Readers' Choice Winner for Best Sporting Goods: Surprised! You Won't be Surprised

The winner?

It's surprising readers didn't choose something a little more out there, but REI won by a landslide (well proportionally speaking). Maybe it's because one of the first REI stores opened its doors in Berkeley?

Did anyone expect a more strictly regional winner?

See the

Here's some REI history:

Company History:

According to this website:

Initially, REI operated out of Lloyd Anderson's house in West Seattle, but public demand for mountaineering hardware led to the establishment of the cooperative's first store in 1944, a modest operation comprising three shelves situated in the back of a gas station in downtown Seattle.

Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) is one of the nation's largest consumer cooperatives, selling sports apparel, outdoor sporting equipment, and mountain climbing gear. REI sells its apparel and gear through a chain of 77 stores, a web site, and through a mail-order catalog business. The cooperative is owned by its more than 1.7 million member-customers who receive annual patronage dividends in proportion to their spending. In addition to its involvement with outdoor clothing and equipment, REI operates a full-service adventure travel company named REI Adventures.

Key Dates: 

1938: A group of climbers led by Lloyd Anderson forms Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI). 
 

1944: REI opens its first retail location. 

1953: REI hires its first full-time employee. 

1967: THAW, a product-testing subsidiary, is formed. 

1975: A second REI store is opened, debuting in Berkeley, California. 

1979: Jerry Horn, a former merchandise executive for Sears, is named president, ushering in a period of rapid expansion. 

1987: The first store on the East Coast, located in Reading, Massachusetts, opens. 

1996: A new flagship store in Seattle is opened. 

2000: A store is opened in Japan and closed the following year. 

2005: Sally Jewell is named president of the 77-store cooperative.