Barneys CO-OP

Barney’s Co-​op is now CLOSED and it is so, so very sad.

Love this Barney’s — the ladies that work here are super nice and have curated a really great selection. One of the reasons this store is one of my favorites is the customer service. The main girls that help me out are Meagan and Bianca — they let me know what’s new, things I might like (I’m terrible at picking out my own outfits) and when things are going on sale. This branch is pretty small compared to the ones at the Grove in LA or the one in New York, but I do think that the selection is so much more thoughtful and cohesive, making it way easier to buy entire outfits instead of just individual pieces.

Great customer service and I love the layout of the store. Lots of trendy items with designer labels and price tags to match. This is the best place to buy men’s designer clothing in north Austin. There is a decent selection of Theory, Paul Smith, and Rag and Bone as well as other well known brands.
The clothes are urban casual and very cool. The sales are amazing (40−50% off retail) if you don’t have to have the most current designer pieces.

Dear Barney’s, I am in love with you. I always have been since I first discovered you in New York and then in Atlanta. Given Austin’s complete lack of the awesomeness that is Bloomingdales, I am grateful for you because otherwise I would be stuck with a bunch of average department stores.
Barney’s, your clothes are made for tall people and us tall people are thankful for that because there’s a huge shortage of clothes for tall people in this world. Barney’s, you’re a little bit pricey but I appreciate the quality of your fabrics, your cutting-​edge styles, and your super hip jewelry.
Love,
Claire

I love Barneys and their CO-​OP locations. God only knows how much money I’ve spent with this company over the years.
This store is physically good looking and has a good selection of styles. The staff is very friendly and helpful.
Unfortunately this is the first location I’ve ever seen that intentionally does not stock any sizes under a men’s small (no XS) or pants under size 30 or so. A real shame considering almost every men’s brand they sell is cut and specialized for thin guys.

LOVE the clothes, LOVE girls that work there. I live in the Domain and look forward to popping in every week or so to check out the new inventory. There stuff is the coolest; awesome labels, great quality, edgy, avant-​garde (by north atx standards) but still very wearable.
The selection is well edited; lots of lines that you would find at Sak’s, Neiman’s, Nordstrom’s, or cute second street boutique but also have a great offering of gorgeous and super unique pieces that you will not find elsewhere in Austin. The quality is amazing and you can get a lot of value in the co-​op brand pieces; most of my favorite basics are from here.
The girls that work there add SO much value to the store; everyone is super sweet, stylish, and helpful. especially Bethany who is the Women’s Lead. I have run into the store on several occasions; running late for an event/​nigh out and looking for the perfect outfit and Bethany always has great insight and guidance. Also, they are very dog friendly and super sweet to my French Bulldog and shopping companion Bruno.
The only draw back is the size selection (in my opinion) as most of the small sizes fly off the shelf quickly. The good news is, you are unlikely to run into 5 other girls wearing the same thing.
Bottom line; love this place. if you are in the domain and do not stop by you are doing yourself a disservice.

Love this place but seriously need to shop when they have sales or at the bargain rack in the very back, back, part of the store! Some of their items are overpriced heck most of the items are over priced but they
are quality made products for the most part and demand a higher price.
I dont shop there for the labels, I shop for quality, artistic and unique pieces.
Staff have always been friendly and helpful, surprising given the fact that just up the sidewalk you can get major attitude and lesser quality from other store but I digress.
Barney’s Coop has fabulous unique, designer, quality pieces, a must visit but hang on to the credit card they tend to be steep!

I am obsessed with Barneys Co-​op. Granted, I can’t afford to shop here at full price, but it’s pretty easy to stalk the Marc Jacobs rack and time my return when everything I want is on sale. They carry most of the «contemporary» brands you would find at a regular Barneys or Saks — Marc Jacobs, DVF, Theory, Phillip Lim, etc. — all the fundamentals for someone who’s finding the Gap/​Banana to be less than stellar quality, but who is also unable to afford shopping in the sections of Neiman’s where you feel like the sales associates are judging you for not dressing like Lucille Bluth on her way to brunch.
About a month ago, I went into the store with the goal of buying a pair of hipster jeans, and the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful in helping me wade through the piles upon piles of denim. When they didn’t have the exact size I wanted, Stephen was able to locate my size at a store in California, which required him to remember to call the store when it opened (two hours behind us) and call me back with his report. Now, that’s customer service!

