Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has opened a new flagship store in Los Angeles County where people can try out their smart glasses and virtual reality headsets while learning about local culture.
The two-story building called Meta Lab, located at 8600 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, spans more than 20,000 square feet and is also a Southern California highlight. skate scene.
“We spent a lot of time around the world looking at where retail was and where it was going, and we felt like it was all really experimental,” said Matt Jacobson, vice president and creative director of AI wearables at Meta. “Just opening a store without the experience just didn’t make sense.”
The store opening on Saturday underscores how Meta is expanding its retail presence as it tries to entice more people to buy its virtual reality headsets and artificial intelligence glasses.
For tech companies, brick-and-mortar stores offer a way to build brand awareness and loyalty among customers wondering whether to buy an expensive device.
Apple is known for its stylish and modern stores where people come to interact with their laptops and smartphones. This year, Google opened its first Southern California retail store in Santa Monica, where people could purchase the tech giant's smartphones, watches and smart home devices. Although Meta is behind the world's most popular social network, Facebook, some customers may not know that it also sells hardware.
Meta Lab has a skateboarding theme that celebrates the skate community and culture.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
The West Hollywood store, which opened as a pop-up last year, is the second permanent retail space Meta has opened. The Menlo Park-based company will open its first store in Burlingame, California, in 2022. Since then, Meta has also demonstrated its devices in stores at retailers such as Best Buy, LensCrafters and Ray-Ban.
Jacobson said the company intends to open more stores in the future.
The West Hollywood store's retail space includes a miniature skate park that people can take pictures of using Meta's artificial intelligence glasses, a photo area and a station where people can learn about the company's devices. The store also has a vinyl listening room where visitors can compare the sound to the speakers in Meta's glasses.
Graffiti and murals by Los Angeles artist Saber, aka Ryan Weston Shook, fill the space. The company also worked with skate artist, photographer and creative director Mark Oblow on the store's skateboarding theme.
Meta plans to host events in the space, and the theme will change throughout the year, Jacobson said. A store called Meta Laboratorywill be open daily from 10:00 to 19:00.
The store opening comes after Meta unveiled its latest line of smart glasses ahead of the holiday shopping season.
The glasses allow people to take pictures, listen to music, translate languages and ask questions to the AI assistant as if they were on a smartphone.
While the gadgets haven't become mainstream, smart glasses sales have surged as companies like Meta, Google, Apple, Snap and Samsung compete with each other to create new AI-powered devices.
Meta sells a more advanced pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses starting at $379 with longer battery life, an AI assistant, and the ability to shoot brighter videos; Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses, starting at $499, designed for sports; and Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses with a high-tech wristband, starting at $799, that allows people to send text messages and perform other tasks using subtle hand gestures.
Customers can purchase Meta glasses and headsets in the store. However, an appointment is required to demonstrate the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses.
Jordan Marksberry tries out the game in a virtual reality headset at the Meta Lab opening.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
In April, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said sales of Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses had tripled over the past year and “people who have them use them a lot.”
“Glasses are the perfect form factor for both AI and the metaverse. They allow AI to see what you see, hear what you hear, and talk to you throughout the day,” he said on a call with analysts. “And they allow you to blend the physical and digital worlds together with holograms.”
Meta is investing heavily in the metaverse, virtual spaces where people can communicate, work and play using devices such as VR headsets and smart glasses.
The company did not say how many artificial intelligence glasses or virtual reality headsets it sold. Meta Reality Labs, which develops hardware, software and platforms for augmented and virtual reality technologies, lost $4.4 billion in the third quarter but generated $470 million in revenue.
The Meta Lab is open in West Hollywood, where visitors can try and purchase Meta VR wearables.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
According to International Data Corporation, which provides market intelligence on consumer technology, Meta is the leader in the smart glasses race. The firm estimates that in the second quarter of 2025, Meta accounted for about 60% of the global market for non-display smart glasses and augmented and virtual reality headsets.
Meta shipped more than 3.5 million pairs of its Ray-Ban smart glasses from the end of 2023 through the second quarter of 2025, according to IDC.
IDC expects the non-display smart glasses market to grow to 9.4 million in 2025, up 247.5% from 2024, driven primarily by Meta.
Chinese tech companies such as Xiaomi and Huawei also sell smart glasses, but their sales still lag far behind Meta and they are not as well known in the US, according to IDC.
Jitesh Ubrani, IDC's research manager for wearables, said opening the Los Angeles store allows Meta to leverage its network of creators and celebrities to promote its AI glasses. Products featured in films can increase brand awareness, and Los Angeles is the home of the entertainment industry.
He said when Tom Cruise wore Ray Bans in such famous films as “Risky Business” and “Top Gun”, it helped to increase the popularity of sunglasses.
The shadow of Meta's glasses adorns the exterior of the Metal Lab, which opened in West Hollywood.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
People also need to learn how glasses work.
“There's a network effect that comes out of that, but it all starts with educating the user about what the glasses can do,” he said.
Meta also opened a 560-square-foot pop-up retail space at the Wynn Las Vegas in October. There are also plans to open a pop-up in New York City, which will also have a skate theme.
“We are a people-first company, and I think the way we shine a light on the people and communities in these stores will be very important,” said Jacobson, who grew up in Manhattan Beach.
