Bonobos menswear store to open in Detroit in 2017
Detroit — Men’s fashion and business attire retailer Bonobos will open a “guideshop” at 1417 Woodward later this year, where customers will try on and purchase clothing, but won’t leave the store with any merchandise.
It’s a new concept for Detroit: The stores are e-commerce shops in which customers can browse and try on clothes, make a purchase and then have the clothing shipped to their door two to five business days later.
Company spokeswoman Erin Grant confirmed Monday that construction was starting on the store near the corner of Woodward and Grand River downtown. She said the company does not have an opening date set, but the Detroit location would open before the end of the year.
Bonobos sells a range of men’s casual, business and dress attire, including pants, shorts, shirts, outerwear and other accessories. Pants range from $88 to more than $200. Dress shirts range from $98 to $178.
The store is opening in a Bedrock property, which controls through leases most of the storefronts on the Woodward strip.
“Downtown Detroit is a great landscape for this new, experience-focused way of shopping and we’re excited to add another national brand to Woodward Avenue,” said Dan Mullen, executive vice president, Bedrock. “Bonobos is unique in the sense that it is a ‘guideshop,’ their retail advisors work with each individual customer to get the perfect fit and curate a custom experience for every shopper.”
The Detroit location will be a block north of the 17,000-square-foot Under Armour store scheduled to open this spring. Construction barricades were also standing outside that location at 1201 Woodward on Monday.
Across Woodward from the Bonobos store, fences have been erected around the site of the future Shinola Hotel. The 130-room boutique hotel will open in the fall of 2018. In the mean time, three buildings on Woodard will be razed to make room for the new concept.
These locations are all within a block of the vacant J.L. Hudson’s site, which is in line for a new Dan Gilbert development.
Bonobos has more than 20 locations around the country, and the company brands itself as the biggest internet-launched apparel brand in the U.S.; New York, Los Angeles and Chicago all have stores.
ithibodeau@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Ian_Thibodeau