You won’t have to drive to Tyson’s Corner just to pick up some flannel-lined jeans, at least not when outdoor clothing juggernaut L.L. Bean opens its Richmond store this fall.
The more than 15,000 square-foot store in Short Pump Town Center will employ around 100 people, and feature an “assortment of active and casual apparel and footwear, as well as outdoor lifestyle gear including hiking, fly-fishing, kayaking and winter gear and camping products,” the company announced in a press release Thursday. If that sounds big for Short Pump Town Center’s current retail space, that’s because the L.L. Bean store will be replacing the food court.
L.L. Bean says it made the decision to open a brick-and-mortar store in the Richmond area, in part, because of residents love of outdoor activities.
“It’s very exciting to open a store in Richmond, just a stone’s throw away from the James River and all of the other countless opportunities for outdoor recreation,” L.L. Bean senior vice-president and general manager of retail Ken Kacere said in the press release.
Also coming to the Short Pump store: L.L.Bean’s Outdoor Discovery Schools, which will offer classes and workshops on outdoor activities such as archery, kayaking and snowshoeing.
The store will open just in time for the 2015 holiday shopping season, the press release notes, so look for a huge influx of canvas tote bags down by the river next summer.
