BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) – Burton Corp.’s new retail store in New York City comes complete with a walk-in freezer to allow customers to see how gear holds up in the cold.

Following in the footsteps of billion dollar surfing retailer Quiksilver Inc., Burton’s 4,600-square-foot store is part of an effort to become a year-round lifestyle brand selling clothing, shoes and accessories in addition to the company’s trademark snowboards.

The store, which opened Monday, is located in Manhattan’s trendy Soho district. Burton has a retail store attached to its corporate headquarters in Burlington, but the Soho store is its first standalone operation.

Burton President Laurent Potdevin was mum about where Burton’s future retail stores might be located.

“At this point, we are focused on getting the New York City store up and running. Once we have the World Tour and opening events behind us, we would be open to looking for retail opportunities in other key markets around the world,” Potdevin said in an e-mail.

The new store features an 8-by-10-foot walk-in freezer kept at 20 degrees Fahrenheit to allow customers to test gear in simulated winter conditions.

Burton also has a retail store in Innsbruck, Austria, and a store in Tokyo for Gravis, the company’s footwear brand.

Burlington-based Burton is a leading manufacturer of snowboards and snowboarding accessories and clothing.

—

Information from: The Burlington Free Press, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com