By Jessica Keller, The Courier-Herald

Work, Sports & Outdoors, Enumclaw's sporting goods store, will be getting a new look and a new location.

The store, currently housed at the junction of Cole Street and state Route 410, is moving down the highway just a bit; the new store will be built adjacent to The Summit Church, on property that most recently was home to an auto dealership.

Diane Abramson, one of the store's owners, said the business is in the process of talking to the city about the exterior design and getting the various permits needed. Plans are not completed, but the business is definitely moving.

"We're getting a feel for what they really want and what we can do," Abramson said.

The anticipated move was sparked by the fact the current building's lease expires in July, and she and fellow owners Jerry Arnett and Dave Slawson had the chance to buy their own building.

The new Work, Sports & Outdoors will be bigger than its predecessor with about 14,400 square feet to work with, rather than the current 9,500.

This means the store will be able to expand some of its current products, such as the Nike and Adidas clothing lines and women's shoes and boots, and allow for more room to move about in the store, Abramson said.

"Basically we've outgrown this one; we're bursting at the seams here," she said.

Other than that, nothing will change, Abramson said the store will still offer hunting, fishing and camping gear along with fishing and hunting licenses, BB guns and muzzle loading and archery supplies.

Abramson said everyone connected with the current store is excited about the move and have already hung a sign at the new location.

The feedback from the public has also been very positive, she said, and regular customers are excited.

"It won't be as chunked up as this one is," Abramson said. "It'll be nice and open."

Work, Sports & Outdoors also has stores in Renton and Orting, although the Renton store is soon closing, but the Enumclaw store is the most popular so far.

Abramson said the new location is perfect for the store's needs, and hopefully, the better visibility and easier access will draw in more customers heading to Crystal Mountain or Mount Rainier for a day of hiking, skiing or camping.

The decision to move has been discussed by the partners for awhile, Abramson said, and they have looked into options in the past. This time, the land and building deal fell into their laps, the deal closed March 15 and everything has moved fast since, Abramson said.

While a lot still has to be done, including building a new storefront and designing the exterior look, Abramson hopes the new store will open in November. She and the other owners are planning a grand opening for after the first of the year.

Jessica Keller can be reached at jkeller@courierherald.com