Shoe Palace is expanding its “Nine Three” flagship concept with the refresh of the retailer’s Melrose Avenue location in Los Angeles.
The fourth of seven planned Nine Three flagship concepts, the store, located at 7725 Melrose Avenue, subtly harkens to California’s Prohibition era by interpreting the mystique of hidden lounges with a private speakeasy created for its clientele and private events.
Premium materials used throughout the store reflect the Nine Three design philosophy with custom stone and marble, rich botanical prints, opulent wall treatments and soft notes of blush pink and mint green.
Related Stories
Ralph Mersho, co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Shoe Palace, said in a statement that Melrose Avenue has “always been one of the most influential destinations for style and culture.”
You May Also Like
“We’re excited to build on that history, elevating it for Shoe Palace’s customers and creating a platform for our partners,” Mersho said. “Our new Nine Three flagship unites heritage, innovation, and style in a way that’s authentic to California, past and present.”
The CEO added that he “challenged” the retail team to create a store that “captures people’s imagination.”
“That’s where the idea of a hidden speakeasy came from,” Mersho added. “The entire layout has been meticulously-arranged. The products we carry are aspirational, but accessible. We’re excited to serve as a platform for our partner’s exclusives and limited global drops. Shoe Palace Melrose gives customers a unique shopping experience that goes beyond traditional retail.”
Shoe Palace first revealed its Nine Three flagship concept store vision last year in a move to pay tribute to the year it was founded, 1993. The first Nine Three location opened in downtown Los Angeles in February 2025, followed by flagships in the Union Square area of San Francisco and the Little Tokyo neighborhood in Los Angeles in March 2025.
This concept comes as Shoe Palace’s store footprint has grown significantly since JD Sports bought the retailer in 2020 for $325 million. At the time, Shoe Palace had 167 stores. Now, the retailer has 250 stores in 13 states.
In January, JD Sports offered a glimpse on how the footwear and sports apparel retail fared during the holidays in the company’s latest trading update. Overall, the company said its fourth quarter to-date organic sales grew 1.4 percent, while like-for-like sales dipped 1.8 percent in the period, which was in line with the company’s third quarter performance.
The company noted that like-for-like sales in North America, its largest market, increased 5.3 percent in Q4 to-date, up from down 1.7 percent last quarter. The company said that the region reported “resilient performance” in footwear, driven by continued momentum in the running category and strong demand in new retro basketball product launches.