Jessica Alba reveals plan for retail outlet experiences

Honest Experiences will be more than selling products, will create a safe environment for moms

The conventional wisdom right now seems to be that everything is going digital, and that physical stores are on the way out. But a number of companies are bucking this trend.

The most famous to do this, of course, is Apple with its Apple Stores. Last year JustFab opened its first brick and mortar store. Microsoft has stores in Canada and throughout the United States. Google even got into the action, temporarily at least, with its Winter Wonderland pop-up stores last Winter. 

Its not a strategy that works for every startup (remember that "We Sell Things on eBay" store from the 40 Year Old Virgin?) but it makes a lot of sense for The Honest Company, not only because of the products they sell,  but because of their goal to be a "lifestyle brand."

At Vator Splash LA on Wednesday, Vator founder and CEO Bambi Francisco sat down with The Honest Company co-founders Brian Lee and Jessica Alba, to talk about what these stores, which will be called "Honest Experiences," will eventually look like.

"We actually had some designers work on some concepts for it but the idea would be more of an audience experience center, as opposed to just a retail front," said Lee, noting that they will be much more than just a place to push the type of goods that are currently sold on the site. 

"It would probably sell a little bit of products, but its more about, like, a fun play area for the children, as well as a little organic café," he said. "But our driver will be classes in the back, where we have mommy and me classes, music classes, yoga and really just invite mothers in, and into the world of being Honest."

The idea ties back into the whole concept of The Honest Company; it doesn't just want to change the way that people buy their products, it wants to change how they live their lives. Even the environment at the Honest Company offices is all about creating a great experience and a certain type of environment.

"We don't have cubicles at the office. Our office is like this [points the sea of chairs in the room] with desks. We're all together. I like it because I get to yell at everybody and everybody can hear me from the middle of the room. No, I'm kidding, I don't yell. I play loud hip-hop music on Fridays; that's what I do," Alba said.

"It's neat that we get to have this great open floor plan. I'm an actress. I don’t come from, like, a business world so the idea of corporate cubicles and everything being steel and grey, just freaked me out. And I don’t find it very inspiring. So I wanted our offices to feel like you’re home."

The office also includes places to have breakout sessions, a lot of vegetation everywhere and vertical gardens. 

You might be wondering if you will get to visit one of these Honest Experiences soon, but please don't hold your breath waiting for your chance. The Honest Company has a lot going on right now, and Experiences is just one of many things that Lee and Alba have planned for the future. 

"It's definitely on the roadmap, but the roadmap is really long," Lee said. "So we can't promise it any time soon."