REI Co-op invites the Prosper, TX community to a two-day grand opening celebration March 27–28

Specialty outdoor retailer REI Co-op welcomes the community to a two-day grand opening celebration at the Gates of Prosper shopping center beginning Friday, March 27. A $10,000 grant will also be presented to local nonprofit Friends of LLELA to support their work in the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area.

REI Prosper will open at 10am each day of the grand opening. The festivities will feature nearly 20 outdoor vendors and community partners, an outdoor social, and more. The outdoor social will run from 9am to 5pm and include free morning coffee and treats from 1418 Coffee, giveaways (while supplies last), music, and more. Brands participating in the celebration include Aeropress, Black Diamond, Blumaka, Burley, Cannondale, Cascade Designs, Darn Tough, ENO, Gregory, HOKA, Küat, Nikwax, Nuun, Oboz, Osprey, Sea to Summit, Shokz, Smartwool, and Topo Athletic. The Friends of LLELA will also participate in the celebration.

“Our team of 40 employees is excited to be a part of Prosper’s vibrant outdoor community and share their expertise,” says store manager Katie McCranie. “We’re also committed to building strong partnerships that reflect and strengthen our shared outdoor values.”

In honor of the store’s grand opening, the REI Cooperative Action Fund will present a $10,000 grant to the local nonprofit Friends of LLELA (Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area) that promotes conservation, environmental education, research, and outdoor recreation of a 2,600 acre nature preserve. Encompassing prairies, forests, wetlands, and river corridors, LLELA serves as a vital community asset by offering residents access to nature, hands-on learning, and protected open space within a rapidly growing urban region.

Today, 11 stores serve more than 1.5 million lifetime REI members in Texas. There are already 4,000 lifetime REI members in Prosper and 512,000 in the Dallas area. The closest locations are Plano (13 miles away, opened 2005), Dallas (25 miles away, opened 1993), Southlake (27 miles away, opened 2014), and Fort Worth (51 miles away, opened 2016).

As the country’s largest consumer co-op, everyone is welcome to shop at REI. Those who become a lifetime member pay a onetime $30 fee enjoy a wide range of benefits, including bike and snow shop discounts, member coupons and discounts, access to a used gear trade-in program, annual member reward of 10% back on eligible purchases, extended satisfaction guarantee window of one year, free U.S. standard shipping, and more.

With each new membership purchased, the co-op donates $5 to the REI Cooperative Action Fund, a community-driven nonprofit that supports nonprofits across the country doing the essential work to make the outdoors more accessible and inclusive for everyone. Since its inception in 2021, the Fund has provided 550+ grant partners nearly $36 million. In addition to the support going to the Friends of LLELA, the REI Fund has invested $235,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth metro area nonprofits, including Greenspace Dallas, Great Plains Restoration Council, 4DWN Project, Inc., Birdability, Circuit Trail Conservancy, and OutLoud Dallas.

About the REI Co-op