Nike is opening a 55,000-square-foot store of the future in New York City - take a look around
The new Nike store is located in the heart of Soho, at the corner of Spring and Broadway. It's housed in a brand-new building at 529 Broadway, enabling it to take up a staggering 55,000 square feet across five floors.
As you enter the store, the largeness of the store is immediately apparent. To the left are the stands where Nike will hold community events like meet and greets with designers (both inside and outside of the company), athletes, and celebrities. It's also where the local Nike run club will meet. The center of the store will showcase Nike's latest innovations — in this case, the self-lacing HyperAdapt 1.0.
Next to that are a few desks where customers can meet one-on-one with a Nike expert to talk about their needs and concerns with whatever product they're interested in. You can make a one-on-one appointment with Nike's digital platform, Nike+, for up to an hour.
The women's dressing room at the rear of the store is referred to as a lounge. It's a large, well-lit area with dedicated salespeople.
The dressing rooms themselves are double the size of a standard dressing room at a Nike store, enabling stretching and lunging. You can also adjust the lighting in the rooms with a touch on a nearby panel — modes include "Night Run" and "Yoga Studio."
On the second floor, customization is front and center. Nike is working with local artists to produce prints that can be customized on shirts and other apparel in limited two-week runs. Items can be customized while you wait.
On the second floor is both men's and women's sportswear, including shoes. It includes the largest wall of shoes to ever be built in a Nike store — more than 50 feet of some of the Swoosh's most popular models, with a focus on lifestyle and training.
The Soho store will be the best place to get limited-release sneakers, which can be reserved through the Nike+ app. Some of the brand's rarer designs will only be released through this particular store.
On the running floor, you can try out any of the shoes on a specialized treadmill with cameras that will track your running pattern and stride. Nike calls this an "immersive experience," and it's one of three in the store.
A specialized Nike employee will help you test the shoe with a simulated run through two NYC running landmarks: Central Park and Riverside Park. Afterwards, you'll get a full rundown of your stride, and the expert will recommend certain shoes for you.
There's also a special section for Nike's collaboration Apple Watch.
There's an AstroTurf field — akin to the ones players might find in New York — where customers can test various cleats and put them through their paces. This is the only place where you can't test shoes from off the shelf, because of soccer's unique ability to wear out shoes.
The top floor is where things get a bit more interesting. With ceilings rising to a symbolic 23 feet (both Michael Jordan's and LeBron James' jersey numbers), this floor houses Nike's vast Jordan brand and basketball collection.
But the real highlight is the half-court basketball testing area seen here.
Enthusiastic trainers will whip you into shape and adjust their challenge and enthusiasm depending on each player's skill level.
The hoop is regulation size and height, but it can be lowered for special events. The screen below it shows iconic basketball arenas in NYC in order to simulate playing on them. Cameras above track your performance.
Popular Right Now
Advertisement