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No mate, this isn’t a history/ anthropology museum. Neither is it a gallery. Nor a lecture theatre. This, my friend, is the redefinition of a retail store, courtesy of one of the world’s largest non-profit scientific and education organisations, The National Geographic Society.

A new and existing way to explore the world has arrived in the heart of London’s finest shopping district on Friday, 14 November. In the company of neighbours such as Hugo Boss and Uniqlo, the National Geographic‘s new flagship store on Regent Street is bound to ignite the Explorer in you.

Beyond being yet another boring retail environment, this new baby will feature compelling interactive visual displays and state-of-the-art design dedicated to stimulating, educating and inspiring visitors to celebrate global cultures. In addition to its retail marketplace, the store will feature an exhibition area, auditorium, tapas café, travel desk and photography studio, set across three floors and approximately 19,375 square feet.

Yes, 19,375 square feet. You can probably place 1,000 elephants in that store or something. Or 2 Roseanne Barrs.

Justine, from NOTCOT, interrupted her PhD thesis writing, to attend National Geographic launch party (who won’t?) with her boyfriend. Her report is so thorough and detailed, it makes me want to take the first flight back to London NOW. Check it out.

The auditorium, which offers public lectures from some of National Geographic‘s most renowned explorers, authors and photographers, as well as free film screenings, was what Justine found most impressive. The exhibition hall displays a rotating showcase of curated exhibits inspired by content from National Geographic‘s international channels, magazines and mission-oriented projects, such as The Genographic Project.

Oh, by the way, The Genographic Project is an absolute stunner. A global research partnership between National Geographic and IBM, Dr. Spencer Wells and a group of the world’s leading scientists will attempt to collect and analyze more than 100,000 DNA samples from indigenous people all over the world. The goal of The Genographic Project is to learn about the migratory paths our ancestors took and how humankind populated the planet. Besides contributing to the project, you might learn something about your deep ancestry that you never knew. Perhaps you were related to Genghis Khan (considering his high libido, I reckon that’s pretty probable).

I understand that National Geographic is planning to open another retail store in *gasps* Singapore before the new year. Aren’t you excited? I know I am. Now, who wants to go?

Via: NOTCOT (initial content and all images)