Play It Again Sports Moving to New Location

will move this summer from their current location at 265 Main Street down to 225 Main Street next to the Gas Station.

According to Manager Sueanne Chin, they plan to move in July. They purchased the land and the building that North Reading Hardware once occupied. Renovations have already begun and will hopefully be complete this summer, she said.

The new space is double the size of the building they are in now, one of the reasons for the move, and will be the largest Play It Again Sports store in New England. The store will be located in a more visible location on Main Street and they are looking forward to owning the property instead of leasing, Chin said.

"It's a good step up for us," she said, referring to the move.

The sporting goods store has been in its current location for 18 years, and at one time stocked exercise equipment. They stopped selling that equipment due to space issues, and plan to bring it back in their new store. An expansion of products and new items is also in the works, however, "nothing is set in stone yet."

The hours may change and there will be some new faces in the store. Part-time employees will have to be hired given the extra space.

The management would like to keep the propane tank that the hardware store left behind. According to Chin, the hardware store was the cheapest place in the area to fill propane tanks, so she would like to offer that service to residents even though it does not "go hand in hand" with selling sporting goods. They are still working on insurance, she said.

"It's already there, so if we can keep that going for the people in town that would be great," Chin said.

Chin is looking forward to seeing the new store open this summer.

"We’ve had a good run and we are just looking to start a new chapter down the street," she said.