October 10, 2025
Michael Tanenbaum/PhillyVoice
Nike's new Jordan Brand World of Flight store at 1617 Walnut St. celebrates the heritage of Michael Jordan's NBA career and spotlights the work of local artists who helped design the shop.
World of Flight, the Nike spinoff store dedicated to the Jordan Brand, opens Friday in Center City with a 4 p.m. block party on the 1600 block of Walnut Street.
The two-story shop in Philadelphia is the Jordan Brand's first outpost in the United States and one of only five worldwide. It's packed with streetwear, sneakers and visual callbacks to Michael Jordan's legendary NBA career. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has a Jordan Brand endorsement deal, also figures heavily into the store's merchandise and design.
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Hurts is expected to make an appearance at Friday's block party, a Jordan Brand spokesperson said during a tour of World of Flight on Thursday afternoon. But the decision to open the brand's first U.S. store in Philly actually was made before Hurts became an ambassador.
"It was a combination of sports, culture and passion for community — that resonates deeply for Jordan Brand," said Jeremy Bolds, general manager of Jordan Brand North America. "We sit at pretty much the intersection of sport and culture. What our brand values and what the city values was a perfect match."
The shop at 1617 Walnut St. occupies 6,344 square feet in a Beaux-Arts building that's listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. The Jordan Brand's design team had to work within parameters set by the city's historical commission, including restoring the storefront's facade and its French windows above the entrance. The goal was to infuse the building's historic elements with the aeronautical themes of the Jordan Brand.
Nike's World of Flight store at 1617 Walnut St. is shown above on Oct. 2. Ahead of Friday's opening, Nike added a final touch of Jordan's iconic Jumpman logo on the arch above the entrance. A smaller Jumpman sits in the pediment at the top of the Beaux-Arts building constructed in 1921.
Art on the walls of Nike's World of Flight store pays homage to Michael Jordan's stellar NBA career.
"You come in through a very historic facade and as you walk through the spaces, you start to see a bit of a transition again — the idea of the history and then it being more future-facing," said Andre Kim, Jordan Brand's director of retail design. "It's meant to feel a bit otherworldly."
One of the store's most eye-catching fixtures is a circular, digital display that hangs from the ceiling of the first floor and cycles through clips featuring Hurts. Among other products, the Eagles star's exclusive Jordan Brand collection features shirts and hoodies with his "Love, Hurts" slogan.
Jordan Brand athlete Jalen Hurts has his own streetwear collection that will be sold exclusively at the World of Flight store in Philadelphia.
Michael Tanenbaum/PhillyVoice
A digital display on the ceiling of World of Flight's first floor shows clips of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Michael Tanenbaum/PhillyVoice
The store also has sections for winter wear, women's and kids' apparel and everyday comfort. The sneaker displays are on the second floor, where there's an array of sections for basketball and streetwear.
Jordan Brand partnered with Mural Arts Philadelphia to choose local artists to create the designs seen on the walls and behind the register at World of Flight. Nick D'Auria, who goes by NDA, painted a mural on the second floor that Kim said represents the city's youth culture. Even the store's wayfinding signs are inspired by historic plaques in the city with wings added to give them a Jordan flare.
Philadelphia-based muralist Nick D'Auria is among the local artists whose work adorns the walls of World of Flight.
Above, the women's section of the World of Flight store.
World of Flight's sneaker displays are on the store's second floor.
World of Flight has a wide selection of men's, women's and kids' Jordan Brand sneakers.
The store plans to carry a rotation of T-shirts with hyperlocal designs exclusively available in Philadelphia. Some will be created by local artist Dina Scott, whose work is featured behind the register and on the walls of the fitting room in the back of the first floor.
The highlight of the store is the second-floor lounge and customization area where shoppers can have their clothing and shoes embellished with a selection of patches and pins. The lounge is decked out with a glass display and shelving filled with Jordan sneakers, memorabilia, books and nods to Philadelphia. A side wall features iconic photos of Jordan, including one from his final game played on the road against the Sixers as a member of the Washington Wizards in 2003.
A lounge on the second floor of World of Flight showcases sneakers, memorabilia and photos that highlight the intersection of the Jordan Brand and Philadelphia.
The customization workshop on the second floor of World of Flight lets shoppers put their own touch on sneakers and apparel.
On Thursday afternoon, the store welcomed members of the Jordan Brand's youth-focused Wings Scholars program that was founded in Philly in 2015. The program now operates in six cities and works with local partner organizations to give teens internship experience with the company. The Wings Scholars each received gift bags with sneakers and other apparel.
Members of the Jordan Brand's Wings Scholars program in Philadelphia got the first look at the city's new World of Flight store on Thursday afternoon.
Kim said hardcore sneakerheads who visit the shop will be able to spot a few Jordan Brand Easter eggs throughout the space. The door handle to the store is shaped in the design of the plastic "wings" on the sides of 1989's Air Jordan 4s.
The door handle at the entrance to World of Flight pays homage to the adjustable 'wing' feature of the Air Jordan 4 sneakers released in 1989.
"If you know, you know," Kim said. "It kind of gives you a peek in terms of what you're going to see and experience throughout the space."
