Vestal Dick’s Sporting Goods permanently closed Wednesday
A popular Binghamton-area Dick’s Sporting Goods store is permanently closed as another one opened in its place Wednesday.
A company spokesperson confirmed the Vestal Town Square Mall location had closed, and signs posted on the doors of the store encourage customers to visit the new House of Sport location within the Oakdale Commons in Johnson City, which held its soft opening Wednesday.
The Vestal store is no longer included on the company’s online list of locations. The three remaining area stores are the Dick’s Warehouse Sale on the Vestal Parkway near Target, the original store at 347 Court St. in Binghamton and the 140,000-square-foot House of Sport location. A grand opening for the House of Sport store is set for the weekend of Aug. 18-20.
The company also opened a distribution center in Conklin in 2018 and created two permanent exhibits at the Discovery Center earlier this year in honor of lifetime Dick’s Sporting Goods employee and “heart and soul of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open,” Tim Myers, who died in July 2021.
Founder Dick Stack opened Dick’s Bait and Tackle in Binghamton in 1948. Within five years, the store grew into a sporting goods store and the decision to move the store 700 yards down the road to 347 Court St. was made in 1953.
Stack opened a second location at Vestal’s Four Corners before Dick’s Sporting Goods executive chairman Ed Stack and his siblings bought their father’s business in 1984. The Vestal store eventually moved to the Town Square Mall.
What to expect at the new location
Located at the south end of the mall, the two-level Dick’s House of Sport is the largest one yet and will feature an indoor climbing wall, batting cage and footwear department.
Outside, a 17,000-square-foot turf field with a track will allow people to try products and will double as an ice rink during the winter.
The Matthews family acquired the Sears building at the Johnson City mall in 2019 and Spark JC, an LLC formed by the Matthews and Newman families, closed on the property long known as the Oakdale Mall last year.
Spark JC has rebranded the site as the Oakdale Commons, reflecting its transformation into a mixed-use facility that will provide a “comprehensive lifestyle experience” for the Greater Binghamton Area.
Emily Barnes is the New York State Team Consumer Advocate Reporter for the USA Today Network. Contact Emily at [email protected] or on Twitter @byemilybarnes. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.