This Nike store just doesn’t ‘do it’ for its neighbors.Soho residents are fed-up with the hordes of unruly crowds flocking to the 55,000-square-foot superstore that opened in their neighborhood
Source: Nike’s new store is bringing chaos to Soho residents | New York Post
At the crossroads of capitalism lies decimation of local color and flavor and a need to improve foot traffic for a stronger tax base and neighborhood improvement. Nike is a machine. The goal is to grow to a point that Nike becomes synonymous with the word shoes. It’s kind of like searching on the web is called “Googling” instead of web searching, or like when your old uncle calls every soda, “Coke”, or when people say they are “Xerox-ing” instead of making copies. Nike wants to be so integrated into our lives that when we think of athletic footwear our first thought is Nike.
That’s what this Soho store represents. It’s an integration of sportswear, technology and customer service in footwear that has never existed. The problem is it’s also Nike and with Nike there is a level of fanaticism that is only seen in Apple releases or Black Friday shopping days. This creates a serious problem for an area that has always been a haven for the arts and counterculture. It’s like gentrifying Harlem. Starbucks and Hipsters in Harlem is damn near sacrilegious, but it’s happening.
In this article, click the source link, it’s explained that Nike was able to manipulate a loophole to build this gigantic space. That’s not a good look for the brand. The question becomes if this store is the beginning of how Nike will further integrate into its market, will they take note and consider the spaces they are looking to grow into?
It will be interesting to see where the next superstore from the brand is dropped. Under Armour pulled off a similar concept to praise recently, maybe there is opportunity there.
