Nike has come a long way from its humble beginnings, when founder Phil Knight sold early shoe models from his station wagon, to its present status as the most powerful sports brand in the world. The footwear conglomerate is flexing its creative and technological muscles with its new five-story, 55,000-square-foot store in the SoHo section of New York City. According to Engadget, it will have everything from 3D-printed decorations to a Kinect-powered basketball court.
The store will also provide Apple Pay support and wall-mounted touchscreens where you can hail a helpful associate, or buy Swoosh gear on the spot. It was scheduled to be open on Friday November 11, but Sneakerwatch reports that the opening date is still TBD due to permit issues.
Sean Madden, senior director of service and experiences for Nike’s direct-to-consumer division, mentions that the tech inside store isn’t the main event. These are enhanced features designed to augment the shopping experience and make it more distinctive and unique for each customer. The Kinect sensors capture body movements and display that data on the screen in front of you. Of course, if you’re impressed and feel a little giddy at this 21st century sales pitch, you might just be more inclined to buy some merch, which is the whole point of any retail store
“We’re leading the transformation of sport retail — offering the best of Nike products, services and experiences under one roof,” Heidi O’Neill, Nike’s President of Global Direct to Consumer told Modern Notoriety. “With Nike Soho we can realize the promise of personalized performance. Powered by immersive digital trials and in-store experts, this store is about elevating every athlete’s potential.”
The sneaker fans at Kicks On Fire noted some other features of the massive store. The Nike+ Basketball Trial Zone is nearly half a court on the 5th floor with 23-foot ceilings. The first floor Nike+ Running Trial Zone lets consumers test shoes on a treadmill. The third floor Nike+ Soccer Trial Zone is a 400-square-foot space with a synthetic turf field floor for testing soccer shoes. Nike By NYC is a studio where you can laser engrave and print unique NYC symbols on Nike gear. And The Lounge is a women’s boutique within the store meant for services like bra fittings and pant hemming.
Oh, and there’s a water bottle station.
Related Posts
We review a lot of health wearables. This one tracks something most ignore.
We've discussed the Hume Band’s design ethos before; specifically, how its screen-free, fabric-wrapped profile respects your attention span. But for those who treat their health as a long-term asset, the form factor is secondary to the data.
Rokid’s AI glasses offer a more affordable route to wearables than Meta Ray-Ban
The AI Glasses Style is completely screenless and weighs just 38.5 grams, making it light enough to wear all day without discomfort. Instead of visual overlays, it relies on voice, audio, and a built-in 12MP Sony camera capable of shooting 4K video in clips up to 10 minutes.
Forget the watch, Apple’s AI Pin might be its next wearable move
According to the details shared so far, the wearable is still in the very early stages of development. In fact, Apple could launch it or even cancel it, depending on how engineering and market conditions evolve. That said, people familiar with the project say the company is targeting a 2027 release window, a move that would position Apple directly against other AI wearable efforts from competitors like OpenAI and others experimenting with similar form factors.