Dunham's Sports will hold a ribbon cutting celebration this morning to celebrate the opening of its new Athens location at 1002 E. State St. at The Market On State.
The sporting goods store will have its grand opening Sunday at 10 a.m.
Based in Michigan, Dunham's Sports carries sporting goods as well as athletic equipment and apparel, according to a news release.
Dunham's has considered coming to Athens for the past two years and this summer the chain was able to reach an agreement to lease space in The Market On State, said Brent Hayes, co-owner.
The zoning permit for the 36,000 square foot store was approved in September and $100,000 went toward improvement costs, according to the permit. The space needed lighting and floors before it could be used, said Michael Stozicki, corporate counsel for Dunham's.
Dunham's currently has 158 stores in 12 states, Stozicki said.
Small towns are our life blood
he said. Most of our growth has been in college towns and with the university down there (in Athens) it's a good fit.
Each Dunham's store caters to the interest of the area, so the Athens store will have large selection of hunting and camping gear, Stozicki said. It will also have golf and exercise equipment, he said.
After examining the store, Hayes said he was impressed with the diverse amount of merchandise.
It's going to be a really good asset for Athens and bring folks in from other areas
Hayes said.
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Anna Sudar
