealReal
Introduce yourself and role
Establish reason for visit
Set the tone for the client journey

EDUCATE
Educate about the benefits of shopping and selling with us

How it feels: interested, authentic, informed, pleasantly surprised, engaging, fun, delighted

Share brand story and mission
Highlight how we practice our core values
Provide product knowledge; leverage Experts
Ensure all clients understand consignment services
Surface TRR client touchpoints (app, obsessions, saved searches)

ADD-ON
Add on additional items and services

How it feels: personalized, attentive, luxurious, high touch

Upsell with higher value product
Drive UPT

Curate personalized service opportunities
- Drop Off → Expert Valuation
- Client Transfers
- Private Viewings
Surface TRR client touch points (private viewing, virtual styling, First Look, consignment promotions)

LIFECYCLE
Build long lasting relationships

How it feels: connected, community building, relationship, resource, intentional, individualized

Anticipate needs for future connections
Establish shared expectations of how to stay connected
- Determine best form of contact and frequency
- Understand key reasons to connect (appreciation, item search)
Encourage engagement across all channels post-visit
Build brand loyalty through personalized outreach
Leverage clienteling tools templates for on-brand outreach

Messaging

At our retail locations, we take advantage of multiple auditory and visual opportunities to bring the TRR brand to life and educate our members in a way that is both fun and engaging. The media include vinyls, digital displays, projections, voiceovers and TRR team talking points.

Brand Elements

The TRR brand really comes to life in our retail stores. Unique to these environments is our dynamic merchandising which includes fashion, accessories, art and decor; our playful voice; inclusive vision of luxury; as well our signature ability to sync up the mood and offerings with individual neighborhoods and communities. No two TRR stores feel the same.

Below are some of the signature TRR elements that appear in every TRR location and how they play out.

Melrose Ave, LA storefront illustrated by
Robert Nicol

TRR signature color Capulet Green jewelry podiums in the Greenwich store, mixed with the local color palette

Materials
In fashion as in design, we like to mix high and low. We may use humble cork, which is not only sustainable but also easy on the feet for our floors, but indulge in luxe materials like black granite, marble and onyx for our custom-built tables.

Colors
Cartier has red; Tiffany has blue. Our TRR signature color is Capulet Green. Each store develops its own unique palette which is anchored by TRR Capulet Green.
See Resources for more information.

Packaging
All TRR packaging is recyclable. During the holiday seasons we offer reusable custom gift wrapping (too good to throw away!). All of our CafeCafe packaging is either compostable or recyclable.

Illustrations
Whenever we open a new TRR retail location, we have the store and its surrounding neighborhood playfully documented by an illustrator. The resulting illustrations are used for postcards, marketing materials and our TRR store guide.
See All Illustrations

Fragrance
All TRR stores are scented with Maison Louis Marie no.4 candles. We are in the process of developing our own signature scent, which will be available for purchase, in the form of a candle. More on that soon.

Music
We have a lot of fun curating monthly playlists, which tie into our current editorial themes.
Listen to Our Latest Playlist

Voiceovers
We briefly interrupt our in-store playlists with fun announcements and marketing messages. (Example: There’s a sale in the Birkin aisle!). While visiting the restroom, shoppers can even hear how to pronounce all the names in our designer directory.

Team TRR Look

Our in-store team presents a clean, well-groomed professional appearance. Their uniform TRR shirts and sweatshirts allow them to be easily identified on the retail floor, while accessories and styling provide opportunities to express their personal fashion sense and embrace their individuality.