Stadium Goods to Open Second Store in Chicago
Stadium Goods is heading to the
Windy City.
The sneaker and streetwear marketplace will open its second store in the U.S. at 60 East Walton Street in Chicago. It is expected to open some time in the second quarter of next year.
The 6,000-square-foot, two-floor store will hearken to Stadium Goods' SoHo unit with a sneaker wall and the rare Trophy Case collection of goods on the main floor, while the second floor will feature additional projects. Unlike the SoHo store that has an accompanying Market Center — a place where Stadium Goods authenticates and buys goods from sellers — the Chicago store will not immediately offer that service, but is expected to receive one in the future.
“Chicago has always been an exciting market and something we've been looking at for a while,” said Stadium Goods cofounder and co-chief executive officer John McPheters. “Chicago is a massive market, so part of it was seeing the opportunity there. To date, it's been underserviced in the product we're offering.”
Jed Stiller, Stadium Goods cofounder and co-chief executive officer, said he and McPheters found the location a year-anda-half ago and “it was a no-brainer” to open there.
“It's one of our top markets,” he said. “It took us four years to open a second store, because we wanted to be careful. There are certain things we're going to bring that will be consistent, but we're going to have unique elements. Less is more with stores, we're excited for a second store and we hope the city embraces us.” They declined to be more specific about how that store would be different.
The legacy of Michael Jordan helped influence their decision to open in
Chicago, said McPheters.
The 6,000-square-foot, twolevel store will feature a sneaker wall and Trophy Case collection like the SoHo store.
“Jordan's influence is huge. One of the things that's eye opening for us is at a time when Jordan is waning in popularity in New York City, his audience and following is massive in Chicago.”
The New York City-based brand Stadium Goods, which was acquired by Farfetch at the end of last year, also has a shop-in-shop at Fred Segal in Los Angeles that is focused more on apparel than on sneakers. McPheters said that shop is doing well and is “a great way to drive activity in Los Angeles.”
The Chicago store will also see increased attention on apparel, but “you won't see a diminishing of sneakers,” said McPheters.