Downtown Spokane welcomed its latest retail giant Thursday with the opening of the sportswear company’s shop at Main Avenue and Howard Street.

“It’s a milestone for Nike to invest in downtown Spokane,” said Mark Richard, president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership. “It’s a great sign for Spokane’s momentum.”

Roughly 100 people lined up for the opening, the queue stretching along the sidewalk and wrapping around the block. At the moment the outlet’s doors were opened, they flooded inside – many with phones held high, snapping photos – to the applause of the store’s employees.

One of those people was Domenic Rehm, 20, who drove from Medical Lake to attend the opening.

“It’s pretty big to have access to the store,” he said. “The next closest one is on the other side of the mountains.”

Richard said the Nike Factory Store is a new reason for people to travel to Spokane, and it will contribute to the downtown economy.

The Nike Factory Store is on the bottom floor of The M building, the former Macy’s department store that now holds 114 apartments on its other nine floors. The building is owned by Centennial Properties, a subsidiary of the Cowles Co., which publishes The Spokesman-Review.