The Nike Inc. Community Store in downtown Detroit is scheduled for a 10 a.m. public grand opening Thursday. Michigan State University men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo, MSU mascot Sparty and Dennis Van Oossanen, vice president of North American retail, are expected to make appearances.
The store, located in about 22,000 square feet on Woodward Avenue in the former F.W. Woolworth Co. building at 1261 Woodward Ave., has a community-centered focus, according to Nike.
On its website, it describes Community Stores as ones that “support volunteerism and allocate volunteer hours to sport- and non sport-related efforts.” In those stores, employees are referred to as “athletes” and “work with kids to drive early, positive experiences with physical activity throughout the community.”
According to Crain’s Detroit Business, the store has local store design elements and merchandise; a focus on hiring more than 80 percent of its employees from within a five-mile radius of the store; volunteer efforts, including some already underway at the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan; and grant programs allowing employees to support local community groups.
