A Jalen Hurts appearance and exclusive Jordan gear highlight Philly’s World of Flight grand opening block party

On Friday morning, Jordan Brand opened its first World of Flight store in the United States, located in Philadelphia. The project has been three years in the making, with the Philadelphia location becoming the store’s sixth international location.

“Jordan Brand in and of itself sits at the cross section of sports and culture and we truly believe in rich storytelling, curated collections as well as serving the community.” said Jeremy Bolds, Jordan Brand’s North American general manager. “Philadelphia has a deep rich history of basketball culture, purpose as well as activity in the community. We really felt the combination of a World of Flight in Philadelphia was a perfect thing.”

To celebrate its grand opening, Jordan Brand hosted a block party on Walnut Street to end the night.

From fans lining up as early as 3 a.m. to appearances from Jordan Brand athlete Jalen Hurts, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Freeway, here’s everything that took place …

Hurts’ likeness could be seen all throughout the new World of Flight store, located at 1617 Walnut Street, which included photos of the quarterback decorating the first floor walls and his new “purpose over opinion” T-shirts laying across the merchandise tables. The quarterback made a special appearance himself.

Hurts walked out of the store and was welcomed by a group of children dressed in Eagles green “Love Hurts” shirts. After posing for photos, the quarterback made his way to the stage with Chad and Matt Fain, hosts of The Realest Podcast Ever, to discuss how he bounces back from losses, his favorite sneakers, and his love for Philly.

“I think the most humbling things about sports is you can be at the top one day and at the bottom the next,” Hurts said. “But you take it all in as the same. Throughout my career, being able to experience success. To be able to experience those agonies and learn from them, those things have made me who I am. It kind of creates that diamond when you go through that pressure and go through that heat and experience those experiences. You have to choose to learn from them.”

After a disappointing loss to the New York Giants on Thursday night, this was the perfect pick-me-up moment for Philly fans who chanted “MVP” to Hurts as he exited the stage.

“I love Philly, first and foremost,” Hurts said. “I love Philly and I love the passion that the city has. And I think it’s very simple, you go into it and you give it everything you have. It’s about that desire. We got a lot of hardworking people in this city. A lot of people that go out there and go get it. Go earn everything that comes their way. So, when I go look at my career, God chose me for this city and I embrace everything that comes with it.”

The block party also featured a few performances from Philadelphia natives DJ Jazzy Jeff and rapper Freeway.

Before Hurts’ entrance, DJ Jazzy Jeff mixed the sounds of two Philadelphia anthems: “Blow the Whistle” with the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s theme song.

Freeway also performed “What We Do” to keep the energy alive.

A line stretched down past Pandora, turning down the corner of South 16th street, as fans waited to catch a first glimpse of the World of Flight store. People arrived as early as 3 a.m. for opening day with hopes getting exclusive merch.

30-year-old Motion Richie waited at the front of the line after a two and a half hour drive from the Bronx, New York. Richie found out about the opening through Instagram and knew he needed to attend for reselling purposes.

“I’m here today to make money,” Richie said. “We’re going to buy the sneakers, bring them back to the block and sell them.”

Not all of the customers planned to make a profit from the visit. 27-year-old Davis Reid was ready to pick up the “Black Cat” Air Jordan 3s and the Air Jordan “Grape” 5s for himself and his fiancé. As a self-proclaimed sneakerhead, Reid is ready to make weekly appearances to the shop for sneaker drops.

“They’ll know my name,” Reid said. “It’s just a legendary day for Philly, but also [for the] Jordan Brand. This is only one of the [six] stores opening in the world. So, [I had] to come out and see what they have in store for us.”

Others waiting in line were just excited to take in the atmosphere, including die-hard Michael Jordan fan Marty Eckert. The 47-year-old has a Jordan tattoo on his leg and owns around 80 pairs of Jordans.

But Friday’s goal was to just take a look inside. The New Jersey native drove thirty minutes away from his Delran for the store’s opening.

“I want to see the artwork in the building,” Eckert said. “I saw the video of a sneak peek of the inside and just can’t wait.”

The opening of the redecorated 104-year-old building, with 7,000 square feet of commercial space, was highly-anticipated among the sneaker community. Erik Moyers, 24, who has worked with Nike seasonally for the past three and a half years, made the drive from Schwenksville to attend.

“With the store opening, you can see a lot of innovation of what Jordan is doing and just [witness the] excitement about shoes,” Moyers said. “I mean look at all these fans that are wrapping around this building. It’s really crazy.”

The first floor of the World of Flight features artwork from local artists, including a piece on Michael Jordan’s last play in Philly. It also features limited edition clothing found only in stores.

The second floor is a completely different atmosphere with shoes lining up both sides of the wall, featuring new releases, golf shoes and a few retros. Toward the back of the second floor, fans waited in line to get some of their personal gear customized with charms and patches.

Although there was a bit of a wait, customers could relax in the lounge area, located right across from the workshop. Jordan artwork filled up one wall. Meanwhile, old vinyl records, Jordan Lego sets, a Julius Irving signed ABA basketball, and a Hurts jersey decorated the other wall.