Dick’s Sporting Goods opens clearance warehouse on Ford Rd.

A long-vacant former furniture store on Ford Road has been transformed into a sporting goods lover’s paradise.

Dick’s Sporting Goods opened a clearance warehouse at 39453 Ford Road in Canton — the former home of Gardner White Furniture — earlier this month and have converted the massive space into a clearance warehouse for everything from significantly marked-down Nikes to high-quality outerwear.

The store will remain open for at least six months, manager Andrew McCarthy said, with its long-term future based on the site’s sales volumes.

The Ford Road Dick’s warehouse is one of approximately 45 that have opened recently across the United States.

“Dick’s’ brands are releasing new product so often, we couldn’t sell it fast enough so it ended up getting marked down,” McCarthy explained. “Instead of sending it back to the manufacturers, Dick’s came up with the idea of opening these clearance warehouses. It’s all Dick’s Sporting Goods product, but at a more-affordable price.”

Gardner White signs — Dine in Style and Bedroom, for example — are still attached to a few of the interior walls.

“We wanted to get this open as soon as possible, so we haven’t had time yet to take down some of the old signage,” McCarthy said.

Exceeding expectations

Although the sample size has been short (less than two weeks), McCarthy said the response from the community has soared beyond expectations.

“People are loving it,” he said. “They’re finding phenomenal deals. Quite a few people have come up to me and told me they’re going to tell as people as they can about this place.”

Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Michigan Ave. location in Canton is unaffected by the opening of the warehouse, McCarthy added.

The Dick’s warehouse is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Some items are up to 70% off with many of the top-brand shoes priced at 40% or more off the initial price.