Niketown, one of Manhattan’s biggest shopping destinations for tourists, has been shut down because of a bedbug invasion.

Nike, one of the hottest global brands, has had more celebrity endorsements than any other athletic-apparelt company. Sports stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan have all endorsed Nike products.

Read Bedbugs Love to Shop

The five-story store, just off Fifth Avenue, is considered the Oregon-based company’s flagship store.

But its glitzy displays weren’t on view this week; instead, brown paper covered the store’s window, and a sign promised that Niketown would remain closed “until further notice”, according to New York magazine.

In New York City, bedbugs have attacked Victoria’s Secret, Hollister, Time Warner headquarters, the Empire State Building, a movie theater in Times Square, Fox News headquarters—and an office run by the city Department of Health. But the problem isn’t just New York’s; across the country, exterminators have reported a sharp increase in bedbug-related calls.

Although the bugs don’t pose any health hazards, they have a very high ick factor and are extremely difficult to get rid of. People whose homes are taken over often have to get rid of all their bedding and clothes. Commercial infestations can take up to two weeks to treat, and cost tens of thousands of dollars because exterminators must go through every possible hiding place – beneath electrical switch plates, for example – and treat them, sometimes repeatedly.

Experts say that the bugs spread by traveling. They can hitch a ride on interstate trucks and end up in the heartland, or they can be brought into Manhattan via travelers. They’re especially prevalent in high-turnover areas like hotels and apartment buildings. (New York magazine)

Jane Farrell is a senior editor at BettyConfidential.

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