Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1076805
A couple of months ago, Nike opened up a new flagship in New York City on Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street. The store is called "House of Innovation 000." We stopped by to see what's inside. Here's what we found: It's big. Too big? It is six-stories and 68,000- square feet big. It's an investment in time just to see all six floors. It's designed to be explored… with your phone. In the store you can use your phone for actions such as: "Scan to Try" — request an item to be brought to you; "Shop The Look" — scan a code on an in-store mannequin, browse what the mannequin is wearing, check for sizes, request for an item to be brought to a fitting room; and "Instant Checkout" — skip the register and check out/purchase directly from within the Nike App. There are "specialty" touches. The store includes a Sneaker Bar where you can discuss shoes with a staffer and see a digital read-out of locals-only data. It features a floor called Nike Speed Shop, which uses local data to stock its shelves and re-stock based on what the community wants. Local data seems like code for: we sell what people here are buying. You Can Buy Online and Pick Up in... a Locker. If you are a NikePlus member (it's free to sign up on the Nike App) you can reserve items via phone and have them held in an in-store locker, ready for pickup whenever is convenient. How VIP are you? We felt totally welcome but still a little out of place in the store's uppermost level. There, the Nike Expert Studio offers one-on-one service. You can work with a store staffer to create a personal look at a customization station on the same floor. What would NYC be without museums? A Sneaker Lab on the fourth floor has a museum-like vibe to it. It features shoe walls and glass-covered cases full of heritage and modern silhouettes, from new performance product to old-school Nike classics. Would I buy my shoes at a museum? Not sure. But I'd definitely visit. n 6 • Sports Insight January/February 2019 sportsinsightmag.com IN THE MARKET Inside Nike's Latest Flagship B Y C A R A G R I F F I N It's designed to be explored… with your phone.