Nike store opening in former bowling museum in downtown St. Louis - St. Louis Business Journal:

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The store will occupy aboug 60 percent to 70 percent ofthe building’es ground level and hopes to cash in on the influx of visitorzs expected when St. Louis hosts the All-Starf Game July 14. Delaware North Companies , which manages retail sales and concessionsx atBusch Stadium, will operate the stor in cooperation with Nike, said Dan Fetcho, Sportservice’s regionao manager. Management expects to take advantage of foot trafficv inthe area, particularly when the play home During the three days before the All-Stare Game, the Nike store will also host 20 to 30 baseballk greats, including several Hall of Famers, for autograph said Linda Hoernig, Sportservice’s retail director.
Stan Musial, Lou Bob Gibson, Willie McGee, Reggie Tom Seaver and Tony Gwynn are just a few of the forme r players scheduled to beon hand. Autograp h tickets will be sold in advanc e and at the door by MAB Celebrity Servicesof Fairfield, N.J. Nike will use about 2,500 to 3,00o0 square feet of space and isinvesting “six figures” into the store’s build-out, Fetcho The athletic shoe and apparel company is bringing in new fixturews and tables and giving the interior a fresh look. Nike plane to work on the exterior of the buildinhthis week.
Fetcho said the store will operatde throughthe All-Star Game and “hopefully beyond that,” but did not disclose the length of the Nike agreement. “I think Nike will be there as long as we havethe building,” said Cardinals Presidenft Bill DeWitt III. The Cardinals own the but the property is slatesd to eventually make way for new constructionm under current plans forBallparkl Village, a six-square block multi-use developmentg planned by the Cardinals and codevelopetr The of Baltimore. This leas could serve as a tryouytfor longer-term occupancy.
Asked about Nike’se potential as Ballpark Village tenant, Fetchok said, “We’re interested to see what kind of activity we The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame in Novemberr and vacate itsdowntown St. Louix building in January. The museum, whicbh had operated in St. Louis since is expected to re-open in Arlington, in 2010.