Six more Meta Lab shops will open across the US before the end of the year, roughly doubling the chain and pushing Meta’s eyewear deeper into physical retail.

Houston opened first, on September 10. Atlanta, San Diego, Chicago, Scottsdale in Arizona, and a Moynihan Station location in New York City follow, the company confirmed to Modern Retail.

The stores lean on demonstration rather than shelves. At the Fifth Avenue shop in Manhattan, visitors compare transition and clear lenses, try on frames including a Starfire edition tied to Kylie Jenner, and handle rechargeable cases. Staff run guided demos upstairs, and a laser-engraving station offers city-specific icons such as hot dog carts for New York buyers.

Meta Lab exists to put AI glasses on faces, a harder sell online than a phone. Frames like Ray-Ban Meta and the display-equipped Ray-Ban line depend on fit, prescription lenses and comfort over hours, none of which a product page conveys well.

The rollout arrives with the category heating up. Smart glasses shipments are climbing fast as Meta, Samsung, HTC, Rokid, Alibaba and a wave of Chinese makers push camera and assistant features into ordinary-looking frames. Retail presence is becoming part of the competition, with Google and Warby Parker also moving toward in-store try-ons.

Meta Connect lands later this month, where the company is expected to show new glasses hardware and software.

Source: Modern Retail