City officials recently joined representatives of Eastern Mountain Sports and Linear Retail Properties, LLC to celebrate the store's grand opening of its 1000 Bald Hill Rd. (Rte. 2) location.
City council president Bruce Place brought greetings and congratulations on behalf of mayor Scott Avedisian. Councilman Ray Gallucci, whose ward encompasses the property, and Karen Jedson, director of the city's Department of Tourism, Culture and Development, attended and participated in the ribbon cutting.
Other speakers included Will Manzer, CEO of Eastern Mountain Sports, Save The Bay executive director Jonathan Stone, and James Stringer, store manager.
Eastern Mountain Sports relocated to the Trader Joe's anchored center in Warwick after eight years in Cranston. The new, 14,526 s/f store offers more than double the existing space and features an extensive selection of outdoor gear and apparel for kayaking, backpacking, camping, climbing, snow sports, and hiking, as well as a full-service bike shop.
Joel Kadis, a partner of Linear Retail Properties, which owns the plaza, said completion of the store marks the final step of a $1 million renovation of the property.
The Warwick store maintains a strong partnership with Save The Bay throughout the year that extends to joint conservation projects, family fun events, kayak demos, and membership drives. During the Grand Opening weekend Save The Bay had a presence at the store and was Eastern Mountain Sports' conservation group that received 1% of all proceeds generated during the weekend.
Based in Burlington, Mass., Linear Retail owns and operates 56 shopping centers and other retail properties in R.I., Mass. and N.H. valued in excess of $300 million.