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Once upon a time, the Tannery was Boston's ground zero for sensible footwear and wardrobe weather-proofing. With two locations, in Harvard Square and on Boyleston Street near the park, the Tannery offered Uggs and Crocs and rain boots and snow boots and dress-casual shoes and some really fun sneakers.
Fast forward a few years, and you can still grab all those Boston fashion basics at Tannerys one and two, but the chainlet has majorly branched out in a fashion and trend direction. In addition to a new space a few doors down from their Harvard Square emporium, the Tannery has expanded those expanded collections to a new three-level location southwest on Boylston.
Formerly a Restoration Hardware, the shop is wide open and light-filled with a cantilevered mezzanine and walls of glass. The main level is a stepped up version of the original Tannery—walls of sensible and fashion shoes both: Hunter, Bass, Geox, Clarks, Dr. Martens, Tretorn, Sebago. Up a monumental stairwell is their Curated department—a wrap-around mezzanine-style space and straight-up Barneys competitor with contemporary wares by Steven Alan, A.P.C., Moncler and Y.M.C. alongside designer sunglasses and a fantastic array of sneakers and shoes by Nike, Band of Outsiders, Common Projects and Creative Recreation.
In the basement, dubbed the Wilderness Workshop, find all that so-on-trend rustic Americana along with actual, practical outdoor gear from Fjällräven, Canada Goose, Minnetonka, Belstaff, Barbour and Pendleton. There's even a small lounge area and a topnotch coffee bar with locally-roasted boutique-blend coffee.
The shop also boasts a series of exclusives and collaborations: Moncler, Canada Goose and Tretorn iterations were on full display when we visited with some top secret additions due for spring. We can't wait to see what they come up with ?
· The Tannery [Official Site]