ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Outdoor gear retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. is closing its flagship store in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood on Thursday, ending a 15-year run in the Puck Building at the corner of Lafayette Avenue and Houston Street.
REI’s only store in Boston is set to close August 13 after 23 years of operation in the city’s Landmark Center.
The decision to close both urban stores — as well as an outlet in Paramus, N.J. that went dark in January — was announced last year due to sagging demand for outdoor equipment following a pandemic-era bloom.
REI is reshaping its operations as part of a strategic plan to get the nation’s largest consumer co-op back to consistent profitability as Americans pull back on discretionary spending.
Demand for adventure travel remains robust, however, and helped REI post a slight increase in 2025 sales, to $2.45 billion, though the retailer recorded a net loss of more than $54 million.
"As markets and customer needs evolve, we must adapt to position the co-op for long-term success," the company said in announcing the 2026 closures. President and CEO Mary Beth Laughton has signaled the need to make “difficult choices” at the 87-year-old cooperative.
Both the New York and Boston stores are among the dozen locations to unionize (the New York store was the first, in 2022), though REI has explicitly denied any connection to labor issues.
The retailer opened a new store in Prosper, Texas, in March, following recent openings in Durango, Colo., Elk Grove, Calif., and Amherst, N.Y. It now has about 195 locations nationwide serving campers, climbers, snowboarders, kayakers, bicyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts.
Outdoor recreation contributes $1.3 trillion to the U.S. economy, according to the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, a business coalition which notes that the sector’s economic impact is particularly vital to local communities, including “rural areas going through economic transitions.”
Enthusiasts living in the nation’s densest population center will now have to leave the city to stock up for their next outdoor adventure. After Thursday, the nearest REI locations are about 25 miles to the east (in Carle Place, N.Y.) and to the west (East Hanover, N.J.) of SoHo.
