The doors of a redesigned Sports Authority in northwest Gainesville swung open Saturday after two months of remodeling.
The store, located at 7400 W. Newberry Road, features a new layout with specialty sport shops, new flooring and new light fixtures.
Saturday’s grand reopening of the 42,000-square-foot store was complete with prizes and a guest appearance from Matt Elam, a former UF Gators safety.
Ben Repp, co-manager of the store, estimated more than 500 people attended the opening.
“I think the crowd response was very good,” he said. “We had activities in the store, we gave out gift cards every hour, gave away a signed Tim Tebow football and handed out a $500 shopping spree.”
The main goal of remodeling the store was to create an open floor plan to have more space for customers and products, Repp said.
The new layout includes specialty sports shops within the store, including an area for primarily UF apparel.
“There’s more space and it draws people to these areas, so it’s a nice big assortment of everything you need,” Repp said.
Patty Jimenez, a company spokeswoman, said customers can expect a better shopping experience because of the new layout.
“It makes it easier because it enhances customer service within the store,” she said. “It’s redesigned to make shopping simple and fast while still providing all the proper sporting goods to the Gainesville community.”
Sports Authority, located at 400 W. Newberry Road, held its grand reopening Saturday after two months of remodeling. The goal of the remodel was to have a more open floor plan.
