 |
 |
 |
|
'Special skills' highlighted at new REI store in Manhattan |
|
Friday, November 18, 2011 15:59 |
|
J. J. Jameson trained employees on using a GPS device in Manhattan's Highbridge Park. Ozier Muhammad, The New York Times
By Stephanie Clifford, The New York Times
Outdoor adventurers keep lists of life’s places to explore: Everest, El Capitan, the Middle Fork of the Salmon. On one unseasonably warm November day, Dyckman Street and 10th Avenue in Manhattan became one such destination, at least for nine newcomers to New York City.
As cars roared behind them, the nine employees of REI, the outdoor-equipment retailer, were learning how to adapt their wilderness skills to the big city — in this case, starting at an illegal dumping ground recently converted into a park with paths, marshes and some not-so-outdoorsy litter.
Lesson No. 1: Don’t pick up used needles. Cleaning up garbage on trails, in general, is good; in New York, bad.
After more than 70 years in business and with 121 stores across the country, REI has deemed New York City ready for its rugged wares. A store will open in SoHo later this month, and the Seattle-based retailer says it is determined to win over high-rise-living, taxi-riding, restaurant-eating and forever-in-a-hurry New Yorkers.
Read more about the 35,000-square-foot store.
|
