Photo by Andrew Lapin.
After revealing plans to open a 52,000-square-foot flagship store in NoMa’s Uline building, the outdoor gear chain REI was ready to make friends with its soon-to-be neighbors.
At a reception in Union Market’s Bidwell restaurant last night, REI executives, corporate employees, and store members mingled with local small business leaders and environmental nonprofit representatives. The chain’s purpose was to gather suggestions for features to incorporate into the new store’s design and operation plans that could engage the DC community.
Naturally the event had a splashy PR sheen to it, with almost everyone in attendance singing REI’s praises.
“They’re actually inviting the community to make decisions in the buildout process,” said Miles Gray, owner of Brookland’s Smith Public Trust. “As opposed to what most brands do, which is, typically, come into a town and force upon a town whatever their ideas are.”
REI plans to open its doors in late 2016. The location will be the company’s fifth flagship store, following locations in Seattle, Denver, New York, and Minneapolis, and its first within the District, although REI has eight stores in suburban Maryland and Virginia.
There will be close to 20,000 additional square feet of retail in the structure and three levels of office space above it, building owners Douglas Development Corp. said. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places, and will retain the coliseum façade.
Attendees were greeted with a tent that had been set up just outside Bidwell, and a slideshow displayed images from the Uline building’s history, including the Beatles’ first U.S. concert in 1964. REI had positioned four “stations”—placards with prompts that attendees could tack notecards to—around the restaurant. The categories: How people connect with their community, what they love about D.C., how they experience the outdoors, and what inspires them.
“We are genuine in our desire to integrate the voices of our members and our community in the design,” Rachel Ligtenberg, REI’s regional vice president, told DCist. “We are at that point in the design process where we can integrate feedback.” She added that they have looked to Union Market for inspiration in designing the layout of their various departments within the new store.
Photo by Andrew Lapin.
Slowly, suggestions appeared on the boards: “deaf space” under the community header, “diversity” and “historic preservation” under the D.C. one. Bicycle use was a common refrain across multiple boards, as was rock climbing.
Ligtenberg said the chain has no current plans to put a rock climbing wall in the new location, citing the District’s many indoor gyms that already offer climbing, though that could change. But the company hopes to become involved with D.C.’s cycling community. The location plans to offer cycling classes in addition to other programming, like a D.C. Monuments sunset kayak tour and overnight backpacking in Shenandoah National Park.
REI’s membership model gives discounts and annual refunds for customers who pay a one-time fee. D.C. has the largest REI membership on the East Coast, according to the company. The chain extended invitations for last night’s event to its members who live in Uline’s Zip code.
Once a bustling concert hall and sports arena, the Uline building, also known as the Washington Coliseum, hasn’t seen much action in decades. It became a trash transfer station in 1994, and Waste Management attempted to demolish the property in 2003 but was blocked by the D.C. Historic Preservation League. In 2013 Douglas Development Corp. announced plans to redevelop the site as a retail and office space.
Hedrick Belin, president of the Potomac Conservancy land trust, praised the chain’s efforts in introducing young people to the outdoors. “For a lot of people, the first step is getting outside and getting introduced to green spaces in their own backyard,” he said.
