Nov. 22—FORGET ABOUT online shopping, the new Dick's House of Sport at The Mall at Rockingham Park is all about the experience.
Think climbing a multi-sided rock wall, running around a track, swinging a golf club or baseball bat and trying out a pair of skates on synthetic ice. Don't worry about juggling a soccer ball in the aisle, because a staff member might just point you to a new outdoor turf field to give it a proper test run.
The company spent the past year transforming the space from a traditional Dick's Sporting Goods store to the company's 19th House of Sport — just in time for Black Friday. Dick's previously operated on the top floor of the former Sears before talking over the entire 150,000-square-foot two-story space.
"We carry a lot more apparel and footwear than a normal Dick's Sporting Goods," said Stephen Ramirez, a director at the store. "We really pride ourselves in the product assortment that we carry."
The store is full of about 875 mannequins, which are designed to reflect the actions of an athlete. Two robotic mannequins run in place at what appears to be a pretty decent pace.
Even the fitting rooms are designed to create an experience with an Instagrammable wall featuring the words, "Your Best Self." The attendant offers fashion advice for those who seek it.
"We want the athlete to want to take selfies," Ramirez said. "We want the athlete to show off what they have."
The store seems to bring back a full-service model of yesteryear with employees helping customers try on shoes and pick the perfect socks for their activity of choice. Footwear is a major feature of the second floor, but the "House of Cleats" is on the first floor with 450 cleats and turf designed to test the feel of running and cutting.
A 360-degree rock wall with 10 different climbing routes is also on the second floor, where Dick's offers monthly wall passes for ages six and up. It overlooks the turf field, which features a running track and can be used by local sports teams. Yoga classes will also be scheduled.
"We want people to try things on," Ramirez said. "We want people to leave game-day ready."
The store offers two service counters, one for golf setups and the other for most other sports like bat gripping, glove steaming, cleat steaming, ice skate sharpening, stringing lacrosse sticks and putting lines on fishing rods. Bike repair, building and tunings are also available.
"I have a few local high school kids who play baseball and work in the baseball section and just love the fact that we are hiring them to talk about baseball with anyone who wants to talk about baseball," Ramirez said.