Nike's plan to open a World of Flight store in Center City — the first outpost in the United States for the Jordan Brand shop — appears to be moving forward after the city approved the company's proposed changes to the storefront on Walnut Street where the business will operate.
A year ago, Nike submitted a proposal to the Philadelphia Historical Commission to make changes to the building facade at 1617 Walnut St., a vacant storefront in Rittenhouse whose most recent tenant was British clothing shop Jack Wills. The proposal sought to replace a historic French door on the second floor of the property with a window featuring an illuminated sign of Michael Jordan's iconic Jumpman logo inside the store.
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A zoning permit issued by the city on Jan. 21 gave Nike approval to install the signage, and a general permit from the Department of Licenses and Inspections on Feb. 28 also approved a smaller, non-illuminated Jumpman logo that will adorn the wall just above the main entrance to the store.
A Nike spokesperson declined to comment about the timeline for the opening of the World of Flight store in Philadelphia but said the company plans to share updates as the project progresses. The two-story space covers nearly 7,000 square feet and is located next to a New Balance store along one of Center City's prime retail corridors.
Nike opened its first World of Flight store in Milan in 2022, describing the shop as the "pinnacle retail concept" for the Jordan Brand "at the forefront of streetwear and basketball culture." Two other locations opened in Tokyo and Seoul in 2023. The store in Seoul is decorated with photos of Jordan and displays shoes he wore during his reign with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. Nike and Jordan partnered to create the first Air Jordan sneakers in 1984.
The Jordan Brand spun off as a subsidiary of Nike in 1997, exclusively selling Jordan's line of footwear and apparel. The brand has since grown to represent other star athletes, including Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who joined its roster two years ago and often wears cleats bearing the Jumpman logo.
Ahead of Super Bowl LIX, Adweek described Hurts as "a walking billboard for Jordan Brand," and Hurts was part of the "Unbannable" marketing campaign this winter that called back to the NBA fines Jordan received when he debuted his black-and-red Air Jordan 1s during the 1984 NBA season.
Hurts' growing relationship with the Jordan Brand was on full display during the Eagles Super Bowl parade. The quarterback donned a trendy Jordan Brand sweatshirt with a spin on the expression, "Love, Hurts," and a sculpture of Hurts' last name was placed next to Robert Indiana's famed installation at LOVE Park. The phrase was coined in a Jordan Brand commercial that aired after Hurts was named Super Bowl MVP.
Nearby the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a Jordan Brand food truck also gave out free cheesesteaks and Hurts-branded swag.
Other Jordan Brand athletes include 76ers rookie Jared McCain and NBA stars Jayson Tatum, Luka Dončić and Russell Westbrook.
The space at 1617 Walnut St. has been vacant for about five years. It was sold to a New York investor for $5.4 million in 2022. The storefront had been slated to become a Free People shop, but the fashion retailer instead moved into a space across the street. Nike has a separate Factory Store in the Fashion District mall at 9th and Market streets.
At the storefront on Walnut Street, Nike plans to preserve two other historic French doors on either side of the one that's slated to be replaced with the window where the illuminated Jumpman logo will be installed. The developer for the project, MBH Architects, also plans to install a new front door with a security gate and repurpose the original door as part of the store's design.