A rendering of the building, now under construction on State Street, where Under Armour plans to move into.
This fall, Under Armour is expected to open one of its sporting apparel stores in a new building being constructed on State Street, several sources confirm.
The proposed 15,000-square-foot store will include a two-story atrium and be similar to the brand’s award-winning Chicago store, according to these sources, who are familiar with the plans. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment.
State Street’s future has been a source of controversy and anxiety in recent years, with many fearing the strip is becoming too heavily populated with bars, restaurants and coffeeshops. Mayor Paul Soglin has raised this concern and suggested a moratorium on any new alcohol licenses until the matter can be studied further. The moratorium has not been passed.
The planned Under Armour store — which will face State Street but have a 502 N. Frances St. address — gives some weight to arguments that the market will sort things out.
“Regulation never works with these things, because the result can be empty space,” says Susan Schmitz, executive director of Downtown Madison Inc., who confirms that Under Armour is coming. “We need to have a discussion about what’s happening in the marketplace.”
Schmitz says that the retail market nationally is evolving with generational shifts. She says millennials have different spending habits than older generations. “Most [millennials] don’t want to live in the middle of nowhere and drive their cars everywhere,” she says. “But what do they want? A lot of it we probably don’t even know about. They’re not spending much money on clothes, they’re spending it on entertainment and things like bikes. And they’re spending it on housing.”
Other retail establishments are planned for the downtown area, says Tim Jenquin, operations director for the Downtown Business Improvement District, who tracks new businesses.
American Eagle is opening three prototype stores inside The Hub in the 600 block of State Street. Don’t Ask Why is a women’s clothing store, and Tailgate is a vintage-style sports clothing store. These stores will also include a small juice bar to encourage shoppers to linger and interact, says another source familiar with the plans.
Schmitz expects retail will continue to thrive, but says it may not look like the retail of yesterday.
“It’s different retail. We weren’t talking about Under Armour 15 years ago,” she says. “We’re not going to see the women’s dress stores and men’s hat stores. That’s a different era, so we’re going to see different offerings. Some will be soft goods, some will be something else that we probably don’t even know about.”
“Things are happening downtown,” she adds. “There’s always turnover, and we don’t have much empty space.”
Others remain unconvinced and concerned. Sam Chehade, owner of Michelangelo’s Coffee House, at 114 State St., has been critical of the mix of food and retail. Although he’s argued that State Street needs more retail, he’s unimpressed by Under Armour, saying “it’s just a chain.”
He worries that Under Armour might hurt the small, locally owned sports store Fontana.
Rents are becoming so high on State Street that only big national chains can afford to open there, he says. “Madison’s rents are out of touch with reality. The rents aren’t sustainable when you’re paying $12,000, $15,000 a month,” Chehade says. “Madison is not Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It’s Madison, Wisconsin.”
“Maybe the so-called market forces will balance things out at the expense of the smaller places,” he adds. “But I’m not a believer in that.”