Nike store officials cut the ribbon Thursday morning on the new River Park store in Fresno. Photos by Ben Hensley

The moment has arrived for sneakerheads, athletes and weekend warriors who have long awaited a Fresno Nike store. 

Their wish came true Thursday morning with the soft opening and ribbon cutting of the new River Park Nike store.

About 200 eager shoppers were on hand, some of whom had camped out through Wednesday night’s wet and windy weather to get the opportunity to add to their sneaker collections, workout apparel and more.

Located at 7650 N. Blackstone Ave. — the former site of the Macaroni Grill, which closed in 2020 — the 14,000 square-foot store, called Nike Unite, has been in the works for the last seven years.

 

The store is Fresno’s first dedicated Nike store. The nearest Nike store outside of Fresno is a Nike Factory Store located at the Tulare Outlets.

The Nike Unite concept – launched in 2020 – seeks to uplift local communities and aims to support local schools and nonprofits that promote healthy, active lifestyles in children through Nike’s Made to Play campaign.

“Nike Unite exists to serve and celebrate the people in each local community, and each store is designed to be a reflection of their heart and spirit,” reads a statement released in 2020 – the year Nike Unite was launched. “Consumers are welcomed by an in-store community wall highlighting the store team and local partnerships, and design elements throughout the space also look to tell the story of the community.”

Tracy Kashian, senior vice president of marketing and public relations for River Park, said the store has been a long time coming.

 

“Our heart has been invested for a long time,” Kashian said. “We knew we needed a really good tenant at this location…people who are traveling outside of Fresno – we’ve got everything they need here at River Park.”

Kashian said that a lot of larger companies take some convincing that Fresno is capable of supporting big-name retailers, highlighting the traffic that Fresno sees from commuters between Northern and Southern California. She added that Fresno is a prime location not only for local residents who hope to avoid the drive up or down the state, but also for those passing through Fresno.

“I think that a lot of people don’t realize how many people come here to shop,” Kashian said. “We pull from so far outside of the Central Valley, I think it’s a great thing for them to have. It’s going to be interesting to see how far people come from.”

 

The store’s grand opening will take place in the coming weeks, but inventory seems stocked with full shelves with everything from lifestyle apparel to athletic clothes and, of course, shoes and sneakers.

“I’m a big sneakerhead; it’s a Nike store so I’m here to get some sneakers today,” said Heyden Simpson, who was the first in line, camping out since 7 p.m. Wednesday for the store’s opening. “I’ve been waiting for over a decade for a Nike store to open up in Fresno so I’m more than thrilled right now.”

Simpson said that the store in Fresno is near his home and it makes the commute to a Nike location much easier to access.

“Probably every weekend I’ll be in here now,” Simpson said. “Nike stores like this – you have to go a long way away; having it this close to my house it’s going to make it a lot easier.”