Outdoor Retailers

The holiday shopping season is well underway and despite a national spike in coronavirus cases, shoppers are still heading out to buy gifts in person. What’s worked in the past for your store might not be the best strategy during a pandemic, so we asked two merchandising experts ...read more

My parents founded Townsend Bertram & Company in 1988 with the dream of creating a vibrant community of adventures. After 32 years in business, my mom will be closing the doors for the last time this Thanksgiving. Over the last few weeks, we’ve held a “retirement sale” and have ...read more

This is part one of a multi-part series. The next installments will be published in the coming weeks. It's been a long time coming, but the SNEWS Retailer Survey is finally back. A few years have passed since our last iteration of this series, and in that time, the industry has ...read more

In addition to decreased sales, supply-chain challenges, and coronavirus restrictions, outdoor brands and retailers are facing another obstacle brought on by the pandemic: potential eviction. In a lawsuit filed last week in Boulder County (Colorado), landlord Ten Eleven Pearl LLC ...read more

“The intimidation hits me before I even walk into an outdoor store like REI,” says Jahmicah Dawes, who owns the Texas based, outdoor gear shop Slim Pickins Outfitters. “It starts when I roll into the parking lot in my 2007 Chevy Impala with my fly rod sticking out the window. I ...read more

After months of closures that spelled disaster for some and extreme hardship for many others, retailers both small and large have started reopening across the nation as states lift the stay-at-home mandates that have kept them closed. The results so far, according to multiple ...read more

In the late 1980s, when Bob Collins founded the original Appalachian Outfitters in a strip mall in Canton, Ohio, specialty gear shops in the midwest were few and far between. A salesman for the chemical industry, Collins knew outdoor equipment only from his own pursuits: ...read more

Five years ago, this question may have sounded crazy. But with the fast pace of cannabis legalization across the country, and with retailers adding coffee and microbrews to their shops, the idea of an in-store dispensary may not be so far-fetched. This question popped into our ...read more

As the coronavirus crisis continues to paint a bleak picture for small businesses across the country, outdoor brands are stepping up one by one to help. The latest company to join the relief effort: Mountain Hardwear, which implemented a program this week to support authorized ...read more

If you’re a brick-and-mortar retailer, you probably miss your customers right now. But be honest, do do you really miss all of them? Every retailer has dealt with difficult patrons. And everyone's strategy for doing so is unique.  Is it true that the customer always right, even ...read more

It’s never easy to let go of something you love. When John D. Mead, 63, of San Diego-based retailer Adventure 16, decided to close the last two locations of his business in January after a 58-year run, he said it felt a little like losing a family member. “I've been in this ...read more

Aside form world-class mountain biking trails and spectacular scenery, Moab, Utah, has another gem: GearHeads Outdoor Store. Founded 22 years ago by Doug and Greg Kennedy, and now run by younger brother Steve, this quirky shop has become a Moab institution thanks to its vast ...read more

Sometimes people will blow you away with kindness…if you just let them. The coronavirus crisis has had a crippling effect on so many retailers and small business owners and made them realize how vulnerable their businesses are unthinkably unexpected forces. Brendan Madigan, owner ...read more

Dear friends and colleagues, As we enter an uncertain period for our families, businesses, and country, I first want to express concern for your safety and health. There’s nothing more important at the moment, and while we go forward with our mission to inform, educate, and ...read more

During these moments of uncertainty, one thing is for sure: Employees at evo are generous with their time. The outdoor retailer on Sunday invited its top 25 executives, managers, and other leaders to donate vacation days to be re-allocated as hourly pay for team members unable to ...read more

As the country quickly shuts down in an unprecedented way, many big outdoor retailers like Patagonia, all VF brands, and REI are following suit. Most retailers who operate an online business, as well as brands that operate direct-to-consumer, are still selling product and ...read more

VF Corp. is the latest big retailer to announce temporary closures due to coronavirus. Steve Rendle, VF chairman, president, and CEO announced in a press release that all VF retail locations—including The North Face, Icebreaker, Smartwool, and Timberland—will shutter through at ...read more

Eric Artz, president and CEO of REI posted a letter Sunday announcing the temporary closure of all 162 REI retail locations amid the coronavirus outbreak. "I believe that is the right thing for our community. In fact, I believe it is our duty—to do all we can to help keep one ...read more

As a nonbinary customer wanders through aisles of backpacks, hiking boots, tents, and camping supplies in an outdoor gear shop, they come to the racks of gendered clothing: men’s in one corner, women’s in another. But what happens if this particular customer doesn’t identify as ...read more

Evo’s story starts like many outdoor endeavors: Bryce Phillips as a college student was slinging ski gear out of his apartments in Seattle and Whistler in the ‘90s and launched the website evogear.com in 2001. The former professional skier’s startup business merged outdoor, ...read more

The people have spoken. One month ago, we asked you to vote on the coolest retail shop in the nation from our list of 15 standouts featured in last year’s #CoolShop column. We received more than 42,000 votes—the largest poll participation in SNEWS history—and the results are in. ...read more

Black Friday was a success for Salida Mountain Sports, but not because they lured customers in with steep discounts. Prices stayed steady, and if the Colorado store missed some sales because they weren’t discounting, store owner Nate Porter said so be it. Small specialty outdoor ...read more

In 2019, we shone the spotlight on 12 standout specialty outdoor stores across the country in our #CoolShops column. From matching prices online to offering free drinking water to preserving their town's history, these shops are seriously killing it at retail. And through our ...read more

Mountain Gear, one of our industry’s premier mountain shops, will be closing its doors in the coming months. The decision to close weighs heavily on founder and owner, Paul Fish, who said that the realization that it was time was both came somewhat sudden but also a long time ...read more