PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Footwear and apparel fans, rejoice! Nike opened up its third Portland-area store on Thursday at Bridgeport Village in what used to be an Apple Store location.
This Nike brick-and-mortar is a Nike Live concept. That concept caters specifically to women and their fitness journeys, but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of men’s products at the store as well.
“You’ll just see when you come in the door that it’s all about her,” said Nike North America VP Sarah Mensah. “It’s all about the unique fitness journey that women have, and how we are serving that journey for women.”
This marks the 50th Nike Live store for the brand. Getting to have that milestone happen just down the road from the company’s campus is special for the brand.
“It’s Nike’s 50th anniversary, and so it was so fitting that the 50th door we would have in this concept would be opened up in our own backyard. It’s really a celebration of lots of anniversaries here. Our 50th store on our 50th anniversary. It’s really special. A full circle moment,” said Mensah.
This store opens during a time when things are a bit precarious for malls, as online shopping becomes more and more prevalent. Don’t worry about Nike though, says Mensah.
“We put these stores in according to where the data tells us that consumers are really accessing Nike and looking to really access sport, so you can expect that we will be accelerating our stores’ footprint across the United States,” says Mensah.
To have that footprint expand in this area is especially sweet for her, as Mensah has worked for Nike since 2013 and previously worked for the Trail Blazers for 19 years.
“We really saw in the data that this is an area in the country at large that people are really accessing sport,” said Mensah. “People are running, people are participating, and particularly here. It was just wonderful for us to see that all the commitment that we have to sport in our own backyard is resulting in our need to serve consumers here in a unique way.”
Nike by Bridgeport is open 10 AM-8 PM Monday through Saturday and 11 AM-6 PM on Sundays.