Solana Space CEO Vibhu Norbi said the new physical Solana stores will introduce 100,000 people per month to the Solana ecosystem, while also indicating plans to open a virtual storefront in the near future.
Using a grant from the Solana Foundation, the first Solana Space store opened on July 28 at the Hudson Yards New York Shopping Center.
Addressing the community in a quick Twitter AMA on launch day, Norby explained that the store is meant to teach new users how to use Dapps, noting that it will introduce thousands to the Solana blockchain.
“I don’t think people realize it, but we’re going to be bringing 50 to 100,000 people into Solana every month through these stores — and that’s just this year.”
Speaking to Cointelegraph in a phone interview after the AMA, Norby said the store had 400 visitors, also indicating that new US-based physical stores were in the works, and that “the store was designed for people who Brand new to blockchain.”
Solana (SOL) has over a thousand decentralized apps (Dapps) ranging from trading platforms, gaming and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to social media.
Solana Space NYC is now open: https://t.co/jZcZ99l5Cj
We are the world’s first retail and educational space dedicated to Web3.
brought to you in collaboration with @solanafndnand partners @ Phantom, @stepnofficial, @orca_so, @magiceden, @metaplex, @degenapeacademy even more. pic.twitter.com/VoKnrIMmWP
— solanaspaces (@solanaspaces) 28 July 2022
While it is technically a store that sells a limited range of Solana-based merchandise, it primarily functions as a retail-as-a-service tutorial hub, where new users are able to set up a crypto wallet and set up a crypto wallet. Free instructional sessions are available to connect to the various. Dapps.
“This is not a store where you buy things. It is a store designed to be an educational experience. We sell merchants, Solana socks and hoodies and other fun things, but that is not the main point of it.”
Retail-as-a-service refers to stores that serve as showrooms for products that customers can buy online. This encourages product exposure and minimizes inventory requirements.
Norby said that the people who will find shop the most are those who have little or no exposure to blockchain. He added that half of patrons who visited on launch day either had some exposure to ether (ETH) or bitcoin (BTC), or had no idea what any of that was. he said:
“You don’t need to be here unless you want sick goods. If you are trading NFTs full time, there is only so much value we can offer.”
So far, shopkeepers have given a positive response to the new shop. Mutual VC partner Craig Burrell called it a “pretty epic” in Twitter Post On July 28, echoes of other shoppers’ impressions.
IRL @solanaspaces next level is pic.twitter.com/0KljKm11sr
— Austin Federa | SMS (@Austin_Federa) 28 July 2022
The Solana Foundation helped launch the shop with a grant, but each tutorial is sponsored by a project running on the blockchain. Notably Stepn, Orca, Solana Pay, Metaplex, and Magic Eden are currently hosting tutorials on the store. Customers receive an NFT for completing the tutorial.
While Solana Spaces launched its first branch on Thursday, Norby indicated that a virtual store was also in development, along with other physical stores. He also said that he eventually wanted stores in every country around the world.
related: Solana Said ‘More Decentralized Than People Think’, But There’s More
Solana is in the process of expanding access to its network through new stores and a new Android mobile device called Saga. Cointelegraph reported on June 24 that the response to the new phone was generally positive, with one person even calling Web3’s “iPhone moment”.
