Local sporting goods retailer, Sports Basement, will be opening their 10th store location in the Peninsula Boardwalk, taking over two side-by-side locations previously filled by Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies 'R' Us, for a total of over 88,000 square feet of space.

“We’d been searching for a perfect spot in the mid-peninsula for over a decade,” says Aaron Schweifler, Director of Operations, “As soon as we saw this space, we had huge visions for it.”

Huge is definitely the right word for it; the location will be Sports Basement’s biggest store ever, beating out their flagship Presidio store by 8,000 square feet. It won’t all be for retail space, though. Like all of their stores, some of that space will be set aside for the community, in the form of gathering spaces, comfy couches, children's play areas and more.

“We always make sure to prioritize our community spaces when we’re building out our stores,” says Marketing Director, Ian Ballentine, “These areas are for community members as well as local charities and schools that we partner with.”

The local community is an integral part of Sports Basement's business model. Partnerships with non-profit groups like AIDS/LifeCycle and Girls On The Run and race organizations like Turkey Trot and the Rock 'N Roll race series ensure that there are always a ton of exciting events on their calendar.

In addition, their Basementeer loyalty program gives members 10% off every purchase while donating 10% of profits to local charities and schools. Representatives of charities and schools in the Redwood City area looking to become a beneficiary should contact rwccommunity@sportsbasement.com.

The company is certainly not wasting any time building out the store. After receiving the keys to the building, they’ve already started getting to work, and are aiming to open in time for the holiday season, which coincidentally marks Sports Basement's 20th anniversary.

“We’re excited to be here and want to be up and running for the public as soon as possible,” says Tiffany Hall, the General Manager of the new store, “We can’t wait to be here and meet all our neighbors.”

Updates can be found on Instagram at @sportsbasementsouthbay and on their blog.