Window Shopping

Club kicks

By Brittany Kress

blog I e-mail

WILL SHILLING PHOTO

With pulsing music that makes you want to dance around and mannequins that have tattoos — seriously, lift their shirts — shopping in the Easton Puma store might feel like being in a club.

And some days, it is. Several local DJs spin live on the weekends, an approach that's being instituted in all the new Puma stores, along with allover metallic interiors and lots of merchandise displays hanging from the ceiling.

The store has shoes, sure. But along the way there are distractions like polo shirts, leg warmers, wristbands, headbands, bags and plenty of sunglasses. Puma literally has you covered from head to ... electronically measured arch.

WILL SHILLING PHOTO

For the company's soon-to-debut Complete Running collection, the Puma store will be outfitted with a heat sensor set into the floor that can determine a person's arch height and pick the shoe type that corresponds best.

The rest of the footwear options, displayed on floor-to-ceiling sliding shelves along the back three walls of the store, run the expected gamut. Besides trainers and basketball high-tops, you'll find streamlined casual shapes that lace up the side and bright '80s-inspired looks.

Plaid and patterned classic designs, athletic trainers and some ballet and platform-looking flats make up the women's selections. And the kids' kicks section is filled with mini versions of all of the above.

When it comes to clothing, the biggest selection is in menswear. Contrasting colors and pop-art patterns make the store's From the Puma Archive collection stand out as it pays homage to the '80s. There's also a variety of classic zip-up hoodies, polos and sweaters, most graced with the familiar leaping cat logo.

Men's and women's jeans are by Envisu, and women's clothing offerings include sweaters, jackets and other tops in green and black, as well as yoga and athletic lines. Men's board shorts and girls' bikinis are available for those ready to hit the pools as soon as the weather warms up.

Easton's Puma, the only location in Central Ohio, opened in December. An outlet store will open at the Prime Outlets in Jeffersonville in April.

March 27, 2008

Copyright ? 2008 Columbus Alive, Inc. All rights reserved.