A physical store exclusively dedicated to Solana’s blockchain will start operating in New York, called Solana Spaces. The store will operate in partnership with the Solana Foundation, the organisation behind the blockchain network of the same name.
This development comes on top of another move Solana is making in its quest for mass adoption, to create and launch its own android smartphone.
“Inside the store you will learn how Solana works, what Web3 is. We’ll create a wallet and your first NFTs and guide you through your first transactions within the chain,” the Solana Spaces account tweeted about it, adding that it designed the space to be a “cultural center” and “embassy” for Solana.
In addition to NFT wallet tutorials and Phantom, the space will also offer consumers an interactive art installation, as well as several Solana-branded merchandise for sale, including a limited edition line of sneakers, Blanksoles.
Visited by a select group
Ahead of its grand opening, Solana Spaces opened its doors last weekend for a select group of 30 visitors to take a tour of the store.
Although the store hasn’t officially opened yet it’s already gaining a lot of buzz on social media, with passers-by noticing and sharing photos of the store via Twitter. It even caught the attention of Genie founder and Uniswap vice president Scott Lewis.
Gaining popularity
Solana, whose native currency SOL is currently the ninth largest cryptocurrency by capitalization, has over the past year become a popular alternative to Ethereum’s blockchain for trading NFTs and using decentralized applications.
The network still lags behind Ethereum in every meaningful metric, however moves like this with the physical store and smartphone could potentially help narrow the gap between them.
