The Sports Exchange Grand Opening is Friday

Students and staff members of the East Bay Transition Academy have worked diligently over the past few weeks in preparation of the grand opening of The Sports Exchange on Gooding Avenue in Bristol. The store will feature donated and consigned sporting goods including basketball, football, soccer, hockey, skiing and golf equipment, to name a few.

Carolyn Aspinwall, Director of Special Programs at has been working with the Transition Academy for eight years and is very enthusiastic about the new business venture.

"Having a storefront is so valuable," said Aspinwall. "Students will be greeting and interacting with people and learning necessary skills to use in the future. We also hope to bring more people in to the shopping plaza."

The store will be run by students in the Transition Academy, a non-profit program for students with disabilities, and proceeds from sales will pay for future program field trips and equipment. Integrated into the program, the new storefront business will improve student socialization skills, teach entrepreneurial skills, and offer the opportunity for students to learn about retail through experience.

Earlier this week, faculty members set up shelves and worked with students, going over item pricing and showing them how to organize the donated sports equipment. David Banks, Program Coordinator for the Transition Academy, works closely with the students and joked with them as they set up golf items, clarifying that a golf tee should not be confused with a cup of tea.

With the grand opening quickly approaching, however, not everyone appears to be as carefree as Banks.

 "We still need to finish putting up shelving, log inventory and master the computer system," said Aspinwall. "But I guess we are as ready as we will ever be."

Darnell Brito, part-time Transition Academy Facilitator, spoke on behalf of the students.

"We all think this is awesome," Brito said. "The kids are really excited for Friday."

 The Sports Exchange Grand Opening is scheduled for Friday from 12-5pm at 22 Gooding Ave. in Bristol. Shoppers can stop by to enjoy refreshments, meet the students and faculty of the Transition Academy, check out the new store, and donate sports items. Beginning Monday, the store will be open from 9am-5pm Monday through Friday.