Meta opens West Hollywood store to showcase smart glasses, VR headset

Metta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has opened a new flagship store in Los Angeles where people can try out their smart glasses and virtual reality headsets while learning about local culture.

The two-story building called MetaLab, located at 8600 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood, spans more than 20,000 square feet and also highlights Southern California’s skate scene.

“We’ve spent a lot of time around the world looking at where retail is and where it’s going, and it all feels really intuitive to us,” said Matt Jacobson, vice president and creative director of artificial intelligence wearables at Meta. “Just opening a store without building experiences around it, it doesn’t seem to make sense.”

Saturday’s store opening highlights how Meta is expanding its retail presence as it tries to get more people to buy its virtual reality headset and AI glasses.

For technology companies, brick-and-mortar stores offer a way to build brand awareness and loyalty among consumers who are weighing whether to purchase an expensive device.

Apple is well known for its sleek and modern stores where people go to interact with their laptops and smartphones. This year, Google also opened a Southern California retail store in Santa Monica, allowing people to check out the tech giant’s smartphones, watches and smart home devices. While Meta is behind the world’s most popular social network, Facebook, some customers may not know that it also sells hardware.

MetaLab has a skateboarding theme that celebrates the community and culture of skateboarding.

(Myung Jae Chun/Los Angeles Times)

The LA store, which launched as a pop-up last year, is the second permanent retail location Meta has opened. The Menlo Park-based company is set to open its first store in Burlingame, California in 2022. Since then, Meta has also featured its devices at retailers such as Best Buy, LensCrafters and Ray-Ban stores.

Jacobson said the company wants to open more stores in the future.

The Los Angeles retail location features a small skate park where people can take photos with Meta’s AI glasses, photo booths and stations to learn about the company’s devices. The store also has a vinyl listening room so visitors can experience how the sound compares to Meta Glass speakers.

Graffiti and mural art from Los Angeles artist Saber, also known as Ryan Weston Shock, fills the space. The company also worked with skate artist, photographer, and creative director Mark Oblo on the store’s skateboarding theme.

Meta plans to host events in the space and the theme will change throughout the year, Jacobson said. The store, called MetaLab, will be open daily from 10am to 7pm.

The store opening comes after Meta unveiled its latest lineup of smart glasses ahead of the holiday shopping season.

The glasses allow people to take pictures, listen to music, translate languages ​​and ask AI assistant questions just like they do on a smartphone.

Although the gadgets haven’t become mainstream, sales of smart glasses have increased as companies like Meta, Google, Apple, Snap and Samsung race head-to-head to create new AI-powered devices.

Meta sells a highly advanced pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses starting at $379 with long battery life, AI assistant and the ability to take much clearer videos; Oakley Meta Vanguard sunglasses starting at $499 are designed for sports; And the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses start at $799 with a high-tech wristband that lets people send text messages and complete other tasks using hand gestures.

Customers can purchase Meta glasses and headsets at the store. However appointments are required to demo the Meta Ray-Ban display glasses.

Jordan Marksberry tries out a game wearing a VR headset at the Meta Labs opening.

(Myung Jae Chun/Los Angeles Times)

On Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said sales of Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses have tripled in the past year and “people who have them are using them more.”

“Glasses are the ideal form factor for both AI and the Metaverse. They allow your AI to see what you see, hear what you hear and talk to you throughout the day.” he said on an earnings call with analysts. “And they allow you to combine the physical and digital worlds with holograms.”

Meta has invested heavily in Metaverse, virtual spaces where people can socialize, work and play through devices like VR headsets and smart glasses.

The company did not share how many AI glasses or virtual reality headsets it has sold. Meta’s Reality Labs division, which develops hardware, software and platforms for augmented reality and virtual reality technology, lost $4.4 billion in the third quarter but generated revenue of $470 million.

Metta Labs is open in West Hollywood where visitors can try on and purchase Metta VR wearables.

(Myung Jae Chun/Los Angeles Times)

According to Global Data Corporation, Meta is the leading competitor in the smart glass race, which provides market intelligence on consumer technology. The company estimates that Meta will account for about 60% of the global market for display-less smart glasses, along with augmented and virtual reality headsets, by the second quarter of 2025.

According to IDC, Meta shipped more than 3.5 million of its Ray-Ban smart glasses from late 2023 to the second quarter of 2025.

IDC estimates that the smart glasses market will grow to 9.4 million in 2025, up 247.5% from 2024, driven primarily by Meta.

Chinese tech companies like Xiaomi and Huawei also sell smart glasses, but their sales still lag far behind the Meta, and they’re not as well known in the U.S., according to IDC.

Jitesh Abrani, a research manager at IDC that covers wearables, said opening a store in Los Angeles allows Meta to leverage its network of manufacturers and celebrities to market its AI glasses. Products featured in movies can increase brand awareness and Los Angeles is home to the entertainment industry.

When Tom Cruise wore Ray-Bans in popular movies like “Risky Business” and “Top Gun,” that helped popularize the sunglasses.

Meta glass shades adorn the exterior of Meta Labs, which is open in West Hollywood.

(Myung Jae Chun/Los Angeles Times)

People should also learn about how to work glass.

“There’s a network effect that builds from there, but it all starts with educating the user about what these glasses can do,” he said.

In October, Meta also opened a 560-square-foot retail pop-up space at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel. It also plans to open a pop-up in New York, which will also have a skate theme.

“We’re a people-first company and I think the way we shine a light on people and communities in these stores is going to be really important,” said Jacobson, who grew up in Manhattan Beach.