Dallas dwellers are not want for a place to purchase activewear. In the past year alone, the luxe Tory Burch Sport has joined lululemon and Nike in NorthPark Center, and Highland Park Village gained its first activewear retailer in Bandier last fall. So why are we excited about Outdoor Voices?
It could have something to do with the brand’s sharp, neutral designs that would look just as appropriate heading to a Sunday night movie as they would jogging on the Katy Trail. Or the company’s use of recycled cotton. And it absolutely has to do to OV’s slogan, “Doing Things,” a laid-back play on Nike’s “Just Do It.”
Now that the company’s first Dallas shop has officially opened its doors in a temporary space on Travis Street (the only physical place to shop OV outside Austin and New York City), we caught up with founder Tyler Haney for a little insight on why Dallas and OV are a good match, and what we can expect from the new location.
CC: What drew you to opening up a store in Dallas?
TH: We opened our first store in Austin, and we love the idea of getting to know a region before we make the move to a completely new part of the country. It’s also something our Dallas customers have been telling us they wanted. Austin and Dallas are very different, but our goal is to create close-knit pockets of nearby OV communities, and it doesn’t hurt that people have been asking for it.
Our pop-up is steps by the Katy Trail is by which is such a perfect spot for getting outside and Doing Things.
How long will you be at the space in Knox-Henderson? Are you opening a more permanent Dallas location in the future?
We’ll be in this location at least through the end of the year. The temporary shop is a great way to test out retail in Dallas, but we hope to be able to set down permanent roots there eventually.
It looks like you’ll be hosting mini golf and cornhole tournaments (awesome), will you be hosting any other classes in or around the store?
The shop is freestanding and there’s plenty of outdoor space surrounding it, which makes us super excited about the lawn game possibilities. And we’ll definitely be using the Dallas shop as a launchpad for off-site activities.
What brands will the Dallas store carry in addition to OV’s apparel?
In addition to OV product, we’ll be carrying some of our favorite sneakers from Spalwart and Newton, as well as dog leashes and offerings from a few local Dallas brands.
Outdoor Voices has a much more laid back vibe than brands such as Nike and Under Armor. What about OV do you think will appeal most to Dallas shoppers?
I was an athlete growing up and always wore super high-tech, overly designed activewear. After I moved to New York and started being active more for leisure than competition, I realized that those brands didn’t resonate with me anymore. I created OV to be a uniform of everyday essentials for activity, which is why I think people find OV so approachable—we provide gear for people who are active, but not defined by it. Dallas is such a bustling city, and we want to make it easy for Dallas residents to transition between active life and life-life.
You guys have utilized bloggers to reach consumers in the past. Have you targeted any Dallas influencers?
Our shops are designed to be places for people to gather and be active, and we are very focused on getting to know the local community and baking that into what we do in each location. Meeting influencers is a great way to get to know Dallas—we’ve begun reaching out and are excited to forge those friendships.
The design of the NYC store is very clean, modern, and minimal. Can we expect the same from the Dallas location?
Yes, the vibe of the Dallas shop will be similar to that of our new NYC location. Both spaces were designed by Will Fox and Larry McGuire of McGuire Moorman Hospitality in Austin. They created these incredible geometric shapes and use such amazing materials—high texture fabrics, aluminum, plywood, polished plaster—you just want to touch everything (and you should)!
