Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is a cohesive community of independent outdoor specialty retailers (65 of them) and brands that drives evolution within the outdoor industry.
The group's mission: We act as a catalyst for the success of Grassroots retailers and brands. We advocate for specialty, independent retail within our industry. We foster education and community, and influence the outdoor industry to maximize the opportunities for outdoor specialty businesses.
Twice a year, Grassroots hosts its Connect trade show, which is a streamlined, invitation-only, buying show for the specialty outdoor industry.
This story originally ran in the Summer 2020 issue of The Voice. To read the free digital issue, access it here. Who, exactly, should qualify for a pro deal in the outdoor industry? A ski patroller? Full-time mountain guide? Retail employee? Most everyone can agree that these ...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
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web PPE from the co-founder of Granite Gear: Jeff Knight has designed a new tool to help prolong the life of N95 masks. #CurbYourTurns: SIA has launched a new campaign to promote the idea that flattening the curve “has to take ...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
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at snewsedit@aimmedia.com Confluence Accords: The number of states that had signed a set of outdoor recreation principles increased from 8 to 13 this week. Leaders from Maine, Michigan, ...read more
As retailers, we all choose our own buying adventure, beginning with what shows we elect to attend. Shows are, of course, a key part of specialty retail business. They are efficient places to see key vendors, nurture relationships, partake in learning opportunities, and so much ...read more
In 1986, Bob McCain thought Jackson, Mississippi, ought to have its own outdoor equipment shop. His home state might not have massive mountains, but trails, waterways, hill, and views are plentiful. Buffalo Peak Outfitters is now in its 33rd year, as a Grassroots Outdoor Alliance ...read more
Ahead of the annual Grassroots Connect buying show, the consortium of specialty retailers and vendors on Monday welcomed six new stores to its membership. The additions elevate Grassroots Outdoor Alliance to 74 members and 144 doors nationwide, marking the largest size ever for ...read more
Despite Outdoor Retailer canceling its November trade show, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance will return to Denver for its national buying event. The Grassroots Connect show will be held from Nov. 1 to 5 in the ground floor ballrooms of the Colorado Convention Center—the same setting ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at snewsedit@aimmedia.com Brazil’s Amazon rainforest is burning: The trees provide a significant amount of oxygen and therefore, the blaze could accelerate climate change, researchers say. ...read more
Projects on Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and other crowdfunding sites will come to life next month in a new startup showcase in Boulder's Neptune Mountaineering. The NeptuneLAB is the latest experiential concept for the iconic gear shop. Owners Shelley and Andrew Dunbar collaborated ...read more
After rumblings of an uncertain future, Denali announced last Tuesday that its closing all seven locations. A "going out of business" sale at the Old Saybrook location signals the store's end. More than 25 years ago, the first store opened as Trailblazer in New Haven and grew to ...read more
At every Outdoor Retailer, attendees find reasons to celebrate: new products, the gathering of friends, new seasons. Anniversaries are also another reason. Here are a dozen-plus brands that marked monumental birthdays at the show last week. ...read more
The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance worked hard and played hard at this year’s 25th anniversary show in Knoxville, Tennessee. On the first night, during a festive and nostalgic happy hour, dinner, and awards ceremony, members, staff, and special invited guests of the Alliance ...read more
Outdoor Retailer has partnered with Nalgene to get a 32-ounce plastic Nalgene bottle into every set of hands attending Summer Market next week. And there will be no shortage of places to fill them, either. With more refill stations in common areas and scores of Plastic Impact ...read more
President Rich Hill kicked off the evening by explaining the Grassroots History Project, which was started a few years back to trace the arc of the group’s growth as a powerful collaboration of retailers and brands. Through hundreds of hours of interviews with members—both from ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at snewsedit@aimmedia.com Outdoor Industry Association released its 2018 Annual Report. OutsidePR hired Kelsey McGrew as new Senior Account Executive. “Kelsey is a driven and passionate ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at snewsedit@aimmedia.com. The Plastic Impact Promise is catching real traction with more than 70 brands signed up as part of The Alliance. Teton Gravity Research recently wrote about the ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at snewsedit@aimmedia.com. This Saturday, visit your favorite National Park for free. The entrance-fee waiver is in celebration of National Parks Week. Grassroots Outdoor Alliance ...read more
Today Grassroots Outdoor Alliance announced the roster of finalists for its 2019 awards, which celebrate the very best in specialty outdoor retail. The winners will be crowned at the group’s Connect buying show on Saturday, June 8, 2019, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Awards are given ...read more
At the end of any given trade show, outdoor retailers are left with stacks and stacks of paper catalogues from various brands. They have to make the choice to either ship them home to their store, pack them in their luggage, or toss them out. "The carbon footprint gets to be ...read more
If it’s not a big-box store and it’s not an independent specialty retailer, then what exactly is it? REI Co-op defies easy definition. It’s a builder of brands and a risk to them. It competes with smaller shops around the country while throwing its weight around to protect ...read more
Walmart was going to disrupt the outdoors. It was late August, 2018, a year and a half after the retail leviathan purchased the online outdoor retailer Moosejaw for a reported $51 million. Walmart was ready to put its investment to work. Walmart, as everyone knows, is the ...read more
This year, SNEWS is celebrating 35 years of covering the outdoor industry, from in-depth dives into important trends and issues to its daily happenings. We're also launching a brand new, radically different trade journal, and it drops on Jan. 30, 2019. The talented filmmakers at ...read more
