WESTBROOK, Maine — REI Co-op is opening its first store in Maine on Nov. 12 in Westbrook, the company announced Friday. It'll be in the Rock Row development.
The 24,000 square-foot location will also feature a snowboard, bike and ski shop staffed with mechanics who can repair or tune equipment, according to a news release.
REI will open at 10 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday. During the weekend, REI will host outdoor vendors and local partners from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. each afternoon, the company said.
“The outdoor community has encouraged us to open in Maine for many years,” Jr Janda, REI Westbrook store manager, said in the release. “We’re proud to join a community, in which, there are so many shared values, starting with our mutual passion for creating a more inclusive outdoor culture so that everyone feels welcome outside."
The store will have health and safety protocols in place, including:
- Limiting the number of people in store. Customers may be asked to wait in line outside the store to ensure proper distancing. REI Westbrook will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
- Employees are required to wear face coverings regardless of vaccination status. Per guidance from the Maine CDC, persons in counties with “substantial” or “high” levels of COVID-19 community transmission are advised to wear face coverings in public indoor settings.
- Socially distanced queuing at store entrances, footwear, cash registers and specialty shop counters.
- Plexiglass shields at all registers.
- Enhanced cleaning procedures with thorough, frequent cleanings of high-touch surface areas.
The company opened its first store in Reading, Massachusetts, in 1987, according to the release.
