Rock Creek Outfitters
Rock/Creek is an independent specialty outdoor retailer with a robust online store and six brick-and-mortar locations in Chattanooga, Cleveland, Tenn., Franklin, Tenn., and a seasonal outpost near Benton, Tenn., Rock/Creek specializes in outdoor gear from brands for sports including kayaking, rock climbing, camping and hiking.
Chad Wykle and co-owner Jonathan Scott acquired Rock/Creek from its founders, Dawson Wheeler and Marvin Webb, in 2017. Uncle Dan's Outfitter, a subsidiary of Camping World, acquired the chain in April 2018.
In 2016, Rock/Creek won Grassroots Outdoor Alliance's Most Innovative Retailer Award.
Rock/Creek president opens up about the store's most recent acquisition
The acquisition of Rock/Creek Outfitters for a second time in two years will bring the outdoor specialty shop closer to its community roots, President Chad Wykle said Friday. Gearhead Outfitters, a privately-held retailer in Arkansas, announced on Thursday the acquisition of ...read more
What you missed: Day 3 at Outdoor Retailer
You made it to the finish line of Outdoor Retailer. We hope your whole show was successful and filled with stoke. Here are a few of the things you might've missed from Day 3: Catch up on Day 1 and Day 2. In the afternoon of Day 3, a group of Plastic Impact Alliance members met to ...read more
Industry Buzz: Scott Crook, Canada plastic ban, The North Face film grant, Vice President Mike Pence, and more
Non-profit outdoor alliance Maine Outdoor Brands announced that it has elected Jenny Kordick as full-time executive director. Kordick comes from The Wilderness Society in Washington, D.C. and Maine, and will officially start the week of Outdoor Retailer. Scott W. Crook, ...read more
The paper-thin line between RV and core outdoor consumers
According to Frank Hugelmeyer, the outdoor industry has an elitism problem. The president of the RV Industry Association—and former CEO of Outdoor Industry Association (OIA)—believes that both groups need to relax how they define themselves, because the outdoor and RV worlds are ...read more
A new era for Rock/Creek Outfitters
If you were a regular customer at Rock/Creek Outfitters long enough, the owners, managers, and sales floor staff greeted you by name when you walked through the doors and also came to know your outdoor activities. Shopping there was not merely a transaction; it was a gathering ...read more
Poll | Was selling Rock/Creek to a large, well-funded public company a good move?
Rock/Creek, a beacon for outdoor specialty retail, on April 20 announced that it had sold to Uncle Dan's, a subsidiary of Camping World Holdings. The corporation has recently been on a buying spree, also snapping up Erehwon Mountain Outfitters earlier this year. We've heard mixed ...read more
Industry Buzz: Breaking news, fee-free National Parks day, L.L.Bean's summer-long relay hike, and more.
If you read anything today, make it Industry Buzz. Here are the latest headlines: Do you have buzzworthy news tips? Email us at SNEWSedit@aimmedia.com. We have breaking specialty retailer news. Chattanooga-based Rock/Creek Outfitters was sold to Uncle Dan's Outfitters, a ...read more
Rock/Creek Outfitters sold to Uncle Dan's
Owners of Rock/Creek Outfitters have sold the business to Uncle Dan’s Outfitters, a subsidiary of Camping World Holdings Inc., according to multiple news reports. The specialty outdoor retailer has served Tennessee and beyond for more than 30 years. In 2017, it was bought by Chad ...read more
5 outdoor retail shop Instagram feeds you should follow
My name is Hannah and I’m addicted to Instagram. Lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) for me, my internship with SNEWS is supporting my addiction with this assignment: finding the most inspiring retailer shop Instagram feeds. As a millennial and outdoor newbie on ...read more
Industry leaders make a case for Outdoor Retailer in Denver
Editor's note: Let's be clear. Outdoor Retailer has not yet announced where the show will land after January 2018. We know that the winter 2018 show, now merged with SIA, will happen in Denver (according to SIA President Nick Sargent, but not yet confirmed by Outdoor Retailer), ...read more
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance announces awards to members of the outdoor industry
Members of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance gather in Albuquerque, NM, this week to close deals and to celebrate exemplary members of the outdoor industry. ALBUQUERQUE, NM--At the opening of Grassroots Connect last night, a buying show for invited members of the outdoor industry, ...read more