Google plans to open a permanent retail store in the middle of Manhattan

It has been some time since there were whispers of Google opening up brick and mortar retail stores, and such rumors tend to make their way around the rumor mill during the holiday season. Well, here is additional word that the search engine giant themselves might actually sign a lease on a permanent retail space in Manhattan. This particular report touts that Google is mulling over whether to rent the 4,100 square foot store at 131 Greene Street in SoHo.

Google is set to sign the lease on its first brick-and-mortar store in NYC, Crain’s New York reports citing anonymous “retail experts.” The Internet giant is reportedly closing in on a deal that would transform the storefront at 131 Greene St. (pictured above) – just a block away from the Apple Store in downtown Manhattan – into its first physical retail outlet. Multiple real estate listings confirm that the storefront offers 4,100 square feet of retail space. That’s not much compared to Apple’s nearby SOHO store—which added 5,000 extra square feet of space in a recent expansion—but it’s still a good amount of space for what could be Google’s first attempt at selling its devices directly to customers offline. Until now, Google has relied on smaller stations inside retailers such as Best Buy to promote Nexus-branded hardware and Chromebooks.