An Adidas athletic-wear store tip-toed into the Square Wednesday, becoming the latest corporate retail outlet to occupy a high-visibility storefront.

The store, located at the intersection of Mass. Ave and Plympton St., will sell a limited selection of Adidas brand sportswear and sports equipment products. Adidas' specialty is soccer clothing and soccer-related gear.

"This is a very important showcase store for us to present key categories of original lines for the brand," said Lee M. Cox, the director of Adidas East Coast stores who traveled to Cambridge for the opening. "We believe this store will be a great fit given the history and surrounding environment."

The store opened to little fanfare or advertisement. Company officials said they desired what is called a "soft" opening. But in the next few days, the store will blitz local newspapers with advertisements and tack fliers around campus to notify students of its presence.

Before Adidas moved in, a family owned business, Briggs and Briggs Music Store, had leased the space more than 100 years.

The music store moved late last spring, when steadily increasing rents forced them to relocate to 1784 Mass. Ave., near Porter Square.

"We have no bad feelings towards anybody, the rents have just gone up all around Harvard Square," said Briggs co-owner Paul Humphreys, whose father purchased the store in 1935. "That's just the way things are."

Adidas officials, who emphasized that they had nothing to do with Briggs' departure, promised not to change the character of the historic block.