Age of the multishopping experience

Feeling peckish? No problem. Just snap up that swish jacket and that bonsai plant and head for the dining area

It's no use trying to pigeonhole Algorithm as a multibrand fashion boutique or a restaurant or a furniture store; It's all of the above.

Five minutes' walk from the Sanlitun area of Beijing, the store is located at a bustling intersection. The design is minimalist, the venue having transparent glass walls. The whole store becomes a window display as the glass walls frame the dining scene and fashion display inside.

In this store you can buy just about anything, from food to clothing, accessories, furniture and even the bonsai plants in the corridor so long as they take your fancy.

The menu is updated every season, and every dish is named after a city that has a personal story to tell. For example, the sandwich is named Copenhagen, where two of the founders say they met for the first time.

At a time when technology is making almost everything easier, Hu Nan, co-founder of Algorithm, believes that there really is nothing to match sensory experience and communication.

She wants to stimulate everyday life by giving a sense of ceremony to the tiniest things in life, she says.

"When we really pay attention to the minutiae of life we are happier," she says.

She studied economics at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing and later became the executive chief editor of Fashion China Magazine.

There Hu established an extensive network in fashion circles. She curated one of the first showrooms for Chinese designers during China Fashion Week and worked as a consultant on strategy and design to many fashion brands.

After working for a few years she went on to acquire a master's degree in business at the University of International Business and Economics and traveled to Europe during her study.

There she was inspired not only by how fashion boutiques are run, she says, but also by the European lifestyle.

So she decided to open a store that not only sells clothing, but is dedicated to the lifestyle she aspires to.

Hu imagined the space as a home she would like to live in herself.

"We want to create a sense of cleanliness, quietness and comfort. And we want to attract people who enjoy the aesthetics and lifestyle that we do."

Hu co-founded the store with three friends who worked in media, culinary and design.

The space was designed by the Kuo space design team. In the venue, which used to house an Iranian restaurant, all the walls have been torn down to create a more open space and allow in the sunlight.

Hu says she selects all the products herself. The store now works with more than 30 designers from both China and abroad. There is women's clothing from China, men's clothing from Malaysia, handmade glass from Japan and skin care products from Germany.

The store also offers made-to-wear service for menswear and bridal wear.

Hu displays the products by category rather than by designer, feeling this is what most customers want. Good design needs to be complimented with wearability and good quality, she says.

"The new designers are really creative, but they need to relate to the customers. Quality and cost are usually a challenge for them."

Now the store has also become a venue for fashion events and business salons. Chanel, Oysho, Adidas and Ford are some of the brands that have held events there.

(China Daily USA 02/20/2017 page10)