Portland State University student Carolyn Davidson designed the iconic Nike swoosh less than a mile from the sportswear giant’s newly renovated Portland store.
The 7,500-square-foot-store, which reopens Thursday, nods to Davidson, as well as other moments from Nike’s celebrated corporate history. But more than anything, it underscores CEO Elliott Hill’s ongoing work to refocus the company on sports.
Lanes of a running track flow through the middle of the store, the strips emblazoned with 1972, the year Nike came into existence. Giant overhead images depict the track at Nike’s corporate campus and Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, where Knight ran track for Bill Bowerman, with whom he co-founded the company. Eliud Kipchoge’s record marathon time is engraved on a wall. A quote from sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson is on another.
“You’ve all heard Elliott talk about sport is at the center of everything we do, and we’re doing it at retail,” said Tim Rupp, senior creative director for North American Design and Experiences, during a Wednesday media preview of the store. “Retail is the physical manifestation of the brand.”
The store reopens after a roughly two-year renovation. Nike operated a temporary store across the street in Pioneer Space while the space was being remodeled.
The store first opened in 2011, replacing a NikeTown that opened nearby in 1990.
Just five years ago, the expansion of Nike’s retail footprint was a key leg of its growth strategy. In June 2020, former Nike CEO John Donahoe said the company expected to open between 150 and 200 new stores as part of a push to sell more products directly to consumers.
Since starting work a little more than a year ago, Hill has reversed that decision and worked to rebuild Nike’s relationships with wholesale partners. Nike’s store count has only increased by 38 since June 2020. It now operates 376 stores, according to its most recent annual report.
Chief Commercial Officer Craig Williams said Nike’s focus isn’t on opening stores, it’s on selling products in a “distinctive” and “elevated” way, whether it’s at a Nike store, a sporting goods store or online.
“The idea is to be aspirational from a consumer standpoint, using sports as the anchor,” he said. “Hopefully that helps to establish the impression for what Nike wants to stand for, no matter where the consumer decides to shop for our product.”
In addition to refocusing the company on sports, Hill also has spoken about the need for Nike to be engaged in efforts to make Portland more livable and marketable. Williams also spoke about the company’s hometown pride.
“Portland is our backyard,” he said. “It’s our home. It’s been our home for over 50 years. And everything we do in Portland we want to be proud of.”
Williams and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson will speak Thursday at the store’s grand reopening celebration. Other reopening events include a run on Friday with two-time Olympic medal winner Galen Rupp.
But back to Davidson, the designer of the iconic swoosh logo.
The store has four columns that stretch to its 18-foot ceiling. Each pays homage to a specific piece of Nike history.
“Each column tells a different Nike story,” Rupp said.
One tells the story of Bowerman’s waffle iron. Another the story of Nike Air. And another the foam used in Nike running shoes. The fourth tells the story of how Davidson created the swoosh logo and includes an etching of a handwritten letter she sent Knight in 1971.
The renovated downtown Portland store is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Remodeled Nike store showcases running, nods to company’s Portland roots
