Local urban-athletic label RYU’s second standalone shop is set to open its doors in Vancouver’s downtown core as early as this September.

Headed by Marcelle Leone—the son of the founders of luxury fashion boutique Leone—RYU produces “tailored, technical training apparel” for the everyday athlete. Situated at 805 Thurlow Street, the new 1,100-square-foot store will carry men’s and women’s apparel, with a particular emphasis on the line’s range of streamlined bags.

“The idea behind this store, like our Kitsilano store, is very interactive, live, and touch-and-feel,” Brett Pawson, RYU’s vice-president of retail and operations, tells the Straight by phone. “Everything will be laid out, so you can easily access it.”

In terms of design, the Thurlow Street shop will follow the industrial look of RYU’s first location by featuring a mix of fir, concrete, and steel elements.

RYU—its name an abbreviation for “respect your universe”—opened its first standalone store on West 4th Avenue late last year. Since then, the shop has become a community hub of sorts, playing host to fitness classes, seminars, and other special events such as the opening night celebration of Vancouver’s most recent Eco Fashion Week.

Although RYU’s second shop will place more of a focus on the company’s merchandise, Pawson hopes that the location will become a meeting point for RYU ambassadors and the city’s health and fitness crowd.

“Stores are a big part of our footprint, but the community that comes with them is probably the most important thing we’re trying to accomplish,” he says.

RYU is also in the process of completing a third store at Park Royal (2002 Park Royal South, West Vancouver), which is slated to open before the end of the year.