[CLOSURE ALERT] REI to Hit The Dusty Trail in Buford

REI Co-op (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) has announced it will close its store in Buford after more than twenty years in business.  The store, located at Marketplace at Millcreek (1600 Mall of Georgia Boulevard), opened in the Costco-anchored shopping center in 2003.  

According to the announcement, the store is scheduled to close on January 9 at 8PM.  No reason was provided for the closure of the 20,872 square foot store.  According to employees at the store, there will be no "closing sale," with most merchandise to be transferred to other Atlanta area stores.    

REI was one of several retailers to enter the Buford market following the 1999 debut of nearby Mall of Georgia.  The Buford store was, at the time of its debut, the third store in the Atlanta market for the Kent, Washington-based retailer.  The company's original Atlanta store is located in Brookhaven along the Northeast Expressway between Clairmont and North Druid Hills Roads, off I-85.

The Brookhaven store opened in 1990 and was followed by Sandy Springs (Perimeter) in 1995, Buford in 2003, Kennesaw in 2008, Alpharetta in 2015, and most recently, a store at Beechwood shopping center in Athens in February 2023.     

REI is a cooperative and is owned by its active members, persons who have paid a lifetime membership fee, which is currently $30.  

A new company headquarters campus in the Spring District of Bellevue, Washington, was announced in 2016 and planned to open in 2020, but the property was ultimately sold instead, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with REI corporate employees shifting to remote work.

REI has, over the past two years, laid off hundreds of employees - primarily at its corporate office and in its distribution centers - as part of a reorganization precipitated by an “evolving business strategy.”  The company has said that it experienced a decline in its core outdoor gear sales following the pandemic boom.

Despite the layoffs and upcoming Buford closure, the company announced plans in October to open at least six new stores in the next two years.   

"Stores will open in six communities next spring and summer, including the California cities of Carlsbad, Chico and Elk Grove as well as in Amherst, New York; Durango, Colorado; and Lynnwood, Washington. The company also shared its intent to open in Prosper, Texas in 2026, which joins a previously announced St. George, Utah store. Additional stores for 2026 will be announced as leases are finalized."  

According to the company's website, there are currently 192 full-line REI stores across the country, plus two "Re/Supply" stores that sell repurchased used gear at discounted prices.  

Are you surprised to see REI close in Buford?  Where do you typically shop for outdoor gear?  What would you like to see open in place of REI in Buford?  

Please share your thoughts below.