TOMS Shoes: Positioning of TOMS

In 2006, TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie and five interns started TOMS in a small apartment in Venice Beach, California with one goal in mind - to give shoes to children in need.

After six years of establishment,TOMS has finally opened their very first retail store and community space in Venice, California. Inhabiting a Craftsman-style cottage, the 2,200 square-foot indoor-outdoor space feels and looks like a comfortable college coffee house. Not only is the store a place to sell their shoes, but also a community space where anyone can come in to purchase coffee and snacks, lounge around on their couches, enjoy free Wi-fi, read a few books, or even lounge out in their backyard where provided is a fire pit for nonprofit groups.

The TOMS flagship store certainly reflects much of what is seen visually on their online retail store. Their aesthetics stay true to heart and their message of giving back translates openly in their actual brick and mortar store. By improving people's lives, they wanted to create a community space where everyone can enjoy while embracing the products and the message behind it all. A full range of TOMS products is available, including men's, women's and children's shoes and boots, sunglasses, t-shirts and sweat shirts, and leather-bound TOMS journals. All price points in the brick and mortar store remain the same as what is listed on the official TOMS website. ($20-$100+)

The differentiation between the online store and the actual brick and mortar store is that customers can visually understand the aesthetics represented from TOMS online store; however, they cannot fully grasp the feeling of its nature and design unless they visit their actual store to experience the atmosphere.