UNIQLO is bringing a major retail presence to Williamsburg this year, opening a full-service store at 187 Kent Avenue.
The Japanese retailer, known for its everyday, reasonably priced “LifeWear” staples, plans to open 11 new U.S. stores in 2026, including one of four New York City locations in Williamsburg. The expansion is part of a broader strategic push that includes additional Manhattan stores and flagship openings across the country.
The address at 187 Kent Avenue is home to a seven-story mixed-use building known as The Kent House, completed in 2020 as part of a broader redevelopment along the East River. The structure replaced a two-story industrial shed and parking lot that once occupied the site. The space UNIQLO will take over was previously home to the Showfields concept store.
When it was built, The Kent House included a mix of residential units and more than 35,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The residential component included a 2020 affordable housing lottery for 29 income-restricted units, priced between about $1,101 and $2,710 per month.
Since then, the Kent Avenue corridor has become a focal point for high-end residential and commercial development, reflecting Williamsburg’s continued evolution from a waterfront area into a lifestyle, retail and housing hub.
According to UNIQLO’s U.S. job listings, the new store is already recruiting for a range of positions, including retail sales associates, visual merchandising staff and management roles, signaling that preparations are underway well ahead of the opening. Specific details have not yet been released by UNIQLO.
With waterfront parks, residential towers, and transit connections like the Bedford Avenue L train already anchoring the Kent Avenue stretch, the new UNIQLO store is poised to become a notable stop on the neighborhood’s retail map when it opens later this year.
