A full wall is adorned with ski boots, another with bike shoes—not to mention the entire floor devoted to other kinds of footwear. Making your way from one end of the new REI to the other feels like a small hike in and of itself, passing through more than 50,000 square feet of artfully arranged gear.

Unless you’ve been camping under a rock for the past few months, you’ve probably gotten the memo: the outdoor retailer is coming to the District. REI has been talking to the community and sponsoring outdoor activities alongside a massive ad campaign (including on DCist) ahead of the opening tomorrow. A literal marching band will precede the ribbon cutting.

From there, three days of events will follow. Live music, coffee tastings, a beer garden, climbing wall, another marching band, and food trucks will all herald the fact that D.C. officially has a flagship REI.

But amid all of the hoopla, what of the actual store? Here are some notes from an early tour.

It is enormous.

In case the above didn’t make it clear, this is a building that can comfortably fit car-size displays—in one case, an actual car is part of the display.

It is a flagship, and therefore kind of, sort of different than a regular REI.

While REI has nearly 150 stores (eight of which are in the D.C.-Baltimore region), only five of them are designated as “flagships.” “We look at flagships as the best physical representation of REI as a company. We have unique products, features that you wouldn’t see elsewhere,” says Kevin House, REI’s director of flagship strategy.

REI’s flagships are bigger than their regular stores, and often in historic buildings like the former Uline Arena (the SoHo store, for example, used to be a printing facility). According to House, they can carry more brands, have more elaborate displays, and often serve as the testing ground for new ideas or products.

There’s a nifty outdoor courtyard.

REI’s commitment to the outdoors extended to its own space. Seeing that there was already room for a small courtyard, the designers pulled in the wall on one side of the building to create a larger, triangular gathering space (it also has the added benefit of providing light for the three floors of office space built above). “I expect a lot of beers will be poured here,” House says. The garage-style doors can be left open when the weather is nice to let the breeze into the store. One of the original buttresses remains, providing a reminder of the building’s original shape. And muralist Jeremy Collins was brought in to do an animated scene on the concrete walls.

The company has D.C. pegged as cycling town.

When they first came to town and met with potential consumers, REI’s representatives heard a lot of talk about cycling. That is represented front and center with racks of bikes, both on the ground and hanging from the ceiling, the majority of which are aimed at commuters rather than mountain bikers. A large bike repair shop (a feature at all stores) is prominent and displayed out in the open.

REI really wants to be a resource for the local community.

“We want this to be a place for people to come and scheme and dream about their next trip,” House says. The idea is to be a resource for the local community, with advice not just about which hiking shoes to buy, but which trails to walk in them. The National Park Service is even getting on the action, manning an “adventure station” during peak hours where customers can come to get expert advice on where to take a hike or find a swimming hole (REI employees will also staff it).

But local products don’t go hand in hand with that.

For a retailer that touts its role in the community, there were surprisingly few things you could actually buy from local companies. A notecard with a map of D.C. for sale is made by a Brooklyn company. Apparel with the city’s signature pop-tart-esque outline is produced by a company called Locally Grown, which is based out of Des Moines.

REI worked hard to keep elements from the building’s old life.

A wall of music posters (they’re looking for more) hangs opposite the original bleacher seats from the Uline Arena. Another is adorned with the wooden planks that previously served as a basketball court.

Coffee goes with the outdoors, too.

A La Colombe coffee is located inside the store. They’ll open earlier than REI, though, accessible from its own entrance.