National retailer REI to open 3rd SC location

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Specialty outdoor retailer REI Co-op has announced plans to open its third South Carolina location.

The new store is expected to open in Mount Pleasant this fall, according to an REI news release. It will employ about 50 full- and part-time employees, a company representative told SC Biz News.

The company declined to reveal the cost of the project.

The 21,500-square-foot store, to be located 1720 Shoremeade Road in Indigo Square, will offer an assortment of apparel, gear and expertise for camping, cycling, running, fitness, hiking, paddling, climbing and more, the release stated.

The location will also feature a full-service bike shop that will be staffed by certified mechanics.

“We look forward to opening a third store in South Carolina and being a resource to REI members and the broader outdoor community in and around Mount Pleasant,” Jacki Harp, REI regional director, said in the release. “Our local team will also seek partnerships with outdoor nonprofits to support their efforts in protecting natural places and welcoming more people outside.”

REI, which is headquartered in Seattle, also has locations in Columbia (2300 Bull St.), which opened in 2020, and Greenville (1140 Woodruff Road, Suite 400), which opened in 2011.

REI was the first national retailer lured to the 181-acre, mixed-use BullStreet District development in 2019. Since its August 2020 opening, it has been joined by a Starbucks at the intersection of Bull and Freed streets, and several other commercial and residential real estate projects have sprung up around it.

Employment information is available online at rei.jobs.

REI, the nation’s largest consumer co-op, has more than 167,000 members in South Carolina, and more than 28,000 members in the region, according to the release.

Last year, the co-op invested $7.1 million in 45-plus nonprofits across the country, the release stated. Over the last five years, the co-op has invested nearly $184,000 in South Carolina-based land agencies and nonprofit partners. Recent recipients include Anne Springs Close Greenway, Conestee Foundation Inc., Friends of Harbison State Forest, Friends of Paris Mountain, Friends of Sesqui and Palmetto Conservation Foundation.

Also last year, the co-op launched the REI Cooperative Action Fund, a community-supported public charity. Black Girls RUN! Foundation chapters in Charleston, Columbia, Florence/Myrtle Beach and Greenville/Spartanburg received grants in the first round of funding.