HOTSPOTS: Concepts

et’s be honest: Harvard is full of well-dressed, fashionable people wearing their athletic sweats, Uggs, and unflattering North Face puff-jackets. If you happen to be a part of the minority, who, like me, despises such high fashion and loves sneakers, t-shirts, and Levis, then Harvard Square can finally satiate your hipster appetite.

Located at 37 Brattle Street next to the new Tannery, Concepts is a “lifestyle” store that combines a modern interior design with high-end brands of sneakers, shirts, and jeans.

Before opening its newest location on February 2, 2008, Concepts was housed in the original Tannery under the ideology of, “Skate, Snow, and Culture.”

For having just opened, Concepts already has an impressive variety of merchandise. As you walk into the store, the left wall is covered with all sorts of Nike, New Balance, and Lacoste sneakers.

They also claim to be one of the few stores on the east coast to carry Spring Court, the French brand of shoes that John Lennon wore on the “Abbey Road” album cover.

The right wall of the store is lined with up-and-coming trends in male apparel. Some of the real gems in this collection are high-end Levis that can’t be found in most stores.

What makes Concepts stand out, though, is its space and ambience. The left and right walls are lined with merchandise in typical lifestyle store fashion, but the middle of the store is divided by a unique glass partition with two gas flame burners dancing in the center. The first time I went in, they offered to flambé something for me.

At the back of the store there is a glass “interview booth,” where Concepts plans to interview various fashion celebrities and professional athletes and then post the videos on their website, www.cncpts.com.

By far the most intriguing aspect of Concepts is its “membership lounge,” which is located downstairs. Their press release claims that the lounge “references historical Harvard Square secret societies as an invite-only retail experience.” In this “Final Club” of hipster gear, members can lounge and check out limited release items, which are not open to the public.

If you’re tired of American Apparel creepsters and Urban Outfitter knock-offs, Concepts—with a well designed store, helpful employees, and cutting-edge product—will be a welcomed addition to Harvard Square retail. Hopefully the future will bring more stores following this “concept” and fewer burrito joints.

—Staff writer Andrew F. Nunnelly can be reached at nunnelly@fas.harvard.edu.