Opening date set for Columbia’s new REI store
The highly anticipated opening of Columbia’s first REI Co-op store is just a couple weeks away.
The store will open with strict COVID-19 safety precautions on Friday, Aug. 14, according to a company spokesperson.
With 20,000 square feet, the new store in Columbia’s BullStreet district will feature gear for a wide range of outdoor activities such as hiking, running, biking, cycling, camping and paddling. REI will also offer gear rentals.
Blue-taped “X” marks have already been placed along the sidewalk outside the store, marking 6 feet of distance as part of the store’s coronavirus safety measures. The store, like all REI facilities, will require employees and customers to wear face coverings at all times and to keep 6 feet of distance between one another, according to the REI website. There will be plexiglass shields at the checkout registers.
The store will limit the number of customers allowed inside at one time, and fitting rooms will be closed.
The outdoor outfitter will be the first retail business to open in the sprawling BullStreet development near downtown Columbia, which is also home to the Segra Park minor league baseball field, Capgemini technology company, a law firm and several other businesses.
Several high-end townhomes have welcomed the district’s first residents in the past year, and the Merrill Gardens senior living community is set to open there soon. Construction is underway on about 200 apartments in the historic Babcock Building near the center of the 181-acre campus.
General activity at BullStreet has slowed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic this spring, which resulted in a canceled minor league baseball season and forced many office workers to work from their homes. REI’s opening has been much anticipated as a new centerpiece of the still-burgeoning development district.
REI will be joined next year by a Starbucks featuring a patio and drive-thru and Iron Hill Brewery, a Delaware-based brewery and restaurant chain. Both will also be located along Bull Street.
REI is located at 2300 Bull St. in Columbia. It is the company’s second store in South Carolina, along with a location in Greenville.
This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 3:39 PM.
