REI Co-op to hold grand opening celebration in Eugene, Oregon on March 13-14

Specialty outdoor retailer REI Co-op welcomes the community to a two-day grand opening celebration at Oakway Center beginning Friday, March 13. The store will open at 10am each day, and the festivities will feature more than 25 outdoor vendors and community partners, an outdoor social, and more. The new location replaces the co-op's original location at 306 Lawrence Street, which has served members and customers since 1992. REI’s grand opening event also happens during the co-op’s annual Member Month.

An outdoor social will run from 9am to 5pm each day and feature giveaways (while supplies last), music, free morning coffee from Farmers Union Coffee Roasters, and more. Brands include AeroPress, Altra, Black Diamond, Bivo, Blumaka, Burley, Cannondale, Cascade Designs, Darn Tough, ENO, Gear Aid, GORE-TEX, Gregory, HOKA, Mountain Training Network, NEMO, Nikwax, Nuun, Oboz, Osprey, Outdoor Research, Salomon, Sea to Summit, Shokz, Smartwool, and Topo Athletic. Local nonprofits include Friends of Buford and Mt. Pisgah, Northwest Youth Corp, Shift Community Cycles and The Obsidians.

“REI joined the Eugene community 34 years ago and we’ve proudly served customers from the historic Planing Mill building. Our green vest team of more than 55 local experts look forward to welcoming everyone at our new, centralized location,” said store manager Kayla DeForest. “Customers will enter our beautiful store at Oakway Center through iconic ice axe door handles, which honors REI’s rich history and founders who loved mountaineering. The store will feature larger apparel, cycling, camping and footwear departments, as well as expanded shop services.”

REI’s original location at 306 Lawrence Street will close at 3pm on Sunday, February 22. Both stores will be closed from February 22 to 26. The new location soft opens on Friday, February 27 at 10am. All grand opening festivities with outdoor brands and giveaways begin Friday, March 13.

REI Eugene's grand opening celebration is timed with the co-op's Member Month, which includes the annual issuance of Member Rewards, first-to-market product exclusives, and the co-op’s Member Days event with 11 days of coupons and special member offers.  Member Month is REI's way of celebrating the incredible community of co-op members. Member Days begin Friday, March 13.

Today, nine stores serve more than one million lifetime REI members in Oregon. There are 142,000 lifetime REI members in Eugene. The closest locations are Salem-Keizer (66 miles away, opened 2014), Bend (89 miles away, opened 2005), and Tualatin (94 miles away, opened 1990).

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. Last year, $205,000 went to Oregon nonprofits, including Northwest Youth Corps, NatureQuant and Salem Area Trails Alliance.

About the REI Co-op