Copyright Business Insider
Running was the first sports category I came across. The entire main floor was all about running. Some mannequins were dressed accordingly, and there were a few nods to the New York City Marathon — held the weekend before my visit — with the "NYC 26.2" shirts. Nike has recently referred to itself as a "running brand," and the walls of Vomero running sneakers suggested just that. As I browsed, one worker recommended a $180 pair of white Nike Vomero Plus that he said were perfect for walking all day. The first floor made me think that the rest of the store would follow its format, with each floor dedicated to one of the key categories that Nike is focusing on: running, basketball, football, training, and sportswear. However, the next few floors were organized by gender and age, which is more in line with how I personally shop. Despite the push for a more sports-focused "offense," as the company calls its strategy, the six floors were still largely organized by gender and age. There was a basement-level floor dedicated to children, and the floor above the main area was all about womenswear. I was greeted with walls of leggings and displays of sports bras. It reminded me of the layout of a Nike store I previously visited in Brooklyn. Earlier this year, Nike said it would partner with Kim Kardashian's Skims on a new brand called NikeSkims. The first collection debuted in September. The NikeSkims section of the women's floor had a fair amount of traffic. The neutral-toned activewear was organized by shade. It wasn't as immersive as I would've expected for a new brand launch, compared to the world created for Jordan on the final floor. I had an "aha" moment on the sports-labeled floor. This floor was focused entirely on sportswear, which Nike has said it's leaning more into as it works to get back to its roots. Parts of the floor were dedicated to various sports, with the largest section reserved for basketball, followed by football, tennis, golf, and soccer. Visitors could shop for team gear or specialty shoes for their desired sport. When I compare the House of Innovation to the other Nike stores I've recently visited, it's clear that the House of Innovation serves as the blueprint for the others. The layouts were similar. There was something there for pretty much every athlete. And it was easy to find each sport category, especially running and basketball. As my six-floor journey came to a close, I was impressed by the amount of apparel Nike was able to encompass in one store. Of course, it's a flagship, so some extravagance is expected.
