WEST MELBOURNE, Fla. – A sporting good chain is making its presence known in Central Florida by opening four new stores Friday.
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Academy Sports already has 190 locations in the Southeast, but has only recently started to expand in Florida.
From golfing, to fishing, to camping, this store has you covered if you enjoy the outdoors.
"If you enjoy having fun outside, you can find it here," said Vance Boyd, West Melbourne's store director.
While some retailers open one store at a time when entering a new market, Academy Sports has another method. The Houston, Texas-based company tends to make a big splash by opening several stores all at once.
Hence why four stores -- Lake Mary, Waterford, Kissimmee and West Melbourne -- are all opening at the same time on Friday.
"The outdoor lifestyle seems to be alive and well in the area and that's what we do," said Boyd.
To king things off, Academy invited 50 kids to all four locations for a shopping spree Thursday. Each little one was given a $100 gift card to buy whatever they wanted.
"We call this the give back event," said Boyd. "Where we like to introduce ourselves to the community and partner with a children's organization. We do this every time we open a new store."
Academy already has two locations in Florida -- Pensacola and Jacksonville -- and Boyd is looking forward to having four new stores in the Sunshine State.
"Exciting doesn't describe it. It's a culmination of months, if not years of effort and it's going to be a great experience for everybody that comes in."
Every Central Florida location opens its doors Friday at 8:30 a.m.