Urban Outfitters brings unique style to Tallahassee

Students will not have to travel as far for that right look anymore with Saturday’s grand opening of Urban Outfitters in College Town.

It took little time for the store to gain attention at Florida A&M and Florida State as students formed lines outside in the cold morning air anxiously waiting for the doors to officially open.

Kristina Sanchez, Urban Outfitters store manager, said it made perfect sense to bring the store to Tallahassee as the city tries to transition into more of a retail destination.

“We did a ‘store on tour’ here a couple years back, and this was the most successful stop,” Sanchez said. “We base our stores off the demographics, so when a heavy amount of people started coming from this zip code area, we knew we had something.”

The Philadelphia-based boutique is a diverse lifestyle retailer focused in inspiring customers through its exclusive blend of creativity, originality and cultural understanding.

The 18,000 square-foot building comes with a lounge section, creating a hip environment where students can go to let loose and hang out, as well as shop for the latest trends.

Darien Penny, a junior business administration student at FAMU from Clinton, Md., said he’s a big fan of Urban Outfitters.

“It’s probably my favorite store,” Penny said. “They have a lot of good styles, and I like the way the clothes fit. I can’t tell about this store yet, but they usually have good customer service, too.”

Another unique aspect of the store is the vinyl record shop decorated with a collection of record players, vintage guitars and stylish posters. The outside of the store has a courtyard area with a stage and seating for guests to hang out, play games and socialize. There is also an on/off trailer serving fresh coffee, tea, Mexican Cokes and snacks from local vendors.

Daniel Lee, a senior math student at FSU from Tallahassee, said he was excited about the store and expects it to “change the game” in town.

“It sucked trying to get clothes in Tallahassee because there isn’t much to choose from,” Lee said. “Now that Urban Outfitters is open, it’s going be a lot easier to keep up with the trends.”

The new store, located on the 700 block of South Woodward Avenue, is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.