REI to open Ann Arbor store this weekend

REI in A2 ASAP. 2 COOL.

Get ready to stock up on nalgene bottles, fleece jackets, and LED headlamps. That’s right, the outdoor store beloved by weekend warriors everywhere is set to open its newest location on the Eisenhower Parkway, just east of the Ann Arbor Saline Road, this Friday.

The national retail cooperative will occupy 26,000 square feet in the Cranbrook Village strip mall on the city’s southwest side.

“Ann Arbor will allow us to better outfit the 48,000 active REI members in Southeast Michigan for their outdoor adventures,” says Janet Hopkins, retail regional vice president for REI. “We look forward to continuing our work with the community to help protect the places where we all enjoy recreating and get more people outside.”

The new store will sell just about everything for the avid outdoorsman (or woman), include equipment for camping, climbing, cycling, hiking, paddling and snow sports. There will also be a gear rental department and a shop where bikes can be assembled or repaired. About 50 people will work there.

REI, founded in 1938, also has stores in Northville and Troy. The co-op works to get its members more involved in the outdoors, along with non-members of the surrounding community.

REI’s mission also includes making donations to local non-profits to help preserve outdoor recreation spaces and to encourage more people to use them. It has awarded more than $100,000 in financial and/or gear donations to numerous non-profits in Michigan, such as the Huron River Watershed Council and the Michigan Mountain Biking Association, in the past two years.

Source: REI
Writer: Jon Zemke