Fayetteville, New York – Outdoor retailer L.L.Bean announced the conversion of its outlet store in Fayetteville, NY into a full L.L.Bean Retail Store.  The conversion will be complete on Friday, June 7th.  The 100-plus year-old Maine outdoor gear and apparel outfitter made the decision to convert the outlet store into a full retail store due to the large number of catalog and web customers in the area and the demonstrated high-degree of affinity the local community has for L.L.Bean.

When the conversion is complete on June 7th, the 15,000 square-foot store will double its current staff and will feature a great assortment of its most current outdoor gear and apparel, including a new footwear department and a new monogramming department.

One of the more notable additions to the store will be the inclusion of L.L.Bean’s Outdoor Discovery Schools, which will be offering an array of demonstrations, clinics and introductory hands-on activities including kayaking, all designed to remove the most prominent barriers to participation and make it as easy as possible for people to engage in outdoor activities that inspire L.L.Bean products.

“Converting this store to full retail gives us the ability to offer customers an even better L.L.Bean experience through current merchandise selections, ongoing in-store demonstrations and clinics, enhanced customer service, not to mention hands-on activities like kayaking through our Outdoor Discovery Schools,” said Ken Kacere, senior vice-president and general manager of retail at L.L.Bean. “The Fayetteville area has a strong and dedicated customer base, as well as abundant opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. It’s a great community and an ideal location for one of our full retail stores. We’re excited to be bringing the L.L.Bean catalog to life for our customers in Fayetteville.”

The store will celebrate its transition into a full retail store in conjunction with L.L.Bean’s annual PaddleSports Weekend, June 7th through the 9th. PaddleSports Weekend is L.L.Bean’s store-wide celebration of kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and more, featuring great deals on paddling gear, demonstrations, clinics and Outdoor Discovery Schools kayaking courses, all of which will be taking place at the Fayetteville store that weekend.

This will be L.L.Bean’s 19th retail store outside of Maine. During the conversion, the outlet store will operate normally, with no disruption of current store hours. The store is located in the Fayetteville Town Center.

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