eBay has launched its new ‘85 shop – a pop-up retail store in Chicago celebrating the history and success of Nike’s most iconic basketball shoe, the Air Jordan 1.
According to the company’s press release, the ‘85 Shop will feature a complete collection of Air Jordan 1s in every colorway, as well as a “never-before-released" 1985 Air Jordan 1 “Chicago” sample. The shop will also house other popular sneakers from the Air Jordan era, such as the Puma Clyde and the Adidas Forum.
Garry Thaniel, Global BM of Sneakers at eBay, believes that the Air Jordan 1s led the way in the modern era of sneaker culture. "The '85 Shop gives the community a chance to celebrate one of the most iconic and enduring sneakers ever created and even own a piece of history,” he added.
In putting together the shop, the eCommerce giant tapped on its top sneaker sellers like Jordan Geller of ShoeZeum and SoleStage, who helped curate the store with retro colorways of the “sneaker that started it all” and provided other Nike memorabilia.
The two will also go live on eBay straight from the store on April 6 as a way of giving sneakerheads and dedicated collectors a chance to shop the collection.
While the 10-day online auction starts on April 5 on the shop’s website, people interested in visiting the physical store may do so on April 6 and 7 at 1045 W Fulton Market in Chicago.
In what might be an out-of-home activation effort to push its marketing, the ‘85 Shop’s launch coincides with the release of the Ben Affleck-directed Nike biopic “Air,” which follows American sports executive Sonny Vaccaro (played by Matt Damon) pursuit of then-basketball rookie Michael Jordan, changing the history of sports forever.
Air is out now in cinemas worldwide.
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