The Summit Hut, a locally owned retailer of outdoor equipment and clothing, is moving its Speedway store two blocks east to a building occupied by a soon-to-close Office Depot store.
A key reason for the move: The new site will have 40 percent more showroom space than the current store at 5045 E. Speedway, said Dana Davis, co-owner of the two Summit Hut stores.
The company’s store at 7745 N. Oracle Road in Oro Valley will remain at that location.
“We’re very excited,” Davis said. “We’re taking possession of the building (at 5251 E. Speedway) on June 1. We plan to do a bunch of construction there — and then make the move on Sept. 27,” with the store opening on the following day.
The Summit Hut leases its current Speedway building and will lease the new location as well, Davis said.
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“Our showroom is going to be 14,000 square feet,” she said. “The current showroom is about 10,000 square feet. We’ll also have a much larger parking area. That’s definitely another reason for the move.”
Plans call for remodeling the front exterior of the building as well as the interior display space.
“The new location will look and feel really different — really special,” Davis said.
The store won’t have a full-scale indoor climbing wall but will include an area where customers can test climbing shoes and harnesses, Davis said.
She said the showroom will feature several “concept shops” focusing on specific vendors of boots, clothing and equipment.
The expansion indicates that the Summit Hut is competing effectively, Davis said, with other outdoor equipment retailers in the area, including a large store operated by Recreational Equipment Inc., a national chain.
