The non-consumptive outdoors crowd in the Baltimore-Washington corridor is mighty in number but as scattered as fine grains of sand in the wind.
With the opening of REI Columbia today, they finally have a clubhouse.
The store, on Dobbins Road off Route 175, is the 114th for the Seattle-based cooperative and joins well-established outlets in Timonium, College Park and Rockville.
REI Columbia arrived with a calling card: a $10,000 grant to the Howard County Conservancy to train volunteers and get the word out about its 232-acre farm that acts as a learning center for the 6,000 school kids who visit each year.And to show they aren't just another pretty check, REI employees showed up at the farm to pull weeds and help restore an old stone wall that borders the Conservancy's outdoors classroom.
"It's such a great partnership," said Allison Anderson of the Conservancy. "They've jumped right in and gotten dirty. They've been a great neighbor already."
Other groups attended the store's reception Thursday night, from the Howard County Striders running club and the 7,000-member Maryland Outdoor Club to representatives of Special Olympics and the Mountain Club of Maryland, the state's oldest hiking organization.
Even other retailers showed up, from employees of iconic L.L. Bean to mom-and-pop shops like Claire and David Horvath of Mother Nature's Store, a local favorite birding supply stop celebrating its 20th anniversary.
REI, with 4.3 million co-op members, 25,000 of whom live in the Baltimore region, is known for its outreach. This year, 137,000 volunteers donated more than 1 million hours nationally on projects such as trail restoration and invasive plant removal.
The co-op donates 3 percent of its operating profits to stewardship efforts--$3.7 million this year alone.
And it tries to prod youngsters to get outside and explore through intitiatives such as Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids--PEAK--which involves giving kids a backpack full of gear, games and lessons.
"We probably get more traction with youth outreach through REI than any other organization," said Greg Miller, president of the Silver Spring-based American Hiking Society.
Store manager Joe Hohn, who opened the Timonium store 11 years ago before transferring to Columbia, said he had more than 400 applications for 50 staff slots.
Hohn hopes to be able to be able to lead an effort to improve bike paths and trails to give residents a reason to get out of their cars and peddle to do weekend errands.
He also hopes that the store can be a kind of catalyst for clubs and organizations to find new members and generate community projects. To make that happen, he made hiring an outreach coordinator--Dennis Large--his highest priority.
While REI is open now, its grand opening celebration is next weekend, Nov. 19-20, with prizes and giveaways scheduled for each day.