Sport Chalet, Inc. celebrated its arrival into Downtown Los Angeles at a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 11, including a surprise musical performance by the University of Southern California marching band.

Sport Chalet, Brookfield and Gensler VIP guests were invited to participate in the ceremony, which included a hands-on guided tour of the store with Sport Chalet Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Craig Levra, a surprise musical performance, and speeches from representatives of the Downtown Center Business Improvement District, among others.

A hosted reception followed the formal program, celebrating Sport Chalet's arrival into the urban community.

The ceremony opened with a bang, as the University of Southern California marching band filled the FIGat7th shopping complex with a welcoming induction to support Sport Chalet's arrival. Ceremony speakers included Carol Schatz, President/CEO, Downtown Center Business Improvement District; Sara Hernandez, Downtown Area Director representing Councilmember Jose Huizar; Andy Cohen, CEO, Gensler; and Bert Dezzutti, Senior Vice President of the Western Region Brookfield office properties.

Levra closed the program with a moving speech before cutting the ribbon of the new location that will serve downtown athletes, residents, commuters, and domestic and international tourists.

“It has been a longstanding dream to open a Sport Chalet store in Los Angeles' bustling downtown market, but we knew first and foremost that we needed to have the perfect team in place and to find the right location to make it a reality,” said Levra. “All of the pieces of the puzzle finally came together to turn that vision into the next generation store that will define the future of retail.”

The FIGat7th store was created to provide the urban community of downtown Los Angeles with the sporting gear and expertise it needs most. Brookfield helped position Sport Chalet as the first retailer of its kind to enter the downtown community. The modern store layout by Gensler features the Sport Chalet Expert Center located in the center of the store where classes and clinics will occur to encourage customers of all experience levels to discover something new and embrace an active lifestyle. The store is located on the ground floor at FIGat7th with direct access to the street and parking lot.

For more information about Sport Chalet at FIGat7th or the in-store clinic sessions please visit, SportChalet.com. For media inquiries, contact spilsbury@formulapr.com.