Chris Elwell
Staff Writer
Dick’s Sporting Goods celebrated their newest House of Sport grand opening in Kennesaw, GA, on Friday, Nov. 7, and invited baseball companies from across the country to help commemorate the new location. With baseball apparel giants like Rawlings, Victus, and Mizuno present at the event, no one stood out quite like Baseball Lifestyle 101.
Dick’s created a carnival-style event for shoppers to come celebrate one of their biggest House of Sport locations, and Baseball Lifestyle helped bring it all together with a 40-foot-tall Ferris wheel and free cotton candy for new customers and brand supporters alike.
Prior to the opening, Dick’s asked if Baseball Lifestyle wanted to be part of the event and allowed the team to bring their own ideas to the table. After internal discussions, the team decided to lean into the carnival theme and highlight the Cotton Candy Collection, which was released on Friday, Oct. 7.
Baseball Lifestyle staff arrived on Thursday, Nov. 6, to set up for the opening, which included testing the Ferris wheel to assure the safety of all riders. The Ferris wheel had all Baseball Lifestyle and Dick's Sporting Goods-branded cars and was a fan favorite for patrons at the opening throughout the weekend.
“The Ferris Wheel will be the talk around here for a while,” said Dick’s Manager of In-Store Event Marketing, Jill Maynard.
Through all the activations and events Dick’s ran to make this opening as grand as possible, Baseball Lifestyle gave the patrons something else to truly get excited about in addition to shopping for their favorite products.
Upon entry to the store, customers were greeted with a can’t-miss display of Baseball Lifestyle products, headlined by the Cotton Candy Collection. Baseball Lifestyle’s prominence in Dick’s stores across the country has grown continuously with each collection, and given shoppers the opportunity to add to their wardrobe with the best styles and colors the off-field apparel industry has to offer.
Throughout the weekend, Dick’s brought out some of the biggest stars of the Atlanta Braves, both past and present, for a meet and greet. Hall of Famers Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz were at the store on Saturday, which brought people from all over the Atlanta area to meet the franchise icons. Current star first baseman Matt Olson was in attendance on Sunday for his own meet and greet with fans as well.
The love and connection to baseball in Georgia is perhaps one of the strongest in the country, from Little League to the big leagues. In addition to being found in Dick’s stores across the area, Baseball Lifestyle is planning to open a store at the Mall of Georgia in Buford to continue to expand its reach in these baseball-loving areas that are fans of the brand.
The new House of Sport location marks the 35th in the U.S., and the level of success they have had with these interactive stores has motivated the company to grow to 100 stores by the end of 2027. Brands like Baseball Lifestyle have been instrumental in these stores in terms of brand familiarity and ensure they’re buying the best quality products on the market.
Baseball Lifestyle has grown massively in Dick’s stores across the country to the point where it is one of the highest-selling products in their inventory. Aside from the weekly collection drops on BL101.com, shoppers have access to new and already released products at all Dick’s Sporting Goods and House of Sport locations across the country.
Since the beginning of their partnership, Baseball Lifestyle 101 and Dick’s Sporting Goods have worked to spread a love of baseball to both new and existing markets. The mission of both companies aligning and connecting for grand openings and public events on a larger scale will certainly be a major part of their partnership going forward.
