Popular ski, camp and bike retailer opening in Jackson
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JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming – A renowned outdoor sports equipment retailer is opening in Jackson next week.
REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) Co-op is kicking off its grand opening celebration on Nov. 5. The store is at 974 West Broadway inside the old Lucky Market grocery store.
Store Manager Jason Priest tells EastIdahoNews.com the 10,000-square-foot storefront will open with a little different format than other locations, opening with a large assortment of ski, winter gear, and some camping gear and accessories.
“A lot of stores transition more into bikes and skis,” Priest says. “We’re going to flip more of a bike and camp together (in the spring) because it’s an outdoor mecca out here, so it’s more beneficial to our customer base (to do it this way).”
REI offers a full array of Alpine, Nordic and backcountry skiis, snowshoes, apparel, hiking and winter boots, running shoes, backpacks, tents, sleeping pads and bags, bear spray, knives, binoculars and other camping odds and ends.
The store will also have a specialty bike, ski and snowboard shop staffed with certified mechanics to tune or repair equipment.
REI was founded in 1938 by a group of climbing friends who wanted to share their love of the outdoor by offering top-notch gear for customers.
Since then, it’s grown to include 20 million members across 168 locations in 39 states, according to its website. Though there is a store in Boise and Salt Lake, the Jackson location is now the closest one to eastern Idaho.
Priest isn’t sure how long the Jackson store has been in the works, but he says it’s been at least a year.
“It’s really an outdoor mecca and REI really wanted to cater to everybody in the community and everybody who comes into the area,” says Priest. “With the amount of traffic Jackson gets, (the potential to expand our footprint) was large.”
The building has a complete facelift from floor to ceiling and Priest is excited for people to see it. He’s hoping it will become a popular place for local customers to celebrate their love of the outdoors with like-minded people.
“We’re here to celebrate people getting outside and we’re a really inclusive store. We focus a lot on the beginner to intermediate (outdoor enthusiast),” Priest explains. “We’re here to make an impact on the community and make it for all … to celebrate the outdoors.”
REI’s hours of operation will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.