LAKE’s Southampton store opened earlier this summer.
Courtesy of LAKE
Over the past decade, LAKE, founded by Savannah-based friends Anne Read Lattimore and Cassandra Cannon, has built a reputation for “soft-first” sleepwear and a deep connection with its customers via online channels. The product quality, especially fabric, comfort, and fit, has been the foundation. Yet, increasingly, LAKE sees physical retail not just as another channel, but as a way to let shoppers touch, try on, and feel what makes sleepwear special. “We’ve always prioritized our connection with the customer… with retail, we’ve really felt that was a natural expansion of a way to connect to her in a more personal way… to have the customer experience [our products] in a physical space in person,” co-founder Anne Read Lattimore shared.
Last week, LAKE opened at Specialty Shops SouthPark in Charlotte, NC, its fourth standalone retail location after Charleston, Atlanta, and Southampton. The Charlotte boutique is a complete building fit-out with custom millwork, white oak flooring, Schumacher & Bennison fabrics on changing rooms and upholstered seating, vintage McGuire tables, and Visual Comfort lighting. It represents the most elevated version of the LAKE store to date. Picked for its strong online sales base and vibrant consumer engagement, Charlotte signals LAKE’s growing confidence in its omnichannel model, and further reinforces its positioning as a comfort & gift destination in high-traffic, prestige retail neighborhoods.
The LAKE Store Experience
LAKE designs each store to feel warm and welcoming. The Charlotte location underscores that: high-quality finishings, warm wood tones, luxe fabrics, vintage furniture.“Charlotte was a white box where we had a full architect team… major construction lift,” Lattimore said, contrasting that with Southampton’s more “scrappy and fast” build, but both with the same goal. “What’s consistent across all LAKE stores is just this feeling of home. All of them feel slightly different, but we want all of them to feel comfortable.”
Every LAKE store has a gifting section featuring small accessory and lifestyle brands (cocktail mixers, stationery, hair care, coffee table books) to support impulse buys and curated bundles.
Courtesy of LAKE
Service is equally intentional. LAKE trains its store teams as “hospitality champions,” giving them more than just product knowledge; they’re ambassadors for fit guidance, fabric care, gift giving, and feedback. The brand also ensures each store reflects the regional seasonality and shopper preferences. Stores don’t just sell, they inform online strategies and influence what shows up in future lines.
LAKE’s stores are curated to be gifting hubs: besides sleepwear for women, men, kids, and babies, each location includes small accessory and lifestyle brands (cocktail mixers, stationery, hair care, coffee table books) to support impulse buys and curated bundles. Charlotte, in particular, exemplifies this with the store’s design and product mix being both a destination for self-purchase and a place to find thoughtful presents.
That design detail is matched by careful assortment planning. LAKE has found that areas with stores not only see strong in-person engagement but also a measurable lift in online sales. “We do see a meaningful lift in customer LTV [lifetime value] when someone’s shopping in a store. They’re a better retention client when they’re shopping in store first, online next, and continue to experience all sides of LAKE,” Lattimore said.
What’s Next For LAKE
So far, the brand’s expansion strategy has involved following the existing customer base and seeking to acquire new customers. Southampton and Charleston stores are more traveler and acquisition focused, while Atlanta and Charlotte have been more existing customer focused. However, ultimately, this approach has enabled the brand to collect the data and insights necessary to continue making informed real estate decisions.
Looking ahead, LAKE plans to open one to two stores per year, maintaining high standards for location, storefront quality, and design consistency. The brand is not rushing, but hoping to find real estate that aligns with aesthetic, community, and long-term relevance.
On the product front, there’s a busy autumn and winter ahead. Early next month, LAKE will be releasing a collaboration with Meri Meri: coordinated Pima sleepwear for the whole family, showcasing signature holiday prints and elevated matching moments. Shortly after, the brand will launch its broader Holiday collection, featuring expanded fabrics, fresh color palettes beyond classic red and green, and a new three-piece kimono set in red stripe. And later in the month, the Winter collection will drop with Relax Pant styles, a jogger set, and a robe in LAKE’s signature Relax fabric, all designed with gifting in mind.
This fall LAKE will be launching a collaboration with Meri Meri and its greater holiday collection.
Courtesy of LAKE
The broader sleepwear and loungewear category is also seeing momentum. Skims, which entered the market through shapewear and has since grown into loungewear and sleep, is rapidly scaling its physical footprint, opening more than a dozen U.S. stores this year while preparing for global flagships. On the other hand, Lunya, known for its washable silk sets, moved very quickly into retail and had to reset. The brand still has a couple of stores, but it’s a lesson for up-and-coming brands like LAKE, whose founders are taking a more measured path to avoid similar downfalls.
Against this backdrop, LAKE is truly carving its own path with responsible growth, gift-oriented merchandising, and carefully designed spaces. The strategy is less about speed than resonance and about creating stores that strengthen a customer’s relationship with the brand across channels. As co-founder Cassandra Cannon put it: “We were kind of slow to get into the retail space. We didn’t come out with a bang. And I think we just wanted to be super ready when we did. It feels exciting to be at that time now to start adding more stores at a good pace.”
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