View Full Version : new rei store!
copythat
11-21-2006, 22:59
fall 2007, new rei store in west hartford ct. good news for those of us who just can't get to boston.
(say 'hi' to the dancing banana!)
One just opened up near us in Charlotte NC. It's like heaven and hell in the same place. Be prepared to learn some serious self control!
Jack Tarlin
11-21-2006, 23:31
That's good to know, I've never been in one, and I go past West Hartford a lot more than I get to Boston.
Thanx for passing this along; if you know the exit number off of I-91, send it along.
Turning me loose in an REI is probably about as dangerous as locking me in overnight at the Jim Beam factory, but I still wanna see what the place is like.
a new one just opened up in g-boro, there are already two other outfitters in that shopping center, great outdoor provision and blue ridge mountain sports, both small chains.
RedneckRye
11-21-2006, 23:56
Support your local independent everything - outfitter, brewery, record store, restaurant, grocery. The money you spend with the locals is more likely to stay in town.
copythat
11-22-2006, 00:32
... I go past West Hartford a lot more than I get to Boston. ... if you know the exit number off of I-91, send it along.
mass pike to 91 south to 84 west, exit 43, left of end of ramp, first right onto raymond road. new center will be on your left.
just don't stop there before sept. 07, 'cause it'll still be a construction site!
RR, i am totally with you on the local stores. there's one decent one in canton (not too far from here) but they specialize in kayaks, canoes and expensive bikes. their bping stuff is all good, but a little limited (although they will special order, but sometimes i find it hard to decide on things without seeing them.) another one used to be decent, in kent, near The Trail, but they moved and dropped all their camping stuff except para cord and mtn house meals. now they sell patagonia to yuppies. (place was PACKED when i stopped in looking for triptease. they said, "what's that?")
can't wait to order from rei outlet and have it shipped (free!) to the store!
freefall
11-22-2006, 02:08
I live in an REI store. Actually I'm less than 10 miles from the Denver flagship store. Good thing I'm not closer, I'd have to get a bigger place.
copythat
11-22-2006, 03:43
sorry about the dancing banana. it's really annoying, isn't it.
Support your local independent everything - outfitter, brewery, record store, restaurant, grocery. The money you spend with the locals is more likely to stay in town.
I hear this a lot, especially when talking about stores like REI and EMS. The fact is there are advantages and disadvantages with whatever store you work for. I work for a national company and compete with a lot of local guys who have their own business. That being said, are the 75 people that i employ any less local than the other guys? I give jobs to people who need them and consider myself local. The only difference is my profit goes into stockholders pockets, not just one guys.
For my area, REI is probably my best resource for knowledgable and quality equipment without driving an extra hour to get to Harpers Ferry, which i will do also, because i love that store.
Support who you want, and buy the gear you like, and most of all, enjoy your time outdoors. Thats what it is all about.:)
Good point Topcat...
Since I started moving around a lot I stopped having an allegiance to locally owned stores. I'll go for the cheapest price possible and will shop online to avoid paying sales tax, especially if shipping is free or reasonable. My feelings are exasperated by the fact upon trying to gain employment with several locally owned outfitters they never gave me an opportunity even though I'm well quailified.
However, I still refuse to shop at Walmart or atleast wont go out of my way to shop there.
a new one just opened up in g-boro, there are already two other outfitters in that shopping center, great outdoor provision and blue ridge mountain sports, both small chains.
We have GOP here too. I still find I go to those smaller stores just as much. They still carry a different selection of gear than REI. Also GOP has Western Mountaineering — That is something REI doesn't have.
Well, Walmart is the devil....as the waterboys momma said..
there is a big GOP here in winston-salem as well, and a little know place here is village outdoor (in reynolda villiage), run by a guy who used to work at GOP, i like going there, very friendly, personal, they remember your name. i feel like an alien in the GOP
The REI in Nashville sucks.
Sleepy the Arab
11-22-2006, 19:08
I keep waiting for them to open an REI in New Hampshire. There are a bunch in Mass. but none here. Talk about a missed opportunity - no sales tax!
namehere
11-22-2006, 19:58
REI is one a just a few stores in my area that offer a wide selection of gear. although it is a chain, the people at the REI store nearest my location seem to have a personal interest in outdoor activities. i just purchased my first piece of gear at a REI store earlier today! some things i cannot see buying over the internet.. like hiking shoes. i've visited all the sporting related stores in a twenty miles radius of me over the course of the last month. this may seem strange, but i've found that some of the people in the REI stores seemed more knowledgeable than some people i've talked to from the smaller independent outfits. of course, nothing beats sites like this for up to date info on the latest trends in hiking.