REI Co-op to open new store in Santa Cruz, California in Fall 2021

REI Co-op, the specialty outdoor retailer with over a dozen locations in Northern California, will open a new store in Santa Cruz, California in fall 2021. The co-op will bring a wide assortment of quality gear, experiences and expertise for Santa Cruz’s most popular outdoor activities. The 22,622 square-foot store will be located at 1660 Commercial Way, and offer a full range of professional bike shop and ski shop services to support the community in getting outside. With over 1.4 million lifetime REI members in Northern California, REI Santa Cruz will be the co-op’s 15th location in the region.  

“The Santa Cruz community is passionate about their outdoor places and REI is excited to bring a store to the area to connect with the community even more,” said Kirk Peterson, REI regional director of Northern California. “We have a lot of REI members that live or recreate around Santa Cruz, and this new location will be a hub to provide resources, expertise and gear for residents and visitors to enjoy the outdoors.” 

For over 45 years, REI has been a part of the Northern California community, with stores from Santa Rosa to Monterey, including the co-op’s second-ever store, located in Berkeley. Through the years, REI has invested millions of dollars into the Northern California community to support its local land agency and nonprofit partners that serve the community in getting people outside. In the last five years alone, REI has invested over $3.4 million in local outdoor nonprofits in the region, with over $125,000 directly benefitting the Santa Cruz community. This investment includes support for local nonprofits like Ventana Wilderness Alliance, Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz, Ecology Action, Sempervirens Fund and others. REI will continue to further invest in the local Santa Cruz outdoor community.  

REI Santa Cruz will also offer a range of virtual classes, workshops, and guided outdoor experiences to connect people to a life outdoors. Year-round and seasonal programming will be similar to the co-op’s offerings at its existing stores in the region: Learn to Kayak, How to Ride a Bike, Backcountry Navigation with a Map and Compass and more. The community can expect popular day trips like REI’s Bike N Brews Tour: Santa Cruz Coast to return in the future. REI has helped over 110,000 people connect to the outdoors in Northern California through its guided outdoor experiences, classes, events and trips in the last five years. 

Join the REI team 

Candidates interested in joining the REI team at any local store can apply online at REI.com/jobs and a timeline for hiring at the Santa Cruz location can be found here. REI expects to hire nearly 50 employees for the Santa Cruz location. Candidates can set up a job alert to be notified when positions are posted for the Santa Cruz store here. New employees will receive a wide variety of benefits, including generous product and service discounts, competitive pay and retirement contributions. REI employees also enjoy unique perks, such as two paid “Co-op Way Days” each year that allow them to enjoy their favorite outdoor activity and an additional paid day off on Black Friday to encourage all employees to #OptOutside. 

Store Facts 

• Address: 1660 Commercial Way 
• Square Footage: 22,622 square feet 
• Open Date: Fall 2021 
• Special Features: Bike and Ski Shop Services   
• REI Co-op Membership: Over 1.4 million lifetime members in Northern California Other Northern California Stores: Berkeley (opened 1975), Concord (opened 1993), Corte Madera (opened 2001), Dublin (opened 2011), Folsom (opened 2003), Fremont (opened 2000), Marina (opened 2007), Mountain View (opened 2006), Roseville (opened 2002), Sacramento (opened 1985, relocated in 1997), San Carlos (opened 1991), San Francisco (opened 2003), Santa Rosa (opened 2002) and Saratoga (opened 1985, relocated in 1998)  

About the REI Co-op

REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation’s largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 19 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 168 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia. If you can’t visit a store, you can shop at REI.com, REI Outlet or the REI shopping app. REI isn’t just about gear. Adventurers can take the trip of a lifetime with REI’s active adventure travel company, a global leader that runs more than 200 itineraries across all continents. In every community where REI has a presence, professionally trained instructors share their expertise by hosting beginner-to advanced-level classes and workshops about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access to—and steward—the outdoor places that inspire us all.