Hangtime, Indy streetwear store, transforms for College Football Playoff National Championship

It is billed as the number one streetwear store in America.

Hangtime sits at the corner of 38th and Meridian here in the heart of Indianapolis. The inner city retailer is bustling with customers seeking the latest in streetwear, apparel, and footwear seven days a week, 365 days a year.

With the college football national championship game in Indianapolis, the store has been transformed into a football showplace through a partnership between Nike and Hangtime.

“As soon as you walk inside we have that feeling like you’re part of the football team and you’re about to run out on the field,” said Hangtime’s marketing director Mike Gillis as he led us into the store from one of the 38th Street entrances.

The sales floor that was once adorned with the latest athletic footwear has been turned into a miniature football field. Nike footballs and footwear line the walls and a replica of the college football championship trophy sits in the center of the field.

“When you look around this space, we have fully transformed it,” said Gillis as he stood, smiling in the center of the football field. “Working with Nike, we wanted to do something cool for the college football championship. And, they gave us a budget. We put a little funding with it and we made this happen. Our idea was to bring people into a space that felt like they were actually at the game, on the field living in the moment of the championship being here in Indy.”

Hangtime is committed to the Indianapolis community and is using the big game as a way to give back too.

“Right now we’re working on a project with Habitat for Humanity here in Indianapolis,” said Gillis. “So we’re building a house for a family in need. We’re in the process of raising a hundred thousand dollars. We’re almost there. The homeowner gets the keys at the beginning of April. We’re working with Nike this week and this month to let people know that every purchase of a Nike Air Force One, ten dollars of that will be going to that home project, so we think that’s a pretty cool thing for people to be able to look cool and get fresh but also be supporting a great cause.”

For more information visit, hangtimeindy.com.