On the outside, Meta’s new Los Angeles flagship seeks to make a big, blue brand statement in West Hollywood’s Melrose design district. Step inside, and the two-story space buzzes with interactive zones including a tiny skate park made for "fingerboarding," a vinyl listening lounge and an immersive room that turns selfies into art.
While they may seem out of place for a technology showroom, each space is designed to make potential buyers more comfortable with Meta's wearable hardware, including Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta smart glasses and Quest virtual reality headsets, as the corporate parent of Instagram and Facebook joins other tech giants producing these tech products to boost profit.
Take the skate park, for instance. It's a smaller-scale arena where a person can “ride” a minuscule board with their fingers rather than their feet. Meta's version allows customers to strap on smart glasses, grab a board and record themselves doing finger tricks on the ramps, without the burden of holding a phone or camera.
Next, shoppers can use the glasses through touchless commands — "Hey Meta, turn on video" — to capture shots of a room with floor-to-ceiling tiles of blue palm trees and color-shifting walls. Those clips show users how the glasses automatically stabilize and edit footage.
Upstairs, customers interested in buying a virtual reality headset are required to test out the product first. In one demo, users can play Bad Roommate, where they need to find out which one is making a mess in the shared virtual apartment.
Visitors walk in unclear over why they would need such a pair of glasses or a headset. Meta hopes they'll leave with a sense of how these products can make life easier or more enjoyable.
“By incorporating cultural touchpoints like skateboarding and music, Meta lowers the intimidation barrier around AI and invites people to engage with the future,” said Nicole Larson, Colliers' national director of research manager for retail services, who studies how and why retailers make real estate decisions. “Curiosity becomes comfort and comfort becomes conversion.”
The 20,000-square-foot Meta Lab opened this month at 8600 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood as Meta's second permanent retail location, joining a concept opened in 2022 in Burlingame, California, near San Francisco.
Opening showrooms to lure customers
Across the retail sector, technology firms from Apple to Google are doubling down on experiential showrooms to convert curiosity, or confusion, into sales. Meta is competing with those same companies — as well as Snap and Samsung — to define the next generation of consumer hardware in a market that merges eyewear, artificial intelligence and fashion.
For Meta, a tech company with a trillion-dollar market cap, opening a store might seem old-fashioned, but it’s a sign of how vital in-person engagement has become for big-ticket tech products.
“Today’s flagship stores aren’t just showrooms — they’re playgrounds for discovery,” Larson told CoStar News. “Dwell time is everything. The longer consumers stay, the more likely they are to engage, experiment and ultimately" buy something.
Meta’s most recent earnings report offers a snapshot of why the company is betting big on its wearable lineup. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told investors that sales of Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses have tripled in the past year, adding that “people who have them are using them a lot.” The company plans to open additional stores as it looks to further showcase its expanding line of wearable tech.
High-tech showroom
The Los Angeles location started as a pop-up before evolving into a permanent flagship. Larson said Meta’s strategy of turning its store into a kind of “third space,” or an entertaining gathering hub, is a natural evolution of experiential retail.
“It’s not just about selling hardware,” Larson said. “It’s about letting curiosity take the lead.”
Appointments are required for demos of the $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, which let users send texts or translate languages with subtle hand gestures. A lounge-like upstairs area has demo rooms for the company’s Quest VR headsets, where customers are required to test out the system with help from staff before making a purchase.
That mandatory demo is Meta's way of ensuring customers enjoy and understand the tech before taking it home, potentially avoiding frustrated feedback.
Built-in community components
Immersive flagships are now becoming common among high-profile brands. A number of major malls now have a Tesla or Rivian showroom, Larson noted, as automakers repurpose large-format spaces into showrooms and service centers to keep customers engaged.
“Even Toyota is doing it — Triple Five Group told me their West Edmonton Mall Toyota location is one of the best-performing in Canada," Larson said.
Netflix, meanwhile, is opening immersive year-round entertainment venues across the United States, letting fans of its shows have experiences linked to its programs through activities like escape rooms and other games.
West Hollywood is a natural fit for Meta's retail approach, Larson said, noting that "success depends on how well the concept aligns with the local vibe."
"Meta’s store reflects the lifestyle of its community — artistic, tech-forward and social," she said.
As more retailers chase that formula, Larson predicts property owners will see rising demand for flexible, interactive spaces that accommodate features like demo zones, cafés or even small skate parks.
“Gen Z expects that,” Larson said. “More than half want social components in stores, and nearly half seek customization and personalization stations."