Monday, Nike and Foot Locker made history opening the first House of Hoops, a basketball-specific shoe and apparel store and the first of 50 such retail project by the companies said to open within the next 3 years. The stores are part of Nike president Charlie Denson’s growth strategy, which includes investing in new types of retail opportunities.

The store, located on Harlem 125th Street and is less than a mile away from the famed Rucker Park and features products from Nike, Brand Jordan and Converse exclusively. The House of Hoops stores will feature limited edition personalized performance shoes and plasma screens where customers can view commercials and behind the scenes interviews with top players. At the Scorer’s Table fans can order customized t-shirts and peep the specialized electronic community board with a ticker posting real-time scores from local high school basketball games.
The strategy is poised to be a tremendous look for Footlocker. How many times have you walked into one of their stores and instantaneously disregarded virtually 75% of the stock as irrelevant to your style. Instead of wasting retail space or consumers time, they’ve converted urban locations to House of Hoop Stores that carry kicks that cats in the hood actually carry about…BASKETBALL SNEAKERS.

By re-branding the chain after the popular series of Nike ads, Footlocker and the shoe giant have reconnected with the urban youth once again being fully relevant in the hood. Now instead of holding consumers to a 1 minute scan of the shoe walls from the entrance, hoops fans can feel at home at the new locations and become a part of the entire House of Hoops experience.