WASHINGTON — The D.C. arena where the Beatles played their first concert in America reopens Friday as a massive retail store that nods to the past.
The big building with the curved roof on 3rd Street NE was built in 1945, and used to be called the Washington Coliseum and Uline Arena.
More recently it was used as a parking garage.
Now, it houses a 51,000-square-foot REI flagship store with 124 full and part-time employees known as “inspired guides.”
“Flagships are really stores that are a beacon of the brand,” said General Manager Becky Smith, who gave WTOP a pre-opening tour. “It’s more than just a core store; it’s an experience. There’s curated assortments, there’s brands you don’t find anywhere else.”
The store includes full-service bike and ski shops, areas dedicated to camping and footwear, and a Patagonia “shop-in-shop.”
The in-store “Adventure Station,” operated in partnership with the National Park Service, is the place to get expert ideas and advice about your next outdoor trip.
You can enter the new La Colombe cafe both from inside and outside the store, and there’s even an open-air lounging spot with picnic tables and a fire pit.
“This is our courtyard space, and it’s really that area where we talk about bringing the outdoors in,” Smith said. “We have garage doors that we can put up on nice days.”
REI plans to hold classes and other low-cost or free events both inside and outside the former arena, which Smith said is a great fit for the company.
“We really love old buildings,” she said. “Three of our five flagships are now in old buildings, and that’s something that’s really important to us as we think about our footprint.”
She said the building will be LEED Gold-certified.
The arena is best known for hosting the Beatles first U.S. concert on Feb. 11, 1964. It’s also been the site of many go-go music concerts, hockey and basketball games, and one of President Eisenhower’s inaugural balls.
“I keep telling my team were are officially the only REI that can ever say we hosted a presidential inauguration,” said Smith.
You can spot hints of the building’s past throughout the store.
“This wood that’s on the wall here that’s going to wrap around all the way down to customer service, this is the old basketball court, Smith said. “So this is the basketball court that the Harlem Globetrotters played on in the Washington Coliseum. I just think that that’s so awesome.”
You’ll also find original columns deliberately left unfinished, as well as some arena seats that have been hung on a wall.
Reproduction posters from some of the concerts held in the building have been put up on walls and wrapped around columns.
REI would love to hear from anyone who has posters from some of the sporting events held there, so they can add more reproductions to the décor.
REI is a co-op, which means it’s owned by its members.
A one-time membership fee gets you access to special discounts and sales, but you don’t have to be a member to shop there.
The D.C. flagship store is hosting a three-day grand opening celebration with events at the store, Storey Park and Wunder Garten.
It starts Friday with a 9:30 a.m. performance by the Ballou High School Marching Band and a 10 a.m. store opening and “webbing cutting.” DJs will play music the rest of the day.
Saturday and Sunday will feature more live music, including a Beatles cover band and go-go musicians.
There will also be classes, food trucks and vendors.
The first 500 people in line on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will get a custom D.C. CamelBak bottle with a gift card.
The store will also be serving up free breakfast and coffee in the mornings on each of those days.
