The new Black Bird outdoor sporting goods store opening in Phoenix this week will have features both new and familiar — including a signature black bird statue as tall as the one at the west Medford location but kept inside the building.

Since the family-owned business announced it would open a Phoenix outle, the top question was always, “Will there be a Black Bird?” said Tanner Quitt, who will manage the new store.

A grand opening with city officials and a ribbon cutting will be held at 9 a.m. Friday at the 4403 S. Pacific Highway location, near the Bear Creek Greenway.

“The devastation of the (Almeda) fire opened up a lot of land,” Tanner Quitt said. “Black Bird wants to be a part of the rebirth of Phoenix.”

Besides the indoor bird, the new place will differ from the other location by having a taproom and food trucks, a dog-washing station and some brands not found at the other store.

The new bird is made out of fiberglass, as is the old one. It stands 25 feet tall in the center of the store. Augie’s Fiberglass & Boat Repair of Medford created the sculpture in three parts that were assembled. It sits atop extra concrete that extends six-feet below the floor to ensure it can support a creation with rebar and metal inside.

“If a tornado or a hurricane hit, the building may go down, but the bird will still be standing,” Tanner Quitt said. The outdoor bird in Medford stands 29 feet above the parking lot, but is on a 4-foot stand.

One of the two myna birds, Ace and Betty — now in Medford — may come to Phoenix after operations stabilize. Black Bird “hired” the birds in 2023 after half a dozen years without the species, which had been a regular feature at the West Main Street store since the 1960s.

Workers have been busy throughout the week getting the store ready for the opening. They also spent time telling would-be customers who spotted the open doors that they weren’t ready to begin sales.

The new operation will hire between 20 and 25 workers; about 75% will be full-time employees, said Jonathan Quitt, Black Bird vice president. The company has invested about $6.5 million in land, building and inventory for the new operation. It’s the first expansion for the business, which opened in 1965.

At 20,000 square feet, the new location is about half the size of the Medford site, but it carries many of the same items, such as Ace Hardware products.

A section of equipment and items for RVs is bigger than the one in the Medford store. “It seems to do pretty well at our other store,” Tanner Quitt said. In contrast, the automotive section is considerably smaller as fewer and fewer people seem to be working on their cars.

Big Green Egg barbecue grills will only be available in Phoenix in a large summer cooking area near the entrance.

Rental of snow sports and water sports equipment will remain at the Medford store, as well ski and snowboard tuning and repair. The new location has less storage space than the warehouse behind the Medford outlet.

Pull Quote

The dog wash system costs $10 for 10 minutes. Dogs stand on a raised platform behind low, swinging doors while their owners clean them up. The Dutch-built system cost over $20,000 and had to be ordered six months before delivery.

The West Main store is known for its selection of footwear and sox, and there’s a big area in the new store for those items. Lexi Quitt was away from her usual office post Tuesday, stocking shelves with footwear in a storage area just off the boot and sock retails space.

The dog wash system costs $10 for 10 minutes. Dogs stand on a raised platform behind low, swinging doors while their owners clean them up. The Dutch-built system cost over $20,000 and had to be ordered six months before delivery.

Black Bird’s famed parking lot sales on West Main may not be repeated in Phoenix because the parking lot doesn’t approach the size of the other location, Tanner Quitt said.

A hot dog cart — there’s also one at the West Main store — will be operated by Luigi’s Italian Sandwiches.

Luigi’s owner, Mark Grant, recalled how his father, Jack, operated a hot dog cart outside the original Black Bird store in 1972, before going into the sandwich business. Grant restored one of the old carts for use in Phoenix.

“We are some of the few small, family businesses that are still here. There are not very many left,” Grant said.

Besides the hot dogs, there will be two mobile food services. One will always be on site when the taproom is open.

Julek’s Polish Kitchen will be there. The original kitchen was destroyed when the Almeda Fire burned its Talent location. Fatso’s Cheketos food truck features a variety of items.

There are 20 taps in the taproom, including beer, cider, seltzer and kombucha. Local products include beers from Walkabout Brewing Co. and Common Block Brewing Company, Cider from the Applegate and kombucha from Phoenix.

“I’m trying to do mostly Oregon beers. We will be constantly rotating the taps,” Jonathan Quitt said. The taproom features indoor seating and three outdoor tables.

Some Medford customers make it a point to shop on days when associates they know will be in the store.

“We are very thankful for our customer loyalty in Medford,” Tanner Quitt said. “We are expecting to develop that here.”