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Times Square isn’t exactly known for subtlety—but even by its standards, tm:rw is a spectacle.
Opening Tuesday, July 29, in the historic Candler Building (yes, the one that once housed the 24-hour McDonald’s), tm:rw is a 20,000-square-foot, three-level immersive tech emporium that’s part theme park, part concept store and all-out sensory overload. Think: a Formula 1 show car, the world’s largest retail hologram and a cotton candy robot, all under one LED-bathed roof.
Dubbed “the store of tomorrow,” tm:rw is the brainchild of Smartech Retail Group co-founders Nathalie Bernce and Jacov Nachtailer, who cut their teeth transforming innovation retail across Selfridges, KaDeWe and Rinascente. But this is their first standalone concept—and it's a full-throttle leap into the future.
Designed by Harry Nuriev of Crosby Studios (yes, that Balenciaga collaborator), the space is sleek, sculptural and full of surprises. “If Bergdorf had a baby with Brookstone but raised it in a Disney utopia, that’s kind of what we’ve built,” Jordan Traxler, global head of marketing, told Time Out New York during a preview tour.
The layout is loosely organized by lifestyle category—gaming, wellness, audio, travel, etc.—but tm:rw favors exploration over linearity. Touch everything. Try everything. Book a test drive on a professional-grade racing simulator ($20 for 10 minutes), then wander into The Sanctuary, a nearly soundproof oasis of Alexa-powered serenity, smack in the middle of Times Square.
At the heart of tm:rw is its mission to democratize innovation. “So much of cutting-edge tech is locked behind paywalls—only seen at CES or in corporate offices,” said Traxler. “We wanted to make it accessible, tactile, even fun.”
And it is. Highlights include LG’s transparent OLED TV (only one of three on public display in the U.S.), a slick grooming lounge by Gillette and Braun, next-gen wearables from WHOOP and a retro-inspired karaoke lounge with plenty of secret events planned for the future. There’s even a café with cotton candy spun by robots.
The “Corner Shop” concept store rotates every few weeks and opens with an exclusive WHOOP installation. Meanwhile, hidden cameras (privacy-compliant, of course) provide real-time feedback to brand partners, tracking everything from dwell time to predictive purchasing behavior.
Admission is free and every product is hands-on. It’s part retail, part research lab—and somehow still incredibly fun.