Forging a new partnership, Nordstrom will bring a consignment shoe brand into its first stand-alone men's location, opening next month in New York.
Stadium Goods, a New York-based e-commerce platform for buying and selling popular sneaker brands, opened its first and so far only shop in SoHo in 2015. In partnering with Nordstrom, the company will be able to grow its physical presence within the city and test a new way of distributing its inventory.
For Nordstrom, the department store chain hopes to gain new customers at its first men's location by luring customers in with prominent shoe brands at reasonable price tags.
"As a company we're committed to growing partnerships with limited-distribution brands to differentiate our offering, have a point of view, and create a sense of newness and discovery for customers," Kristin Frossmo, vice president and general merchandise manager for shoes at Nordstrom, told CNBC.
The men's store will also include a "clubhouse" for cocktails, a coffee bar, on-site alterations and tailoring, and a stand for shoe shining, Frossmo said.
Nordstrom has said that within its men's footwear business, sneakers are the fastest growing category.
A new wave of shoppers is opting to dress the casual shoes up, pairing them with a suit during the day, before heading out on a run or playing basketball in the evening after work. Other sneaker reseller sites such as Fight Club and GOAT have also been gaining popularity, in turn. (GOAT acquired Fight Club last month, but the brands continue to run their own platforms.)
"In our minds the [resale] market has always been like a dirty world, and we are trying to clean that up with a consumer-rich experience to get behind," John McPheters, co-founder and CEO of Stadium Goods, told CNBC. "[Nordstrom] has gotten behind our products and what we are selling. ... It's a happy marriage."
Stadium Goods has raised $5.6 million, including $4.6 million in a round led by Forerunner Ventures. Just last month, LVMH Luxury Ventures announced it was backing the company.
McPheters said he's still finalizing plans with Nordstrom regarding how the sneakers will be displayed in the store. But it will be a curated selection, based on popular trends (i.e. Adidas' Yeezy Boost and Nike's Air Jordan), and styles will rotate frequently, he said.
Nordstrom is also opening a stand-alone women's location in New York in 2019. It has two Nordstrom Rack shops in the city.