Future Things and the Future of Retail Collide at FabCafe Barcelona

It might be 120m² of physical retail space, but SOFT – the Store of Future Things – is not exactly like other stores.

For starters, you won’t be able to see the products with just your naked eye. A “phygital” store, SOFT is an IRL sandbox for digital goods and all future things. Here, users step into a different dimension for a retail experience like no other, aided by AR/VR technology.

Opening on March 1, 2022 at FabCafe Barcelona and MOB (Makers of Barcelona), SOFT will allow users to access and experience the Metaverse, discovering new ways to interact with friends and enjoy cutting-edge art. More importantly, the store will give shoppers the opportunity to purchase NFTs and other virtual assets.

Shoppers can dive into the plantiverse and purchase NFTrees at SOFT

Like a phygital gallery, SOFT will showcase some of the latest NFT works by a range of creators

The project is backed by Futurity Systems, a Barcelona-based venture studio that offers “futures” as a service to corporate clients. According to them, shoppers will have the familiar experience of going to a store and looking at things, with the only difference being that products are digital instead of physical. Here, shoppers can browse and buy “plantiverse” NFTrees, a Futurity Systems project that allows plants to fund themselves on sustainable projects, as well as other NFT art, digital clothing, and more.

The first of its kind in the world, SOFT is not only the perfect marketplace for the curious virtual shopper. It is also a unique, curated platform for NFT creators and sellers to showcase their work, or for brands and companies to test out digital products and services before launch.

A “soft” launch is, after all, a preview of a product – and a future product, no less.

The hybrid digital and physical world of SOFT is enabled by AR/VR headsets and users’ own smart devices

At SOFT, there is no physical inventory, but visitors step into a hybrid “phygital” world of future things simply via their own smartphones or tablets, or with AR/VR headsets provided on site.

“Together, we combine the physical and digital worlds with one another, allowing customers to make new experiences through the decoupling and recoupling of their senses,” says Futurity Systems.

As the landscape of retail continues to transform, with the rise of eCommerce, smart stores, virtual reality, last-mile delivery, subscription boxes, dark kitchens and more, SOFT signals what’s to come in the Metaverse era.

The Store of Future Things doesn’t stop at being just a store, or even the future of stores. It is a store, a gallery, a museum, and a playground – a new borderless domain for new experiences and sensations.

Visit SOFT at MOB Bailén, C/Bailén 11 from March 1, 2022, with free entrance from 10am to 7pm. For more details contact: email

FabCafe is a series of ‘Fab’ innovation labs that specialize in creating products, services and experiences of the future. FabCafe Barcelona first opened its doors in 2014, making its mark as FabCafe’s first-ever European branch in a growing global network. As part of the coworking space Makers of Barcelona, FabCafe Barcelona serves and fosters the creative community of this fabled city, helmed by physicist-turned-entrepreneur David Tena Vicente.