Nike store to open Thursday in former downtown Macy’s building

Rumors, speculation and anticipation have come to an end with the announcement that a Nike Factory Store will open Thursday in the former Macy’s building downtown.

Nike will be the major tenant in the building at 618 W. Main Ave. that is now known as The M, a Centennial Properties-owned building that is being converted for residential, retail and office use. Centennial Properties is owned by Cowles Co., which also publishes The Spokesman-Review.

The downtown Nike Factory Store is being used by the Beaverton, Oregon-based athletic wear giant as a pilot for a new hybrid Nike retail experience, according to a news release from Downtown Spokane Partnership. The store will offer a combination of outlet and the latest, full-priced items – normally only sold at the company’s Niketown stores.

Work on the main-floor Nike store was valued at more than $750,000, according to permits filed with the city before construction work began. The retail space is more than 12,000 square feet in size, and plans called for an 18-foot-high ceiling on the first floor with a mezzanine on the second.

Permits indicate the store will not be a Niketown, which sells the company’s latest products.

Nike has a number of outlet stores in Washington, all west of the Cascades, with the nearest in North Bend.

Macy’s closed the historic downtown store in 2016 as part of a series of store closures nationwide. Before it was Macy’s, the store was home to Bon Marche for more than 50 years.