Men’s luxury shoe brand Marc Nolan hosted the grand opening of its temporary Atlanta storefront at Ponce City Market Thursday, Dec. 7, bringing together dozens of shoppers and supporters to mix, mingle and browse the available merchandise.
The Chicago-based business is slated to operate its new brick-and-mortar store as a pop-up shop for the next six months, occupying a space nestled between Nike and Scotch & Soda on the mall’s ground floor.
The Atlanta shop serves as Marc Nolan’s first physical store branching outside of the company’s Midwestern headquarters. The brand’s primary location is situated inside Chicago’s Fulton Market District.
“We are very excited to open a new retail location in Atlanta, our first outside our hometown of Chicago,” said founder and CEO Sebastian Malczewski, about the expansion. “Atlanta has proven to be a very important market for the brand, the opportunity to expand our in-store presence here was one we just couldn’t pass up.”
Malczewski said that Atlanta proved to be a competitive market for the company, which
inspired him to open the pop-up as the first step in Marc Nolan’s evolution from a predominately e-commerce venture into one that engages personally and directly with its consumers.
“This community has a beautiful soul, so people are just nice,” Malczewski said. “Besides (Atlanta) being a number-one or number-two market for us, I feel comfortable here.”
Archie Clay III, founder of Atlanta-based apparel brand Brain Love and once a collaborator with Marc Nolan, introduced Malczewski to the city and Ponce City Market two years ago. Malczewski said he hopes business collaborations will continue with the debut of the Atlanta store, mentioning plans to specifically spotlight local artists, as the brand has done previously in other popular markets.
Marc Nolan was launched in 2018, carrying a selection of men’s boots, loafers, and sneakers designed for both formal and casual settings. The company solely operated online from the time of its launch until the opening of its flagship store in Chicago’s West Loop last fall.
Continuing with his plan to grow the company physically, Malczewski said he’s eying Dallas and Houston as future markets for expansion, as the brand prepares to release its first collection of women’s shoes early next year.
Regardless of the pop-up’s performance, Malczewski said he aims to make Atlanta a permanent home for Marc Nolan with hopes of using his platform to uplift smaller businesses and contributors to the city’s culture.
“I would love to come and support the community,” Malczewski said. “And if you feel comfortable, you want to do it. So, I’m here with Atlanta.”
The pop-up is open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays and from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sundays.