Rugged Outdoors Selects Champaign’s Carle at the Fields For Its Second Area Location
Add another locally owned business to the ever-expanding Carle at the Fields development in Southwest Champaign.
A new Rugged Outdoors retail outlet will be opening at Carle at the Fields in the summer of 2020. Rugged Outdoors, which is a sister store to longtime locally owned retailer Champaign Outdoors, will add a second location just two years after the opening of the first Rugged Outdoors outlet at Carriage Center on South Neil Street in Champaign.
The store will occupy the remaining portion of the Green Street Realty building being built on the corner of Curtis Road and Fields South Drive, which will also house the new Hickory River Smokehouse (announced last year).
Rugged Outdoors is a retail outlet supporting RuggedOutdoors.com, one of the largest independently owned outdoor eCommerce sites in the nation. The Rugged Outdoors outlets feature deals on merchandise from top outdoor name brands. Shoppers will find jackets, outdoor and fashion clothing, shoes, boots, socks, kids items, bags, camping gear, travel necessities, and an array of accessories.
With the opening of the newest Champaign location, the company says it will support approximately 50 local jobs with operations in 3 retail locations and 2 distribution warehouses.
“Area shoppers have really embraced our first Rugged Outdoors location. With this new store, we look forward to expanding our footprint in the Champaign-Urbana area. Patrons will see a fresh variety of products from our quality outdoor brands at outlet prices each time they visit,” said Shira Epstein, company president and co-owner.
The company expects the new Rugged Outdoors location to open in June 2020.
It’s the latest win for upstart Carle at the Fields, which will also add retailer McGuire Home Collection, which sells furniture, fixtures, and home decor accessories, scheduled to open there later this winter.
Haymakers, the upscale gas station and convenience store which is currently under construction, will open in February. It has scheduled several promotional giveaway days in anticipation of the opening.
Already open at Carle at the Fields is poke bowl counter King Kuma and Mexican restaurant El Toro.
“Southwest Champaign provides a unique retail opportunity,” said Dan Epstein, company CEO and co-owner. “Carle at the Fields is convenient for residents of southwest Champaign and highway traffic along I-57. In this challenging retail environment, we are thankful that our local community continues to support our third-generation business and help it grow. Without that support, none of this would be possible.”