Keeping It Cool
Yeti Coolers chooses Austin's coolest district for first store ever
Yeti Coolers has something cool in store for South Congress. The popular Austin-based brand will open its flagship store at 220 S. Congress Ave. in 2017, a representative confirms with CultureMap.
Yeti products, which range from heavy-duty coolers to ice-cold tumblers, are currently available online and at sporting goods stores across the country. The South Congress storefront will be the first Yeti retail location since founders Roy and Ryan Seiders launched the brand in 2006.
Details on the project are scarce at this time, but the Yeti team hints that the store will be more than just a store. In addition to selling merchandise, the new outpost, located in a 1930s warehouse, will play host to a variety of events, such as concerts and movie screenings.
"The flagship store will be a destination for locals and tourists to interact with and get to know the Yeti brand. From shopping to live music and beers on the patio, this will be a space to celebrate our passion for the wild and connect with our community here in Austin," says Corey Maynard, Yeti's vice president of marketing.
The new Yeti storefront is part of the South Central Waterfront Initiative, a comprehensive development plan for the neighborhood just south of Lady Bird Lake. Goals include adding more green space and affordable housing, as well as increasing pedestrian friendliness.
"We're thrilled to contribute to the South Central Waterfront Initiative by bringing this historic building back to life," Maynard says.
Look for the Yeti flagship store to open in the first half of 2017.