Boyds to Open a Permanent Store in Wayne
The iconic family-owned luxury retailer anticipates a September opening on the Main Line.
Outside Boyds’ Philadelphia store, which opened in 1938. The retailer will open in Wayne this September. / Photographs courtesy of Boyds Philadelphia
Main Liners who love Boyds but hate trekking into the city have reason to celebrate. The venerable Center City department store announced this week that it’s set to open a permanent location in Wayne. And that’s not all: The 11,000-square-foot store promises to be bigger and better than the Ardmore pop-up (which will close on June 29), offering high-end men’s and women’s fashion and accessories by the likes of Alexander McQueen, Christian Louboutin, Brunello Cucinelli and ZEGNA.
“When we did research for where to put the permanent location, Wayne kept coming up as the right spot,” director of business development Missy Deitz tells us. “We have customers from all over and being in Wayne, which is located right off the major highways, we can access as many of our customers as possible. Boyds is very customer-centric and that is where customers were asking for the next location to be.”
While the Ardmore shop (which opened amid the pandemic two years ago) carried more casual merchandise, the Wayne location will swing in the other direction, going full glam “as people are returning to the offices and events are coming back,” Dietz says. The store will offer free alterations to customers, a real rarity these days.
Andrew, Kent and Alex Boyd in their flagship store at 1818 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia
What’s more, the store is set to provide a memorable shopping experience, making us all remember the heyday of in-person shopping before we all bought clothing from our phones. The 1931, Art Deco structure was formerly an Anthropologie store and once the E.B. Maguire Ford dealership.
“The design objective was to create a shopping experience that brings the modern edge of the city to the elegance of the Main Line,” said Gabrielle Canno, principal architect of Canno Design, which led the renovation. “The juxtaposition of old and new is a theme embedded in the design. The existing building has beautiful steel trusses, skylights, and brick walls which are being contrasted with modern, sleek furniture, finishes and fixtures to exude the refined quality associated with Boyds’ longstanding reputation.”
It’s expected to open in mid-September, just in time for fall gala season. Now who wants to invite us to a ball?
Boyds Wayne will be located at 201 West Lancaster Avenue.
