Subterra Sports, a new sporting goods store specializing in practical outdoor equipment and men's casual clothing, will open in the basement of the New Dartmouth Bank building in early May.
Jay Campion, who owns the new store and the bank building, said it will be a "sporting goods convenience store" and will carry the "nuts and bolts" of sports equipment and clothing.
Although the Dartmouth Co-op has a sporting goods department, it specializes in racquet sports, camping and skiing equipment. Campion said students must presently travel to stores in West Lebanon to buy the basic balls, paddles, nets and sticks that Subterra will sell.
"We're going to try to carry a lot of sports equipment that couldn't be found in Hanover," Campion said.
The new store will also have running shoes and women's swim wear as well as a line of casual men's wear, Campion said.
"It will be like a men's Mia," he said. Campion also owns Mia, a women's clothing store that caters to college and high school students. Mia is located next to the future site for Subterra.
"We're trying to evolve [Subterra] to meet the needs of the students and the community," Campion said.
The new Campion store plans to sell volleyball nets, horse shoes, ping pong paddles, Frisbees, basketballs, footballs and hockey sticks. It will also sell more specialized equipment such as water skis and snow boards, Campion said.
Campion also said he will take input from customers as to what other sporting goods they would like to have available at Subterra.
Coop Merchandise Manager David Reed said his store, although it does not specialize in equipment identical to what Subterra plans to sell, will "remain as competitive as possible."
"Our position is to intensify the business that we already specialize in," he said. Reed said the businesses will overlap mainly in athletic footwear, camping and skiing equipment.
Reed said he foresees no major changes in the merchandise the Coop carries, but that the store may make minor changes in its sporting goods offerings as Subterra evolves.
Campion said he recently had a stairway constructed to lead from the Main Street sidewalk directly into the 2,000-square foot space, which the New Dartmouth Bank previously used for a vault and office space.
Construction for the stairway was completed in early March and workers are now reconfiguring the steps that lead into the first-floor stores in the bank building, Campion said. The new steps will be a "more traditional granite step" with railings on the sides, he said.
Campion's Women's Shop and the bank are housed on the first floor of the New Dartmouth Bank building and Mrs. Ou's Restaurant, a new Chinese dining establishment, moved into the second floor last month. Mia and Subterra's future site are located in the basement.
