REI Is Opening Its First Location in New Hampshire
It'll be a hub for outdoor gear and adventures in New England and offer adventures in the White Mountains.
Photo courtesy of REI
Living in the middle of Boston might make you feel like you’re always surrounded by car horns, buildings, and people, although we do have some pretty grand local options to get outside. But if you have the means to travel further, New England is filled with mountains, beaches, and hiking trails for any type of adventure you’re looking for. REI Co-op is taking advantage of that by building a massive store and launching pad for outdoor activity, located right in the middle of the White Mountains.
The space, set to open in the fall of 2019, will be a nearly 25,000 square-foot retail store at Settler’s Crossing in North Conway, New Hampshire. Not only will adventurers of all abilities be able to shop for all the things they know and love from REI, but they’ll also be able to rent gear, watch high-end equipment demos, and be guided on a multitude of different outdoor experiences such as hiking and skiing. REI is calling it the ultimate experience center, and it will be the first of its kind.
“The White Mountains are New England’s outdoor playground,” Becky Smith, REI retail director for the Northeast, said in a press release. “With year-round activities like skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and snowshoeing we look forward to providing our customers throughout New England with the gear and expertise they need to get outside, while also investing in the outdoor spaces that make the White Mountains special.”
The Co-Op, which operates 154 retail stores in 35 states and provides a multitude of services, including instruction on gear and adventure itineraries, for a one-time lifetime membership fee of $20, also actively works with nonprofits to protect wild places. It’s been hosting multi-day outdoor trips to the White Mountains for years and has a network of nearly 53,000 members in New Hampshire, but the North Conway location will be the first store in the state. It will offer workshops, classes, and guided day trips and REI will continue to explore different ways to invest in and give back to the outdoor community in New Hampshire.
“As the gateway to the White Mountains, North Conway is the perfect community to unveil the co-op’s newest retail format,” Rachel Ligtenberg, REI vice president of retail said in a release. “We are continuing to shape this new store format, with the goal of becoming the one-stop shop for every kind of adventurer.”
Opening September 2019, 1498 White Mountain Highway C-30, New Hampshire.
