Recession or not, the holiday season is supposed to be a time of giving, and this year the Wired Store, an annual holiday pop-up from Wired magazine, is adding a charity tie-in with four nonprofit organizations—Echoing Green, Charity: Water, Forest Ethics, and the International Rescue Committee.
Back for its fourth year, the temporary showroom from the techie publication also features other new initiatives to draw in the crowds, including an eco-friendly section co-curated by Entourage star Adrian Grenier and a kid's corner in partnership with Cookie, another Condé Nast magazine. Designed as a showcase for the magazine's advertisers, the store on West 18th Street opened November 21 and will run through December 28. Managing all of this is Wired's creative director of marketing, Eric Courtemanche, who brought back Tronic Studio to design the space.
Products in the store range from a $17,100 2009 Harley Davidson V-Rod Muscle motorcycle to Nano silver mouthwash from Bionic, none of which can be bought on-site but are available for purchase online. Hidden among the high-tech electronics are posters and other items that give visitors the opportunity to donate to the four charities.
Designed as a place for children to play while their parents shop, one section of the store holds toy cars and other kid-friendly gadgets, which sit on short shelves and colorful carpeting. It's in this area that the most popular product resides—a robot dinosaur outfitted with artificial intelligence that responds to movement and touch.