The Trail Head
Virtual tour: The Trail Head River Sports opens in Montana
Every type of boat you can think of, Todd Frank is displaying in his new 14,000-square-foot The Trail Head River Sports showroom in Missoula, Montana. Canoes, inflatables, paddle boards, rafts, recreational and touring kayaks—you name it. "We’re at the junction of four major ...read more
Questions linger around Supreme Court online sales tax ruling
Brick-and-mortar retail might have scored a point over mega online retailers stores today, thanks to a new Supreme Court ruling that gives states the authority to require sales tax, even if the sellers don't have a physical location in that state. But some specialty retailers ...read more
Poll | Do you sell YETI products in your shop?
Earlier this year, YETI sent formal, ice cold letters to some independent outdoor retailers terminating the distributor-seller relationship. We want to know how many others received the same letter, which is attached below. "As a result of this termination, your dealership is no ...read more
Things retailers say about politics
Politics was a big theme for 2017—in our country and in our industry. So many outdoor gear companies stepped up to take very public political stances around public lands. In some cases, it makes the cash register ring. But there are lots of customers out there who want gear ...read more
Ibex closing down?
Updated (6:45pm ET Tuesday): New details continue to emerge on Ibex’s fate since our initial report yesterday. Within the last hour, a current company executive confirmed that layoffs have happened, but denied that the company is in Chapter 7, Chapter 11, or other bankruptcy ...read more
These 6 outdoor shops do Halloween right
Every holiday is an excuse to have fun engaging with your customers. Here’s how 6 outdoor retailers get into the spirit (get it?) of Halloween. ...read more
Vote: What brands support their dealers best?
Earlier this week, we published an opinion piece by Todd Frank, owner of The Trail Head in Missoula, Montana, lambasting Ibex or its treatment of its specialty retail partners. Our readers had a lot to say on the topic. Of course, there are two sides to every story, and we spoke ...read more
Todd Frank of The Trail Head tees off on Ibex's treatment of retailers
This summer’s announcement that Ibex would abandon the wholesale channel and would transition to a direct to consumer only model, caused a few of us in specialty retail to take pause. Is this the new reality we are going to be faced with every season? Or, is there a lesson to be ...read more
I'm Fired Up: Why direct-to-consumer sales are killing specialty retail
We, the independent specialty retail shops, did all the legwork to create these customers. Without us, these companies wouldn't be here. I’m not sure there are many vendors that could survive without us, so I’m trying to help vendors balance capitalizing on the opportunities ...read more