Mitchell & Ness flagship is moving into the Brooks Brothers space on Walnut Street
The company also has a new president, Emilie Arel, and a new East Coast headquarters.
Mitchell & Ness is making big changes this year, with a new East Coast headquarters in Center City and a far larger flagship retail location at 1513 Walnut St., where the company will replace Brooks Brothers.
The vintage sports apparel company has a new president as well, with Emilie Arel joining the company in February. She was formerly head of mattress company Casper and is a member of Macy’s board of directors.
“Emilie brings over 20 years of leadership experience in retail, apparel and direct-to-consumer businesses,” a Mitchell & Ness spokesperson said in an email. “Emilie replaces former CEO Eli Kumekpor, who made the decision to depart the business last year.”
Mitchell & Ness was founded in Philadelphia in 1904 and in 2022 was acquired by New-York-based Fanatics, the global sports-merchandise company founded by Philadelphia’s Michael Rubin. 2025′s flurry of changes shows the brand’s renewed commitment to the city as other athleisure and sportswear brands expand in the heart of Center City’s retail district.
With 16,000 square feet of retail space, Mitchell & Ness’ new space at 1513 Walnut will be quadruple the size of the current shop at 1306 Walnut. A company spokesperson said the new store would open in the second half of this year.
Brooks Brothers, meanwhile, will exit the building by early June, according to Mitchell & Ness’ real estate broker. The company did not have a comment Wednesday.
The building is owned by Stoltz Real Estate Partners, a Bala Cynywd-based national retail firm. The deal was brokered by Scott Benson and Michael Gorman of Metro Commercial, who represented Mitchell & Ness, and dealt directly with Stoltz.
“From what I’m hearing from Mitchell & Ness, this will be used as a prototype to hopefully expand into other major markets for them,” Benson said. “I’m really proud to have that type of store in Philadelphia. People are opening flagships here. People are choosing Philadelphia.”
Mitchell & Ness supplanting Brooks Brothers, a storied American menswear brand, is seen as a larger shift in Center City and in office culture.
Brooks Brothers has struggled to keep abreast of changing clothing trends in the 21st century. The prevalence of suits and ties was declining in white collar professions even before the pandemic-era boom of remote work.
“You’ve got a lot of ’90s kids in their prime buying years right now, [and] we wear athleisure to the office. We love throwback gear,” Benson said. “We want to be comfortable, but we also want to be fashionable.”
Brooks Brothers filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and shuttered its New York flagship, although it has seen improving sales since and signed a new lower Manhattan lease at the end of 2024.
Mitchell & Ness is not the only brand in this niche moving to Center City’s premier retail blocks. Nike is opening one of the company’s first “Jordan’s World of Flight” flagship stores at 1617 Walnut St. London-based JD Sports opened on Chestnut Street, while in 2023 Alo Yoga filled a storefront at 1608 Walnut that had been empty for almost three years.
“It’s emblematic of how people are dressing today: out with suits and tailored clothing and in with athletic and fitness apparel,” said Steven Gartner, executive vice president with real estate services firm CBRE’s Philadelphia office, who was not involved in the deal but is a longtime observer of retail trends.
“We’re fortunate that they’re establishing a flagship on Walnut Street,” Gartner said. “Along with the Michael Jordan-specific Nike store opening, it makes Center City a nationally unique destination for such merchandise.”
Mitchell & Ness’ new East Coast headquarters will be located in a 15,000-square-foot space in Brandywine Realty Trust’s Three Logan Square at 1717 Arch St.