Three new businesses have opened, or are slated to open soon, as part of a new development in the block of Fourth Street between Hearst and University.
SOULCYCLE The country’s popular full-body indoor cycling and lifestyle brand SoulCycle opened its Berkeley location on Hearst (near Fourth) on May 21. The space features a 58-bike studio and offers signature SoulCycle workouts. Forty-five minute to one-hour classes are led by a coach, set in a darkened, candlelit room to encourage clients to “stay in the zone” and are set to music. The 3,361-square-foot space also includes a boutique selling SoulCycle’s clothing collections. Other amenities include men’s and women’s locker rooms with coded keypad locks, restrooms and showers. The Berkeley location is the eighth studio to open in the Bay Area/Northern California region. SoulCycle, 760 Hearst Ave., Suite 101, Berkeley 94710. Tel: 510-313-1500. Classes daily from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
WARBY PARKER The New York-based eyewear retailer founded in 2010 will open a shop on Fourth Street on Saturday, June 24. This location will be the tenth in California, the most for any state. “We’re excited to open in Berkeley. One of our co-founders, Dave Gilboa, went to school here and continues to rhapsodize about it to this day,” Warby Parker said. Discussing the store’s decor, Gilboa said: “We’ve worked with our friend and longtime collaborator Jason Munn to create a sunny original mural, and we’ve got custom-designed porthole windows on the wall above some comfy seating, giving the store a laid back nautical flair.” According to Gilboa, a full collection of eyeglasses and sunglasses will be ready to browse on library-style oak shelving, along with the latest summer releases — a slew of frames in richly colored crystals — at front and center. To celebrate the opening, the store, which launched originally as an online-only store designed to undercut the prices of many eyewear retailers, will be releasing a pair of limited-edition, Berkeley-exclusive sunglasses: Downing in Striped Indigo with Flash Mirrored Iridescent lenses. Warby Parker is one of the only carbon-neutral eyewear brands in the world and gives back through a Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program. Warby Parker, 1911 Fourth St., Berkeley 94710. The store will be open daily, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Connect on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.
MADEWELL Specializing in denim and “timeless” apparel, Madewell, had a grand opening for its new Fourth Street store on April 25 with 10% of the proceeds donated to benefit BAMPFA. The nationwide chain has 12 stores in California, with Berkeley being its sixth to open in the Bay Area. Madewell was founded in 2006 and is owned by J. Crew. Madewell, 1901 Fourth St.(at Hearst), Berkeley CA 94710. Tel: (510) 845-1790. Open Mon. – Sat., 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sun., 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Stay tuned for future openings in the Fourth Street shopping district. According to the developers of the new complex, the site will include a beer garden and adjacent patio, office space, a 100-car parking area and a paseo, or walkway, within the shopping area which will be comprised of nearly 18,000 square feet of new retail shops. Read more about the plans.
Shop Talk is Berkeleyside’s regular Berkeley local business column. If you’re a Berkeley business with news, or a Berkeleyside reader who has spotted a change in your neighborhood or on your travels, shoot us an email with the details at editors@berkeleyside.com. Read previous Shop Talk columns. And catch up with all food business news with our Nosh coverage.
