Eastside Golf Opens First U.S. Store

Eastside Golf (New York) has opened of its first U.S.-based retail store, in Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW). The 300-square-foot store, in the airport’s Terminal A, marks another milestone for the rapidly growing brand, the company said in a news release.

Earlier this year, Eastside Golf announced partnerships with leading national fashion and sports retailers, including Nordstrom, Golf Galaxy, Dick’s Sporting Goods and House of Sport, while continuing to expand its presence in streetwear and golf pro shop locations. (The company also operates a retail store in Tokyo in partnership with High Draw.)

Eastside Golf’s Detroit locale is operated in partnership with Paradies Lagardère, which specializes in travel retail and operates the PGA Tour Shops. (Eastside Golf merch is available in 10 of those stores.)

Founded by former Morehouse College golf teammates Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper, Eastside Golf has partnerships with Jordan Brand, the NBA, MLB and major U.S. retailers that have helped expand golf’s reach to new audiences around the world, its co-founders say.

“I came up with the idea for Eastside Golf while I was working in finance in Detroit,” said Ajanaku, who also serves as the brand’s creative director. “I remember showing Earl a sketch of our Swingman logo, and he suggested I put it on a t-shirt. I did, and I was stopped so many times while I was walking around Detroit by people asking where I got this shirt. At that point, I knew there was something there and Eastside Golf was born. With that history, it just feels right to open our first store here.”

“Detroit, and the state of Michigan, will always have a special place in my heart,” said co-founder Cooper. “I was born in Flint, and became the first-ever Black PGA Teaching Professional at the Detroit Golf Club. To be able to open our first store in a city that has so much meaning for both Olajuwon and me feels like a full circle moment for our brand.”