Dalton residents will get their first look inside the new Academy Sports and Outdoors on Shugart Road today. But staff gave some members of the Boys & Girls Clubs a sneak peak on Thursday.
“There’s a lot of excitement going on here,” said Store Director Shane Nelson.
The store has its “soft opening” today at 8 a.m.
“We are giving away 100 free Berkley tackle bags to the first 100 customers in line tomorrow (this morning) who show us they are a fan of our Facebook page,” said Eric Herrera, Academy’s senior communications coordinator.
“We’ll have deals on various products throughout the weekend and leading up to next weekend,” Herrera said.
The store will officially have its grand opening on Saturday, Nov. 17.
“We are going to give 100 pairs of free Crocs to our first 100 customers,” Herrera said. “We are going to have demonstrations by our vendors such as Adidas and Under Armour. We are going to have all kinds of giveaways. We’ll have a catfish tank out in front of the store for the kids. We’ll be giving away $500 gift cards. We’ll have free hot dogs that afternoon. And, of course, we’ll have deals on products throughout the store.”
The store features more than 71,000 square feet of footwear, apparel, sports and leisure products, plus quality hunting, fishing and camping equipment. It employs 125.
“We offer an unparalleled shopping experience, great pricing, great selection and great service,” Nelson said.
Dalton Mayor David Pennington said the store should provide an economic boost to the city.
“Any time you have a major retailer open a store in a community our size, there’s a lot of excitement. We hope it will be a draw for people from across northwest Georgia, and for that matter southeast Tennessee, since our sales tax is quite a bit lower than their’s,” Pennington said. “We hope this will help our other stores as the customers it draws in spend some time here and shop here.”
Pennington said Shugart Road has become a retail hub for the city, with Walmart, Home Depot, Kohl’s and now Academy among the major stores open there.
“That’s a bit surprising, and it’s a bit of a challenge as far as the land goes. But they are making it work,” Pennington said.
Local News
Related Photos
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Academy Sports employee Zeke Nelson hands Jayce Stanfield, 7, a football after opening it for him Thursday at the new Dalton store. Thirty youths from the Boys & Girls Clubs were given $100 shopping sprees the evening before the store opened to the public. Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen
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Academy Sports employee Molly Satterfield plays defense as Stanley Molina, 6, tests out his new soccer ball Thursday. Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen
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Esteban Garcia, 10, gets some help from Colton Feagans of Academy Sports as they look for a few more items to come to $100 Thursday. Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen
Discussion
Academy opens today
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Police and Fire Games: Dalton firefighter snags second place
Mason Martin, back right, cheers on his mother, Serena Martin, an officer with the Dalton Police Department, as she pushes a patrol car as part of an obstacle course to determine the “Toughest Overall” during the Georgia Police and Fire Games on Monday at the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Department’s firing range. (Misty Watson/The Daily Citizen)
A seasoned Dalton firefighter placed second in the Toughest Overall Competitor event at the Police and Fire Games in Dalton on Monday.
Continued ... - County school board expected to approve budget Wednesday morning
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- Jun 16, 2013
- Ridley trades banking for farming
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- Dalton to host Police and Fire Games this week
- Phyllis Stephens: Building community leadership capacity
- Jun 15, 2013
- Ball for fathers and daughters
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