I got majorly spoiled with Co-​op during my four years of living in NYC, and I was elated when they opened their Austin store — particularly since By George, the only other place in town with similar caliber merch at the time, had just exited the menswear arena. And yes, they do have some seriously awesome sales, which is when I do nearly all of my buying. Co-op’s brands just happen to be exactly my style down to a T … well, with a few exceptions (I still don’t get who wears that Kidrobot stuff). The service is, without fail, exceptional.
There is one, and only one, reason I’m not giving them five stars: shoes. I was told on my very first visit (opening day, of course) that they would start selling men’s shoes «imminently.» That was two years ago, and they’re still not here. Thankfully nearby Neiman’s has an excellent shoe selection, but it’d be nice if Co-​op had them, too.

They have the best sales ever… we scored some citizens jeans for $ 40, some ksubi for $ 80 (orignal $ 190) and alot of kid robot for $ 20. If you ask, they will tell you when you can expect the next sale.
They also have great handbags! They carry Marc by Marc Jacobs, and the sales people are super awesome, super nice even if you don’t buy anything especially Masood.
Awesome shoes as well, but they dont carry sizes smaller than 6

Barneys never lets me down and the Barneys Co-​op in Austin is no exception. All my favorite designers (Marc Jacobs, Diane Furtenberg) and more. Lots of trendy clothing at prices I can’t afford, although the sale rack was calling my name. Unfortunately, the one adorable Marc Jacobs shirt I tried on from the sale rack made me look like Betty Boop and that’s not quite the look I’m going for these days. And nice to see they were running a 20% off denim special for SXSW…
Friendly service too, but then again that’s Texas for ya…

I have lusted after Barneys Coop online for years. I had a brief encounter with this store in SoHo, and all I could do was drool. While it shares a name with its parent, Barneys New York, they have quite a few differences.
The «mission statement» as displayed on their web site:
What is the Coop? A place where age means diddly. It’s always downtown even when it’s uptown. A place where cheeky chicks and happy blokes find kindred spirits. A lab where the experiments never hurt. The wayward offspring of Barneys New York.
If that doesn’t tell you enough, here are some of the labels they carry: 7 for all Mankind, Diane von Furstenberg, Earnest Sewn, Ella Moss, Helmut Lang, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Rebecca Beeson, Theory, Topshop, and more!
If the normal retail prices of labels like these frighten you a bit, keep your eyes peeled for some great sales. They even announce them in the Chronicle!
The sales staff have always been quite friendly. I don’t get that «you don’t necessarily look like you can afford to shop here» vibe that you can get in some high (er)-end shops.
On a personal note, I give the Coop EXTRA love because today I got a pair of shoes I’ve been drooling over for 58% off the original sticker price: D HELLO, SAVINGS!

What can I say? Barneys wrote the book on store displays and creative merchandising. Their super-​savvy buyers always seem to buy just the right pieces from just the right lines, and even if you’re not feeling like spending the rent, you can probably leave with something fabulous for under $ 100.
It’s mostly women’s clothes, with the average price tag hovering around $ 300. They have some men’s and a decent accessories section as well. Welcome to Austin, Barneys!

Disclaimer: This is kind of a fantasy review, because I can’t really afford to shop at Barney’s Co-​op. The concept is a younger, funkier version of Barney’s, targeted towards hip kids with fat wallets. The selection and vibe are similar to Factory People.
That said, I love visiting this store and could easily spend a bitchload of cash here. I first went to check out the denim selection, as they carry a wide range of awesome premium brands — Levi’s Capital E, Citizens of Humanity, Goldsign, Earnest Sewn, Habitual, True Religion, etc., which run from $ 150-​$ 280 (the Cheap Mondays, at $ 65, are a fashion steal.) The men’s denim selection is equally fabulous.
The one purchase I did make here was a Kate Moss Topshop dress (at $ 120, probably the cheapest dress the store will ever carry.) I have to say, the service was fantastic. The employees were young, friendly and extremely attentive, even though it was pretty obvious I wasn’t carrying any platinum credit cards.
The Co-​op carries Marc Jacobs, Derek Lim, Helmut Lang, Daryl K, Diane von Furstenburg, Loomstate, and other über-​hip lines, and the prices go with them — think $ 200 tops, $ 400 dresses, and $ 500 shoes.
If you’re a budget fashionista like myself, I can only see shopping here for a killer pair of jeans, which I see as a fashion investment worth the splurge. Otherwise, it’s just fun to browse through the beautiful things and dream.

Today was my first time going to Barney’s CO-​OP. Wow! They had so much different stuff. Lots of it was really interesting and new feeling, without being too avant garde. It was like wearable art. I was impressed. Their website says they are like Barney’s funkier, edgier side, which seems to be accurate.
The prices were what you would imagine to wear art, though, as well. $ 200 tops, $ 300 dresses, etc. were standard. It was great to browse through it all, though.