REI, a consumer co-op with 21.5 million members offering quality outdoor essentials, expert classes and trips, will host a three-day celebration this weekend as it opens its newest location on Friday at Downtown Palm Beach Gardens. The grand opening celebration will last through the weekend with daily giveaways, music and local vendors.
Located at 11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave. in Suite 1102, the 25,000 square-foot store will offer a wide assortment of top-quality outdoor gear and apparel for hiking, camping, paddling, cycling, running, fitness and more. The store will also feature a specialty bike shop staffed with certified mechanics to tune or repair equipment.
“We can’t think of a more suited retailer to cater to our active Palm Beach Gardens community than REI,” Alexis Brock says, Regional Marketing Manager for ShopCore Properties, owners and managing entity for Downtown Palm Beach Gardens. “As we continue to reinvent Downtown, this popular nationwide brand is a perfect addition to our Downtown family of stores and restaurants.”
During the three-day celebration, REI Palm Beach Gardens will open at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 20, 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 21 and 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 22. Giveaways will be available each day while supplies last. REI will host an outdoor social every afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. with music and outdoor brands, including Black Diamond, Brooks, ENO, Gregory, HOKA, Hydro Flask, Janji, Keen, Osprey and prAna.
REI has 174 locations in 41 states and the District of Columbia. As a co-op, it annually invests millions of dollars in local nonprofit organizations to steward trails, waterways and parks and connect people to the outdoors. During its opening weekend, REI will partner with The Friends of Jonathan Dickinson State Park, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the historical, educational and ecological enhancement of Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound. For a $10 suggested donation, customers will get a custom double wall REI insulated mug by Klean Kanteen.
“We’re excited to join Palm Beach Gardens and look forward to serving the outdoor community in their active lifestyles and visitors who come to explore this amazing region,” Age Ramos says, REI store manager. “Whether trying a new activity or heading out on a familiar trail or waterway, we aspire to be at the center of people’s outdoor lives for products and expertise.”
Anyone is welcome to shop at REI and tap into the company’s resources to support their active lifestyle, but members enjoy a range of benefits. There are more than 320,000-lifetime members in Florida, and before the store’s opening, there were nearly 18,000 members in the county. The store joins five other locations in Florida – Boca Raton (opened 2020), Gainesville (opened 2020), Jacksonville (opened 2013), Tampa (opened 2021) and Winter Park (opened 2017).
Photos courtesy of REI
