Nike’s New NYC Flagship is the Face of Living Retail

With a name like “House of Innovation 000,” Nike NYC is a call to an origin, a center point for what a flagship store can be for its city. The sheer size of the building proves its power: The six stories (including a below-street-level floor) cover more than 68,000 square feet on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street.

Inside, the promise of living retail comes to life. On each floor, groundbreaking features offer spaces and experiences that are both personal and responsive. Throughout, consumers can enjoy services that are deeply customizable and effortlessly smart and seamless. The store recalls the immersion that many locals remember from their first visit to New York’s original Niketown when it opened its doors more than 20 years ago, leading to, as Nike Direct President Heidi O’Neill calls it, an “only-here” Nike experience.

The future of brick-and-mortar retail counts on engaging, personal shopping experiences that respond as quickly — and as personally — as its digital counterpart. The space must be able to communicate with its city through people and digital services, inviting a conversation that’s synchronized to the customer. That hybrid experience, similar to what you’ll find at Nike by Melrose, paves the way for a floor that’s stocked with a community’s favorite shoes and apparel, and then quickly restocked as the taste of customers evolve.

To that end, Nike NYC introduces the Nike Speed Shop, an entire floor that uses local data to stock its shelves, and re-stock them based on what the community wants. Think Melrose, but at an even larger scale. You can browse the Sneaker Bar with the aid of a store athlete or a digital read-out of locals-only data — your choice. NikePlus members can reserve items via phone and have them held in an in-store locker, ready for pickup whenever is convenient.

Nothing makes a product more personal than adding individual touches before you even carry it out of the store. At opening, Nike NYC features not one, but two maker’s studios. Another full customization wing lives on The Arena, delivering on Nike’s pioneering DIY spirit and offering a bounty of laces, fabrics, decals and more with which to embellish a wide selection of continually refreshed footwear, like the new Noise Cancelling collection.

Of course, Nike’s ethos for customization always begins with its shoes. Explore the Sneaker Lab on the fourth floor and see the largest concentration of Nike footwear anywhere in the world, from silhouettes that are at the razor’s edge of performance to instantly-recognized classics.

Customization can be communal, too. Joint collaboration is at the customer’s fingertips with the store’s uppermost level, the Nike Expert Studio, a paragon of one-on-one service that local Nike Members can book in-store and on the Nike App. Whether preparing for a marathon or finding the right fit for an NYC winter, NikePlus members can partner with a Nike Expert to find the right item, and then work together to create a personal look at the fully-furnished customization station on the same floor.

A larger DIY concept is applied to the very space of Nike NYC: What if entire floors could shift at a moment’s notice? Case in point: The tiles on the Arena can be rearranged to host new spaces and configurations; as the selection evolves, the store layout can evolve too, making the House of Innovation 000 a customizable store in every sense of the word.

No matter the in-store interaction you prefer, the capabilities of the Nike App give you even more experiential choices through your smart device.

You’ll find familiar assists, like NikePlus Member Unlocks upon entering the store and Scan to Try, where you can request an item to be brought to you for a quick fitting. There are also new features to Nike NYC that are both personal and intuitive. With Shop The Look, you can scan a code on an in-store mannequin, browse every item that the mannequin is dressed in, check to see if specific sizes are available in-store and then request for a store athlete to send the items to a fitting room.

Nike Instant Checkout, meanwhile, is just as it sounds: Scan. Pay. You’re done. Skip the lines and check out from within the Nike App (you’ll receive a payment receipt within the app too). Nike Instant checkout stations are positioned throughout Nike NYC so customers can bag their purchase and go.

Nike NYC, House of Innovation 000. The store is open seven days a week, from 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM EST.