Baseball is more than a sport, it’s America’s pastime. From sandlots to stadiums, baseball is woven into the fabric of American culture. The new Rawlings Experience flagship store in St. Louis is now part of this storied tradition. Established in 1887, Rawlings has long shaped baseball history, known worldwide for its gloves and equipment. This store goes beyond the limits of retail, and instead is a celebration of baseball culture and heritage. In this blog, we’ll take you out to the Rawlings Experience store and break down the winning store design.
Image 1: A large baseball along dimensional signage welcomes shoppers at Rawlings Experience. Image 2: The lower level features baseball memorabilia, direct-view LED displays and product displays.
Baseball Comes Alive at the Rawlings Experience
Located at 462 W. Port Plaza Drive in St. Louis, Rawlings partnered with local architecture firm Oculus Inc. on the retail store design. Spanning 14,000 sq. ft. over two levels in the popular Westport Plaza, it features Rawlings and Easton (who Rawlings acquired in 2020) products, including gloves, bats, apparel, protective gear and more. The store also features a custom glove section, where athletes can get the full pro experience in designing a custom glove with a Rawlings master glove craftsman. To make the store even more interactive, Rawlings added the Hit Lab, a specially designed batting cage where athletes can test the latest Rawlings and Easton bats right in the store. Athletes can feel the swing of the bat in their hands and get real-time feedback from best-in-class HitTrax technology to find the perfect bat that suits them.
But Rawlings didn’t stop there. The flagship also includes a Glove Vault section showcasing a collection of artifacts and exclusive products. This area features current and historic Rawlings Gold Glove Awards® as well as the gameday glove designs of modern superstars and former pro legends. This section puts shoppers right in a baseball museum as soon as they walk into the space and immerses them in baseball’s rich history.
Image 1: The Custom Pro Shop allows shoppers to build their dream glove. Image 2: A state-of-the-art batting cage simulator lets athletes try out their bat before they buy it.
Innovative Retail Signage at Rawlings
Visual merchandising plays a central role in the Rawlings Experience. Channel letters and dimensional signage immediately grab attention at the storefront and throughout the store. Inside, large direct-view LED displays surround shoppers with a ticker of real-time sports scores and updates, further adding to the athletic retail environment. Custom signage includes a vinyl brick wrap above the pro shop area, detailed wall murals and subtle accent patterns. Interactive custom displays like a large Rawlings baseball replica, an impressive Gold Glove statue and creative bat and glove art walls round out the store signage.
Athletic Retail Trends: Creating Unique Experiences
Athletic retail, along with sports signage design, is shifting rapidly as online sales grow. Physical stores now focus more on creating memorable shopping experiences with retail design. Interactive environments like the Rawlings Experience encourage visitors to engage directly with products, turning shopping into an event and not just a transaction. Retail store design must integrate visual merchandising, custom signage and interactive areas to draw customers away from screens and into physical spaces.
Image 1: A comfortable lounge area located outside the Hit Lab batting simulator. Image 2: Soft, ambient lighting creates a high-end baseball glove retail shopping experience.
Reinventing Retail Experiences with Signage
The Rawlings Experience store in St. Louis demonstrates the future of athletic retail. Through custom signage, interactive product areas and memorable visual merchandising, Rawlings created a retail destination worth visiting and put the customer’s experience first. Interested in reinventing your own retail store signage? Connect with 40 VISUALS today to transform your shopping experience.
