Outdoor gear retailer REI will open its first Maine location this fall.
The Seattle-based co-operative retailer said Monday it will hire 45 employees for the 24,400-square-foot store coming to the Rock Row development in Westbrook.
“A part of the New England community since we opened our first store in Massachusetts in 1987, we’re thrilled to expand our regional presence with our first store in Maine,” said Becky Smith, the Northeast regional director for REI, which has 47,000 lifetime members in Maine. “We are especially excited to share a passion with the community for spending time outside year-round, from trekking through the snow to paddling along the coast.”
The shop will feature outdoors gear, including bicycles, skis and snowboards.
REI has 10 other locations in New England, with the closest in North Conway, New Hampshire. The others are in Boston, Framingham, Hingham and Reading, Massachusetts; Milford, Norwalk and West Hartford, Connecticut; Williston, Vermont; and Cranston, Rhode Island.
As a co-operative, REI returns profits to its members and invests them in the communities where it’s located.