In case you didn’t know: we’ve arrived at Grand Central Terminal. If you haven’t swung by New York City’s historical train station lately, then you might not know about our latest project: The Bobbi Brown Pop-Up Shop.

With millions of commuters every week—and over 21 million visits annually (it ranks 6^th in the world for most popular tourist spots)—we wanted our temporary boutique to shine as bright as our permanent stores. The challenge? Two weeks to plan and just 24 hours to install it. The rock stars tasked with this Extreme Makeover? Carol Bocchieri, Global Head of Store Design, plus Brent Johnson, Director of Visual Merchandising, and their dynamite team who worked round the clock to make it all happen.

 

 

As with all our Bobbi Brown stores, Carol infused the pop-up with Bobbi’s personal style—in this case, to bring a touch of SoHo to Grand Central with our signature industrial details. A full-scale version of an actual store, the 800 square foot space draws its inspiration from Bobbi’s favorite boutique, our BB Store in Paris, with its intimate mood and “jewel box” flourishes.

 

Bobbi Brown Store, Paris

Of course, recreating that factory feel from a raw, white “box” proved challenging, but Carol devised an ingenious way to infuse the space with architectural details—like steel frame windows and loft-like columns—through a trompe l’oeil wallpaper treatment. She then sprinkled some of Bobbi’s favorite design pieces throughout the store like black Caravaggio pendant lamps, Emeco’s aluminium Navy chairs, and a neon “XO, Bobbi” for our signature pop of pink. We also skipped traditional lightbox displays and opted for leaning posters (like you might find a leaning mirror in a photo studio or loft) to give the store that lofty feel which Bobbi loves. We even borrowed some of our favorite industrial furniture pieces from the Bobbi Brown offices like our stainless steel tables we use at BBU for makeup training (we’re pretty sure they won’t mind).

 

 

So, the next time you find yourself headed to catch the train, set aside a little time to pop into our pop-up (it’s in the Lexington Passage hall). We’ve even drawn up a helpful map to show you how to get there.

 

 

 

And, remember to check our Facebook page for special offers at the pop-up!

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