Shopping spree at new Academy Sports + Outdoors store is a big hit ...

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HICKORY ? What do you get when you turn 30 youngsters loose for a shopping spree in a brand-new store? A lot of great big smiles, that?s what.

Academy Sports + Outdoors gave members of The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club the first chance to see the new store ? and shop for $100 in merchandise Thursday.

Academy Sports renovated the building at 2162 US 70 SE (the old TJ Maxx) into 62,000 square feet of merchandise space. It?s the Texas-based company?s 144th store. It?s bright white, like the Alamo. The company has 146 in all. The Hickory store, the only one in North Carolina, opens Friday 8 a.m.

The store carries everything from boots by Bates to live baits for fishing. Separate rooms allow customers to test golf clubs and archery equipment. Sports apparel includes the Magellen Sportswear house brand, and licensed collegiate and pro sports items. There is all kinds of gear for playing at home or heading outdoors for camping, hiking and canoeing. And there are lots of bicycles.

Montasia got one. She called her mother to make sure it was OK. Did she get shoes, mom asked? Oh yes. So the pink bike with white tires was hers. The conversation revealed why her friends call her ?Giggles.? And she had enough money in her gift from Academy to get another pair of sporty shoes.

?This is overwhelming,? said Capt. Christine Harris of The Salvation Army Hickory Command. ?The generosity is really a blessing.?

The children appreciated Academy?s gesture.

Danny gave the store two thumbs up. ?If I could put up all my fingers and toes, I would,? he said. He chose an ASU tee, a Nerf gun (just for fun), and a bicycle. He also picked out a soccer ball for his girlfriend. ?I?m coming back for my birthday,? he said.

?We do this at every opening,? said Eric Herrera, public relations manager for Academy Sports. ?We partner a lot with the Boys and Girls Club. We always find an organization related to children when we come to a new city.?

Herrera lives in Houston. He?ll go back home after the grand opening in two weeks. Jerry Shepherd is the director of the Hickory store. That means he?s the boss. He moved to Hickory from Knoxville, Tenn. He?s been involved with a lot of store openings. He?s ready to stay put for a while.

Shepherd spent time showing off the store to the news media Thursday. He speaks with pride of the company that started in 1939 in San Antonio as a tire store. ?This is a one-stop store,? he said. ?If you play sports, if you want fitness equipment, or want to cook out ? we have it all. And we are serious about customer service.?

There were some empty counters in the hunting and fishing section. Shepherd said the store was waiting until the children?s visit was over before displaying the handguns. ?They?ll be out tomorrow,? he said. None of the kids got close to the long arms or archery equipment. Besides, they were interested in other things.

Chris, who belongs to the Boys and Girls Club, said he really likes the store. He plays baseball with the Hickory Rangers. He?s a catcher, and he landed a new catcher?s mask. It?s the first new mask he?s ever had, and ?I?ve been playing baseball for six or seven years.? He also picked out a bat.

The children?s joy brought tears to some of the adults? eyes. Each youngster was accompanied by a store employee. There are 130 at the store. They took their time going through the place with the kids.

Lori Wolfe, executive director of the club, tried to hide her emotion, but couldn?t.

?I can?t tell you the times he (Chris) has said he wanted new equipment. Now, he has it. A lot of our kids have never had new things before.?

But no doubt about it, two-wheelers were popular items. Almony picked out her favorite and wouldn?t let it out of her grasp. ?It?s nice here,? she said. ?It?s a go-to place.?

Michael was animated when he says he?s coming back. ?It?s great,? he said, showing off a skateboard, a soccer bag and ball. He had other stuff, but the group was gathering at the entrance to head back to The Salvation Army. There were lots of laughter and shouts of appreciation.

And the giveaways aren?t over. Herrera said there will be prizes and gifts for customers when Academy Sports has its grand opening in two weeks. It will be a three-day affair, Friday through Saturday. Come Christmas, the store will hand out more bicycles to a local school for kids whose families can?t afford them.

?We really focus on family,? Herrera said. He?s worked at a half-dozen store openings. ?This is my favorite part,? he said of the children?s shopping spree.

Source: http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2012/sep/13/5/shopping-spree-new-academy-sports-outdoors-store-b-ar-2606051/

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