Dick’s Sporting Goods opened this week in Northeast Richland, joining Academy Sports and helping fill a void left by Todd & Moore, which departed the area last year.

The chain, which has a store in the Harbison Boulevard area, chose to expand in Northeast Richland because of the rapid growth in the area before the recession.

As the economy began a slow recovery, the chain went into growth mode earlier this year and started renovations on a 50,000-square-foot space in the Target shopping center on Two Notch Road. It also is opening a store in Bluffton.

“We’ve been eyeing (the Northeast) for a while,” community marketing manager Erin Hansen said.

Dick’s will compete with Academy Sports, which also chose that area to enter the Columbia market last year when it opened a store in the nearby Village at Sandhill.

That, in part, drove out longtime retailer Todd & Moore – a popular shopping destination for Northeast residents. Todd & Moore, which was located closer to Columbia Place Mall, closed that location last year.

In addition to building the new store, Dick’s also plans to renovate the Harbison store, giving it an updated look and upgrading the golf department and footwear section, Hansen said. A timeline for those renovations was not available.

The new Dick’s will feature appearances by “Fish ‘N’ Crazee” host Xavier “Mad Dawg” Tiberghien today and former University of South Carolina great George Rogers on Saturday.

In the cart: Also in Northeast Richland, Men’s Warehouse is building a store in Village at Sandhill, according to mall managers. And HomeGoods, operated by the parent of TJ Maxx and Marshalls, is set to open in early September, company officials said. Further details for those stores were not yet available. ... Gwen Rawls Italian Shoe Boutique opened Thursday at Trenholm Plaza in Forest Acres. Gwen Rawls carries shoes by Roberto Cavalli, Loriblu and Luis Onofre as well as its own brand.