Meta is planning six new standalone Meta Lab stores in the United States as it tries to make camera-equipped AI glasses easier to understand, fit and buy. Houston opened on September 10, 2026. Atlanta, San Diego, Chicago, Scottsdale and Moynihan Station in New York City are the other five planned destinations.
The expansion was described as nearly doubling Meta Lab’s previous eight-location standalone network. It is a significant retail push for a product category that sits somewhere between eyewear, consumer electronics and an always-available AI assistant—an awkward triangle that is much easier to explain when shoppers can actually put the glasses on.
Meta plans six U.S. Meta Lab locations
Meta Lab is Meta’s experiential retail format for AI glasses and related hardware. Its product lineup includes Meta Glasses, Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta, Meta Ray-Ban Display and Meta Quest headsets.
That lineup matters because these are not ordinary online-only gadgets. The glasses combine cameras, speakers and Bluetooth, while Meta Ray-Ban Display adds an in-lens display. A shopper may want to check the fit, see how the frames look, understand when the camera is active and try the features before deciding whether the device belongs on their face all day.
The store is designed for fit, fashion and explanation
Meta Lab locations offer try-ons, guided demonstrations and fittings. Customers can order prescription lenses, use full-length mirrors and, at some locations, consult eye doctors. Laser engraving and other customization services are also part of the retail experience in selected stores.
That hands-on approach addresses a practical problem: smart glasses have to work as glasses first. Comfort, frame shape and appearance are personal decisions, while the camera and AI functions require a little explanation. A product page can list features; it cannot tell you whether a particular frame feels right or make an unfamiliar camera-equipped wearable seem socially comfortable.
An earlier New York Meta Lab setting illustrates the format: customers browse different Ray-Ban Meta styles, try on hardware and see demonstrations alongside Meta’s virtual-reality products. The footage predates the 2026 expansion, but it shows the kind of try-before-you-buy environment Meta is building around the category.
Meta has also framed its stores as places where visitors can learn how the glasses work and how to use them responsibly. That educational role is important for a wearable with a camera: the purchase involves not just the wearer’s preferences, but also how the device is used around other people.
Meta Lab and Best Buy serve different retail jobs
Standalone Meta Lab stores and Meta Lab zones inside Best Buy are related, but they are not the same format.
| Retail format | Setting | Customer experience | Network and schedule |
| Standalone Meta Lab | Dedicated Meta retail spaces, including flagship, pop-up and mall locations | Try-ons, demonstrations, fittings, prescription-lens ordering, customization and selected educational or community activities | Six new U.S. destinations are planned; Houston opened on September 10, 2026 |
| Meta Lab at Best Buy | A 900-square-foot experiential zone inside an existing Best Buy store | Hands-on demonstrations, fittings and access to Meta specialists alongside a broader electronics-retail environment | More than 50 stores are targeted by the end of 2026 |
The standalone stores give Meta more control over the atmosphere, layout and customer journey. Best Buy offers a faster way to reach shoppers through existing stores and retail traffic. One format is a branded destination; the other puts Meta’s glasses in a familiar electronics-shopping environment.
