Cleburne’s next shopping trip could start with a baseball glove and end in the grilling aisle. Academy Sports + Outdoors plans a new store at 815 Katherine P. Raines Drive in Cleburne Station, adding a major sporting-goods name to the development.
A Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing outlines a 55,015-square-foot, single-story retail building with an estimated $6 million construction cost. The scope is limited to the building. Work is scheduled from November 30, 2026, through May 28, 2027; an opening date has not been announced.
Academy Sports + Outdoors at Cleburne Station
Cleburne Station has long been envisioned as a mix of shopping and entertainment. New Era Companies’ project overview places the development at Highway 67 and Chisholm Trail Parkway and identifies The Depot, home of the Cleburne Railroaders, as its anchor.
That gives the proposed store a fitting local connection: sporting goods joining a development associated with baseball. The filing establishes Academy’s address, although a current site plan showing its exact position within Cleburne Station has not been verified.
The developer’s published master plan dates to 2016. It provides background on the development’s original vision, rather than a current list of businesses or a confirmed layout for this store.
From a Tire Shop to Weekend Adventures
Academy’s story began with a very different kind of shopping list. In 1938, Max Gochman opened Academy Tire Shop in San Antonio. Military surplus joined the business the following year, according to the company’s official history.
The transition toward today’s stores came much later. Academy introduced fishing, camping and sporting goods in 1980, added athletic brands in 1984, and opened its first big-box stores in 1988. It adopted the Academy Sports + Outdoors name in 1995.
Those beginnings make this a Texas retail story with an unexpected first chapter. The business that started with tires grew into a place to prepare for a fishing trip, replace worn-out cleats or outfit a family camping weekend.
What Shoppers Find at Academy Sports + Outdoors
Academy’s company overview describes an assortment spanning sports, outdoor recreation, footwear and apparel. Fishing and camping gear sit alongside equipment for active days, with options reaching from the playing field to the backyard.
For sports families, a store like this can mean shopping for a new season’s gear. For others, the attraction is a tent, a fishing rod or a grill that turns dinner into an outdoor event. Browsing one department does not always mean leaving with just one thing.
The company says it tailors merchandise to local customers. Specific brands, services and inventory for the Cleburne location are still to come, so the broader assortment offers a preview of the retailer rather than a promise about every item this store will carry.
The new filing adds a concrete building proposal to Cleburne Station’s longer development story. For now, local shoppers have a location and a construction schedule to follow—and plenty of ideas for their first trip through the aisles.