Century21 Comes to Santa Monica with a High-Tech Store

The new Century21 store at Santa Monica Place.

Century 21, the iconic New York-based retailer, known for offering deep discounts on designer fashions has opened a short-term storefront this week at  Santa Monica Place Mall.  I stopped by the store to check it out–it’s a limited selection of items, but it’s an interesting store with it’s techie dressing rooms and open design. The Century21 Pop-up store is part of  “WithMe” (think shop with me.) WithMe is an  interactive concept that features limited runs of traditional and pure-play retail brands with immersive, tech-forward consumer experiences.  According to signage in Santa Monica Place,  the Century21 store is the first store at the mall from WithMe.   Over the year, WithMe plans to bring a variety of fabulous pop-up shops offering Los Angeles shoppers and tourists the chance to experience brands that are not local.

The designer handbags at the Century21 pop-up store include Furla bags and a Valentino bag.

If you visit the  Century21 WithMe shop at Santa Monica  look for a limited selection of California designer brands at discount prices.  The store offers a small selection of men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, swimwear and fragrance that the New York Century21 stores are known for, but curated  for the relaxed Southern California lifestyle. Fashion brands featured in the store are Joie, Alice +Olivia, Rag & Bone, Flying Tomato sun dresses and Velvet by Graham Spencer tops. There’s a small selection of designer handbags on offer including some stunning Furla bags and a Valentino bag.

A Flying Tomato dress on sale the Century21 pop-up store for $29.99.

With Century 21 as its first retail activation, WithMe at Santa Monica Place launches in a nearly 8,000 square-foot, two-level flagship location facing Third Street Promenade.  Look for the Century21 Pop-up at the corner of Third and Broadway.

The Century21 Pixel Wall greets shoppers as they enter the store.

If you step inside , you’ll notice an immersive, floor-to-ceiling smart display called the Pixel Wall, crafted from 900 individual screens that move independently to form shelves and hanging racks. There are also glass-top digital displays and interactive fixtures showing product highlights and video content about brands.  On the racks, magnetized hangers hold the clothing to the racks rather than traditional coat hangers.

Inside the high-tech fitting room at the Century21 pop-up store. Items you hang up in “your closet” are displayed in a hologram on the mirror.

Even the fitting rooms are cutting edge: interactive mirror displays allow customers to make purchases or request alternate products without leaving their rooms. RFID tags on all products give shoppers ready information at their fingertips.

For Century 21, the renowned New York-based fashion retailer looks to use the WithMe experience to create a unique, experiential and highly personalized connection with a new market on the West Coast.    The store is in a great location at on the Third Street Promenade at Santa Monica Place, but it’s limited by a lack of inventory.  If you’ve been to the New York store, you’ll be disappointed by how small this little store is.  There aren’t acres of fashions to peruse.  It’s just a few racks at best, but it’s interesting to see the concept and check out the handbags and apparel.

“The essence of our business is in delivering designer brands at amazing prices and the revolutionary WithMe retail concept will change the way our guests interact with our curated selection of designer merchandise,” said Raymond Gindi, Co-CEO, Century 21 Department Store. “This venture to the West Coast is not only historic for our company from a location stand-point, but it’s part of a macro retail strategy we’re employing of creating more interactive retail experiences for our shoppers.”

If you can’t make it to Santa Monica or New York, check out Century21 online.   It takes time to shop the website, just like it does the New York store, but there are some great deals to be had if you take the time.