There鈥檚 a lot of buzz around community building these days, but what do retailers really achieve when they devote money, space, time, and staffing to community outreach and support? Plenty. Retailers that build meaningful bridges with their communities improve environmental stewardship, fuel inclusivity among outdoor enthusiasts, grow participation in sports鈥攁nd, yes, boost sales. Here, four of the industry鈥檚 most innovative retailers share 12 proven strategies for harnessing people power.

The Strategy: Be the Clubhouse

Christine Iksic, owner of 3 Rivers Outdoor Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had multiple requirements for her retail store鈥檚 location when setting it up in 2018: it had to sit near the hiking, mountain biking, and running trails in one of Pittsburgh鈥檚 city parks, and it had to have an outdoor area for campfires. With a spacious patio out front that accommodates a fire pit and cluster of Adirondack chairs, 3 Rivers Outdoor Company now hosts campfire hangouts two to three nights a week. They鈥檙e incredibly popular, said Iksic, in part because snacks are readily available (she鈥檚 right next to D鈥檚 Six Pax and Dogz, a Pittsburgh hot dog institution).

The Benefit

鈥淗angouts help people find and connect with other outdoorsy people in Pittsburgh,鈥� said Iksic, explaining that in smaller outdoor-oriented communities, it can seem like everyone you meet at work or in your neighborhood loves outdoor sports鈥攂ut finding your tribe isn鈥檛 so easy in larger, more diverse cities like Pittsburgh. Iksic founded her store to make it easier for outdoor enthusiasts to locate one another, and campfire hangouts let people feel like members of the club. That pays dividends for the store, says Iksic: 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen double-digit growth since we opened, and it just keeps getting better.鈥�

The Strategy: Befriend a Clan

Mountain Chalet in Colorado Springs has developed a close relationship with the soldiers stationed at Fort Carson and the Army鈥檚 10th Special Forces Group, which is just one of the city鈥檚 many military installations. 鈥淭hey rely on us and trust us to know what鈥檒l serve them best,鈥� said shop co-owner Jim Smith, who runs the store with his wife and business partner, Elaine. The shop and the Fort Carson soldiers share a mutual dedication to mountain climbing and skiing, which served as the initial bond. But what really strengthened the relationship was a common emphasis on community, according to Jim. Several members of the military even joined the shop鈥檚 staff after getting out of the service. Said Jim, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a joke among some of our friends in active military that they鈥檒l all come back and work for us.鈥�

The Benefit

Expeditions initiated by current and former members of the military enjoy financial support from Mountain Chalet. The Smiths (along with brand partner Mountain Hardwear) helped a group of special forces veterans climb Mount Everest and assisted the 鈥淐amouflage for Conservation鈥� project that aimed to reduce elephant poaching in Africa. The shop also benefits from the relationship: the veterans who become Mountain Chalet employees are particularly hard workers, said Elaine. Soldiers are also loyal customers who often place bulk orders (the Army supplies some, but not all, of the gear they use) and they refer Fort Carson newcomers to Mountain Chalet.

The Strategy: Stage “Hero Shows”

Colorado Springs is also home to more than its fair share of elite athletes, so Jim and Elaine Smith regularly invite local athletes to give in-house presentations at Mountain Chalet about their exploits. 鈥淛oe Grant, an ultrarunner, got 100 people in our shop,鈥� said Elaine. Grant and athletes like him attract large numbers of outdoor enthusiasts to the store to learn and get inspired. 鈥淵es, these people do extraordinary things beyond what most of us do, but that鈥檚 okay,鈥� Jim said. 鈥淪omeone like Joe is still motivating, even if you don鈥檛 plan to mimic what he does.鈥�

The Benefit

Hearing from local athlete celebrities builds community pride and lets shoppers share in the excitement of their neighbors鈥� dazzling accomplishments. And retailers benefit from enthusiasts鈥� heightened interest. Said Jim, 鈥淭hese heroes inspire people to get out and enjoy the outdoors and the mountains in their own way.鈥�

The Strategy: Host Pint Nights

It鈥檚 no secret that beer brings people together, but the best community-building events do more than just serve some suds. At Sunlight Sports, a specialty retailer in Cody, Wyoming, weekly Pint Nights raise money for local nonprofits. Buying a purple silicone pint glass for $15 gets participants a free pour at every Thursday evening gathering, and all proceeds go to four outdoor initiatives that benefit area kids. 鈥淟ast I looked, we sold 3,900 pint glasses, and that鈥檚 in a town of 10,000 people,鈥� said Sunlight Sports owner Wes Allen. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a date-night event for a lot of people, a reason to get a babysitter.鈥�

For maximum inclusivity, serve non-alcoholic beverages alongside the beers, recommended Christine Iksic of 3 Rivers Outdoor Company in Pittsburgh. Iksic鈥檚 shop always keeps a keg of beer (donated by a local brewery) as well as non-alcoholic alternatives on hand for apr猫s events following weekly running and mountain biking clubs, and proceeds generated by sale of the beverages are donated to area nonprofits.

The Benefit

Nonprofits receive much-needed revenue. Drinkers feel good knowing that their beer money benefits causes that they care about. Customers make connections with other outdoor enthusiasts. 鈥淪haring a drink鈥攁lcoholic or not鈥攁fter the event, that鈥檚 how the walls come down,鈥� said Iksic. Doing that among an outdoor-loving tribe lets people reveal and reinforce their identity, said Allen. 鈥淧eople meet, make friends, make plans, all in the context of being in the shop and supporting local nonprofits,鈥� he said. Plus, those crowds also buy store items while they鈥檙e in-house. Before Allen instituted Thursday Pint Nights, Saturdays had been the biggest days for sales. Now, Thursdays lead the week, with no dip in Saturdays鈥� numbers.

