REI plans grand opening of Tulsa store in November

The grand opening celebration, featuring giveaways and music, will take place Friday, November 17, through Sunday, November 17, the company said on its website.

“We are very excited to open a store in Tulsa!” the company said.

The outdoor retailer is located on the northwest corner of 71st Street and Elwood Avenue.

The approximately 2,130 square meter store offers a wide range of clothing, equipment and know-how for camping, cycling, running, fitness, hiking, paddling, climbing and more.

This includes a full-service bike shop, the ability to buy online and pick up in store, and curbside pickup.

The store, which will employ about 50 people, will be located south of the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area and northeast of the Tulsa Hills Shopping Center.

The site west of the Arkansas River is about a mile west of where an REI site was originally planned.

The city of Tulsa had tried for years to lure REI — and the sales tax revenue that came with it — to a portion of Helmerich Park at the southwest corner of 71st Street and Riverside Drive.

A Dallas developer signed a deal with the Tulsa Public Facilities Authority in 2015 to buy nearly nine acres of Helmerich Park in the area for commercial use. But a group filed suit to block the development, claiming the city failed to properly manage the sale and must preserve the property as parkland.