REI College Station grand opening celebration set for November 1-3
Festivities include giveaways and more than 20 community partners and outdoor vendors
Oct 9, 2024
Specialty outdoor retailer REI Co-op welcomes the community to its grand opening celebration when its doors officially open on November 1. A three-day party will include outdoor gear vendors, community partners, afternoon socials and more.
Located in University Park, the nearly 22,000 square-foot store will offer a broad assortment of apparel and gear for camping, hiking, biking, climbing, and more. The store will also feature a full-service bike shop staffed by certified mechanics to tune and repair bikes.
Doors will open at 10am each day with morning giveaways (while supplies last) and free coffee from Tavo Coffee Co. Each afternoon from 1-5pm there will be an outdoor social with outdoor brands, giveaways, music, and community partners. Outdoor brands will include Altra, Black Diamond, Brooks Running, Cascade Designs, Darn Tough, Dometic, ENO, Fjallraven, Gregory Mountain Products, Hydro Flask, Kuat, Nuun, Oboz, OOFOS, Osprey, Sea to Summit, Saucony and Smartwool. In addition, local nonprofits will be on site throughout the weekend to highlight their work and how to become involved in the community.
“Our team of 40 experts is ready to be a resource to the community to support everyone’s active lifestyles,” said Alexandra Gaisbauer, REI College Station store manager. “We also look forward to deepening our relationships with local clubs and nonprofits that are also focused on welcoming more people outside.”
As the country’s largest consumer co-op, everyone is welcome to shop REI. Co-op members enjoy a range of benefits, including free U.S. standard shipping, member coupons and discounts, a used gear trade-in program, an annual member reward of 10% back on eligible purchases, an extended satisfaction guarantee window of one year, and more. There are 7,000 REI members in College Station, 32,300 members in the Waco-Temple-Bryan region and 1.44 million members in Texas.
New members join a growing community that fights for a life outside. With each new membership purchased, the co-op donates $5 to support the REI Cooperative Action Fund. The REI Fund provides support to nonprofit organizations across the country doing essential work to create a more equitable outdoors for everyone. Over the last two years, the REI Fund has donated more than $315,000 to the Center for Health & Nature, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, as well as graduate students at Texas A&M’s School of Public Health. To learn more about REI Cooperative Action Fund grantees in Texas, visit www.reifund.org/grantees.
REI College Station is the co-op’s 11th store in Texas. The closest locations to the new store are REI Houston-Willowbrook (66 miles away), REI Houston (79 miles away), REI Austin Gateway (86 miles) and REI Austin Downtown (88 miles away).
About the REI Co-op
REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation’s largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of 24 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. In addition to the co-op’s many stores across the country, outdoor enthusiasts can shop at REI.com, REI Outlet or the REI shopping app. Everyone is welcome to shop REI, but members who join the co-op enjoy a range of benefits. More than a retailer, REI is a purpose-driven and values-led company dedicated to enabling life outside for all.