If you’ve driven down Woodward Ave. in downtown Detroit, you’ve seen the Under Armour insignia for months, but the store itself has been a mystery.
Starting this morning, the mystery will disappear as the business opens its doors to customers for the first time at 10 a.m.
During a sneak-peak Susie McCabe, the brand’s Senior VP of Global Retail, gave 7 Action News a look inside the all-new store.
Speaking with McCabe you get the idea that they could have built anywhere else for cheaper, but they were sold on the renaissance of Detroit. McCabe, who hails from Newark and has seen a large-scale city fight for a comeback, seems excited to be a part of the downtown revitalization.
“It’s kind of contagious,” said McCabe, explaining that the meetings with Bedrock; who helped bring the brand to Woodward Ave. really drew the company in. “You walk out of those meetings thinking, ‘How could I not be a part of this?’”
The vibe is certainly changing.
One the exact same corner Avalon Bakery is set to open it’s doors the exact same day. As McCabe gave tours to journalists and showed off the new features of the store — the Q-line rumbled down Woodward with it’s “in service” lights on. Soon customers will be dropped off at the business’ storefront.
“We already have a certain number of points of distribution,” said McCabe. “So, when we open a store it has to be meaningful, special and connect back to the community where we’re opening.”
In this store’s case there is an abundance of Tigers and Lions memorabilia. Bright lights showcase a skyline of Detroit, and in a flash it turns to the Tigers’ colors shortly before unveiling a picture of Justin Verlander on the Comerica Park mound staring down a pitcher.
The Baltimore-based company brought in their own artists to paint a handful of Detroit murals, but hired local artists to paint renditions of athletes that are part of the Under Armour brand inside fitting rooms.
There are even interactive displays where you can shoot a code next to a shoe, or a painting, and a display pops out of your phone showing you a behind-the-scenes look at how a mural was painted, or a cartoon-like athlete will pop out and give you details of the product you’re looking at.
The store opens Thursday morning at 10 a.m.
