REI – Downtown Magazine

This year, REI–the mildly pricey sports retailer that focuses on outdoor gear–announced that it would stay closed on Black Friday. While the CEO said he would miss the income, the point of staying closed is meant to encourage consumers to do what REI is meant for: go outside.

Meanwhile, Patagonia will be holding a clothing swap at some of its locations in attempt to check consumer behavior and positively contribute to finding sustainable solutions through responsible business actions.

Other retailers are following in suit–not so much by completely closing their locations, but staying shut on Thanksgiving day. Nordstrom, DSW and Home Depot will be closed on the holiday among more retailers. Stores remaining open include KMart, Walmart and Toys ‘R Us among more.

The Black Friday rush is a legendary race for cheap goods. But in the past few years, the rush has become extremely hard on employees and has resulted in injuries (and deaths). Perhaps the pushback against Black Friday frenzy isn’t such a bad idea.

-by Kari Sonde

It takes much more than cold and wind to stop New York City cyclers from riding for a good cause. The 37th Annual TD Bank Five Borough Bike Tour presented by the REI clothing brand took place on Sunday with more than 30,000 bikers from all 50 states and over 65 countries worldwide.

The wide array of riders included a blind man from the Bronx, a Massacusetts survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing and a Sikh man from New Jersey seeking to promote religious tolerance. All the riders are rooted in the promotion of sustainability and alternative transportation.

“This is my fourth ride,” says Jim Mazzei of Brooklyn. “It’s always fun!”

This event, co-produced by Bike New York and the New York City Department of Transportation offered cyclists the opportunity to ride through all five boroughs

The cyclists gathered as early as 5:30 a.m. for the 40-mile tour which begins in Lower Manhattan, heads north through the heart of Central Park and continues on to Harlem and the Bronx before returning south along the East River on the FDR Drive.

From there, cyclists cross into Queens and then Brooklyn, where riders take over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway before the breathtaking climb up and thrilling ride down the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge into Staten Island.

The entire route, including bridges and expressways which normally prohibit cyclists, is closed to automobile traffic for the ride.

This year, there were even more reasons to celebrate. Bike New York announced that Bike Expo New York and the TD Five Boro Bike Tour will be certified sustainable by the Council for Responsible Sport because of the organization’s efforts to make the Expo & Tour environmentally and socially responsible.

Riders came from all over to participate, including; Fred Ballay (South Jersey), Jim Mazzei (Brooklyn, New York), Mike Legman (Montclair, New Jersey) and Sean Reynolds (White Plains, New York).

Participants rode for different charities ranging from Alzheimer’s to HIV research with funds also going towards Bike New York’s free education programs. These classes teach more than 15,000 New Yorkers how to ride safely and confidently in the city.

—Joseph Amella Jr.