Public Lands to open first New England store in Framingham

FRAMINGHAM — Public Lands, an outdoors store with a conservationist theme, will be coming to Shoppers World.

The chain of stores, which is owned and operated by Pittsburgh-based Dick’s Sporting Goods, will be sliding into a spot at Shoppers World that was previously occupied by a Bob’s Stores. Construction and renovations to the building have already started, and signs announcing Public Lands' future arrival can be spotted at the location.

Members of the Framingham Planning Department said they don't know when the store is expected to open, and officials at Public Lands could not be reached for comment.

Public Lands is a relatively new chain. It was launched in 2013 as Field and Stream, an outdoors supply store, and eventually grew to 18 stores.

In 2021, Dick’s announced that Field and Stream would be rebranded as Public Lands; with the first Field and Stream store, located outside Pittsburgh, being the first one of the stores to be rebranded.

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There are currently only three Public Lands stores in the country; the one near Pittsburgh, one near Columbus, Ohio, and a third in Charlottesville, Virginia.

But according to its website, Public Lands plans to open additional stores (besides Framingham) in Huntington, New York; Kennesaw, Georgia; and Medford, Oregon.

The Framingham location will be the first store in New England. On its website, Public Lands posts four management jobs that are available at the site.

Public Lands is among a few outdoor retailers that have opened in MetroWest in recent years. Hunting, fishing and camping store Cabela’s opened at the Shops at Highland Commons in Hudson in 2015, and Maine's LL Bean announced plans in April to open a store at the same shopping center.

Sierra, which sells discount outdoor gear, apparel, footwear and accessories and is part of Framingham-based TJX Companies, operates a location just three stores away from where Public Lands is going in at Shoppers World.

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Nearby, other longtime outdoor retailers include an REI store on Cochituate Road (Route 30) and Public Lands' corporate parent, Dick's, which sells sporting goods and some outdoor apparel and equipment, has a store just across Route 9 in Natick's Sherwood Plaza.

In downtown Natick, the Natick Outdoor Store is longtime favorite of local shoppers.

Public Lands describes itself on its website as “a new outdoor-focused specialty concept store that will focus on helping more people get outside to explore and protect America's public lands. It will carry a premium assortment of outdoor and lifestyle apparel, footwear, and equipment brands, and support the local outdoor community through conservation and access & equity-based initiatives.”

According to its website, 1% of all sales at Public Lands are donated to local and national conservation efforts. The location near Pittsburgh has extra amenities, including a 30-foot rock wall for climbing and in-store repair center; it has not been confirmed whether the Framingham location will contain similar amenities.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham to be home to Public Lands' first New England store