Buzzfeed exec launches experiential childrenswear store

New York City just opened a new summer camp—in winter. Simply dubbed Camp, this concept experienced based around the idea of a summer camp is actually a new retail venture thought up by Buzzfeed’s chief commerce officer, Ben Kaufman.

Camp is located in a 10,000 square foot space on Fifth Avenue in New York City’s Flatiron District, intended as an amusing retail experience for families. It is designed with shopping, activities and eateries and functions under the belief that entertained consumers will be more willing to purchase.

Like the quintessential American summer camp, this retail venture is a holistic experience meant to keep people immersed and entertained through a variety of activities, some completely unrelated to the sale of products. Adults and children alike can participate in events across arts, athletics and theater. Camp will introduce a new theme every 8 to 12 weeks, a cycle that mimics the duration of a summer at camp.

Camp partnered with eateries such as Milk Bar and Counter Culture coffee to sell exclusive food options, and retailers including Primary and Rockets of Awesome to sell apparel, gifts and home supplies. In addition to these product offerings, Camp introduced its own private label collection of childrenswear to the retail space. This private label will also be available via ecommerce sales next year.

“Camp is focused on families specifically,” Kaufman told WWD. “There are very few places for families to go that evoke a feeling of play and joy, with a great toy offering, and Camp is an answer to that. People want a higher return on investment for their time.”

Kaufman also mentioned that he has plans to open more Camp locations. He added, “The market for family experiences is pretty thin right now and we’re filling a big void.”