PUBLISHED ON June 3, 2008
Yakima Herald-Republic
by MAI HOANG YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
YAKIMA -- Big plans for the Capitol Theatre means a big move for a Yakima athletic supplier.
Kimmel Athletic Supply Co. will close its downtown store on July 28 and reopen Aug. 1 at 2105 W. Lincoln Ave., next to The Print Guys.
The Spokane-based company opened the Yakima store in March 1997. The privately owned company also has retail locations in Spokane and Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. The shop specializes in supplying uniforms and equipment to sports teams from Little League to college.
The move has put the Capitol Theatre one step closer to its plan to demolish the building at 9 S. Third St. and build a pavilion that would house a lobby, box office, office space, a jazz club and a cafe or wine bar. A formal wear and tuxedo shop is still housed in the building.
But the move is not a sore spot for the Kimmel staff. The Capitol Theatre, which owns the building, has given more than ample notice about future plans, and Kimmel has spent a year-and-a-half looking for a new spot, said Steve Tri, a Kimmel retail manager.
"We'll miss downtown, but the (new) building will have some advantages," he said.
Among those advantages include more square footage and more parking spaces for customers. "Once people come to the new location, they'll realize how much easier it is to get in and out," Tri said.
