REI Co-op welcomes Chico community to grand opening celebration on June 20-21

Specialty outdoor retailer REI Co-op welcomes the community to its grand opening in Chico, California starting June 20. A two-day celebration will include giveaways, an outdoor social with more than 25 outdoor vendors and community partners, and more. To support those who wish to join the celebration by bicycle, Chico Velo will provide free and secure bike storage.

At 25,002 square feet, the new store is located at Chico Crossroads at 2101 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, Suite 20, just off the US-99/Golden State Highway exit 384 to East 20th Street. Outdoor enthusiasts will find expertise, apparel and gear for camping, hiking, cycling, running, fitness, paddling, climbing, snow sports, and more. The store will also feature a Re/Supply area stocked with gently used gear and apparel offered at great prices. For those who love cycling and snow sports, certified mechanics will tune and repair gear at the full-service bike, ski, and snowboard shop. 

REI Chico will open every day at 10am. The co-op will host an outdoor social with giveaways (while supplies last), music and more on Friday and Saturday from 9am-5pm. Local nonprofits in attendance will include Adventure Outings, Chico Velo, Explore Butte County, and Friends of Butte Creek. Outdoor brands will include Altra, Backpacker’s Pantry, Black Diamond Equipment, Brooks Running, ENO Hammocks, Gear Aid, GORE-TEX, Gregory Mountain Products, Hydro Flask, Klean Kanteen, NEMO Equipment, Nikwax, Nuun, Oboz Footwear, OOFOS, Osprey, Quantum Energy Square, Saucony, Sea to Summit, Skratch Labs, Smartwool and Tailwind Nutrition.

“Our store team of 33 experts is excited to be a resource to the community and their wide range of outdoor interests,” said store manager Isabel Bragg. “We also want to thank REI members who have faithfully shopped the co-op online or drove for more than an hour to visit one of our stores.”

As part of its grand opening celebration, REI is distributing a $10,000 grant to Chico Velo. The community leader was founded in 1980 and today is dedicated to promoting bicycling and alternative transportation as part of a sustainable community and ensuring everyone can experience the freedom and joy a bicycle provides.

There are more than 36,000 REI members in the Chico region. With the opening of REI Chico, 11 stores will serve REI members and outdoor enthusiasts who live and play in Northern California. The closest store is REI Roseville-Galleria that is nearly 72 miles away. REI Elk Grove is slated to open in July.

As the country’s largest consumer co-op, everyone is welcome to shop at REI. Co-op members 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 support the REI Cooperative Action Fund, a community-driven nonprofit that supports nonprofits across the country doing essential work to create a more equitable outdoors for everyone and research nature’s impact on health.

Since its inception in 2021, the Fund has provided 460 grants totaling over $31 million. Last year, $500,000 went to nonprofits in Northern California, including Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, Center for Nature and Health, University of California San Francisco, LandPaths, Latino Outdoors, Outdoor Alliance for Kids at Sierra Club Foundation, and Sacramento Tree Foundation.

About the REI Co-op