L.L. Bean opening first R.I. store in Garden City

L.L. BEAN IS BRINGING ITS second retail store to the region (joining its existing Mansfield location), with plans to open a retail shop this summer in Cranston's Garden City Center. / COURTESY PRELLWITZ CHILINSKI ASSOCIATES/WILDER COMPANIES
L.L. BEAN IS BRINGING ITS second retail store to the region (joining its existing Mansfield location), with plans to open a retail shop this summer in Cranston's Garden City Center. / COURTESY PRELLWITZ CHILINSKI ASSOCIATES/WILDER COMPANIES

CRANSTON – L.L. Bean is coming to Garden City Center.
The outdoor retailer said it will open its first Rhode Island store this summer, and 29th retail store outside of Maine, where the company is based.
The 17,000-square-foot store will employ approximately 100 people and will feature active and casual apparel and footwear, as well as outdoor lifestyle gear including hiking, fly-fishing, kayaking, and winter gear and camping products.

L.L. Bean said in a news release that it decided to expand into Rhode Island as part of its overall retail expansion plan. It also noted the variety of recreational opportunities that the state has to offer.
Said Ken Kacere, senior vice-president and general manager of retail at L.L. Bean, “In the Cranston area, there’s paddling on the Pawtuxet River and in Narragansett Bay, cycling along the East Bay Bicycle Path, plus numerous green spaces to recreate in. This is going to be a great home for us because of all of the terrific outdoor activities to be had, all within a stone’s throw from the store. Whereas many people know us best through our website and catalogs, our first store in Rhode Island … will give folks the opportunity to experience our unique brand in 3D.”
The store will feature L.L. Bean’s Outdoor Discovery Schools, which offer demonstrations, clinics and activities such as snowshoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, archery and fly casting. L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools’ courses are offered at every L.L. Bean retail store, and in 2014, more than 130,000 people participated in the programs.
“Garden City Center is the perfect location for a store that focuses on the outdoor life,” Maria Salvatore, leasing consultant for The Wilder Companies, a Boston firm that manages Garden City Center, said in a statement.
Garden City Center has approximately 500,000 square feet of retail and office space; it has 60 shops, services and restaurants including Anthropologie, J. Crew, Sephora, Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, The Container Store, Crate & Barrel, Providence Diamond, LA Fitness and Whole Foods Market.

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