The Strategy: Teach Stewardship

鈥淥ver the past two years, during the pandemic, we saw an explosion of outdoor use,鈥� said Scott O鈥橞rien, co-owner of Skinny Skis outdoor store in Jackson, Wyoming. 鈥淲e, as a gear retailer, are the enablers.鈥�

In response to the spiking use (and sometimes abuse) of the region鈥檚 natural areas, Skinny Skis developed several initiatives aimed at helping customers become responsible users of the gear they buy. The shop asked local land managers for the messages about responsible use that they most wanted to circulate among the public; then, Skinny Skis printed that advice on the maps that the shop publishes for summer and winter activities. 鈥淥f course, the map also includes ads for the products we sell,鈥� said Skinny Skis co-owner Taylor Hall. But it also broadcasts expectations about picking up dog poo, avoiding run-ins with wildlife, and other strategies designed to minimize the potential negative outcomes of outdoor recreation. The shop also posts wildfire-prevention regulations near the shop鈥檚 front doors and registers. And it developed educational hang tags for various products it sells. Ski-touring backpacks, for example, get hang tags advertising the Backcountry Zero initiative (aimed at reducing fatalities in the Tetons) and links to avalanche forecasts, winter safety courses, and the Backcountry SOS app that contacts first responders in emergencies.

The Benefit

Teaching customers how to be responsible members of the outdoor community results in cleaner, healthier natural resources. It also improves people鈥檚 safety and enjoyment of the outdoors, saidys Hall. And in a tourism-dependent economy like Jackson鈥檚, happy visitors equates to better business for the destination overall. Said Hall, 鈥淎ny bad experience that a tourist has affects their desire to come back.鈥�

The Strategy: Cater to the Curious

鈥淚 remember being that person who looks at whitewater paddling and thinks, that looks really cool, but how do I get into it?鈥� said Christine Iksic of 3 Rivers Outdoor Company, who organizes one- and two-day introductory trips aimed at participants who have never tried the sport before. Rock climbing, mountain biking, rafting鈥攁ll of these activities impose real barriers to participation that Iksic seeks to overcome through her shop. Not only does she offer experiential learning adventures in outdoor locations around Western Pennsylvania, she also rents out equipment and sells used gear so beginners can try something new with a minimal financial investment.

The Benefit

Holding introductory outings turns curious amateurs onto new sports and lets them make connections with potential adventure buddies. Such conversions broaden a shop鈥檚 customer base, said Iksic: 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen that people will respond if you give them an easy opportunity to try things.鈥�

The Strategy: Hold Contests

Handing out raffle tickets doesn鈥檛 exactly build community. But mounting a contest that engages customers in a shared mission? That鈥檚 capable of forging meaningful bonds between an outdoor retailer and its patrons. That鈥檚 what Jim Smith learned when he devised a contest celebrating Mountain Chalet鈥檚 50th anniversary in 2018 (it鈥檚 the oldest outdoor store in Colorado). Spanning the months of February through October, with winners announced in November of that year, the contest invited participants to attempt and document various objectives in one of six outdoor sports. The shop created a dedicated Facebook page where contestants posted photos of their achievements, applauded one another鈥檚 exploits, and exchanged banter. More than 300 people signed up to win a complete gear kit for their chosen sport. And the prize giveaway parties felt like true community gatherings, said Smith.

During the start of the pandemic, he hatched another contest idea鈥攖his one in digital form. 鈥淭he shop was closed for eight weeks, and we were trying to think of ways to stay relevant and connected with our community,鈥� said Elaine Smith. Using social media, the co-owners started publishing map fragments from different locations in Colorado and challenging followers to identify them. The guessing contests generated lively participation among audiences.

The Benefit

The 50th anniversary contest generated a lot of buzz, said Jim. Between that contest and the map identification challenge, Mountain Chalet customers won impressive quantities of gear: a backcountry ski kit, for example, included more than $6,000 in equipment.

The Strategy: Avoid Divisive Causes

Many shops facilitate fundraisers for local causes. But in doing so, Wes Allen is careful to avoid crusades that spark contention among Sunlight Sports鈥� customers. 鈥淲e pick things that all outdoor-loving people can agree on,鈥� Allen explained, like supporting youth groups working to get more kids outside. 鈥淚 believe we can get a lot more done by bringing people together,鈥� he said.

The shop鈥檚 neutrality ends, however, when the controversy lands on racism or other forms of social violence against marginalized members of the community. When the shop鈥檚 home of Cody, Wyoming, experienced a surge in homophobic sentiment in 2020, Sunlight Sports backed an LGBTQ+ employee by posting a statement on social media saying, unequivocally, that haters and harassers simply aren鈥檛 welcome in the store. 鈥淚f you think it鈥檚 OK to make someone鈥檚 life worse because of who they love, stay out,鈥� wrote Allen and his wife, Melissa. That stance didn鈥檛 result in any blowback for Sunlight Sports, said Allen: 鈥淲e got to do that because we鈥檇 been working on bringing people together for more than a decade.鈥�

The Benefit

Avoiding divisive causes lets everyone feel welcome in the community of the outdoors. And supporting youth programming yields a host of benefits, said Allen. 鈥淚f you want to court customers, do something for their kids,鈥� he said, adding that people are very loyal to shops that feed their children鈥檚 development. Said Allen, 鈥淭he best way to get young people engaged in the environment is to get them outside and see what they might lose if they don鈥檛 do the right thing.鈥�

The Strategy: Ask for Support

In March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, Alpenglow Sports owner Brendan Madigan asked community members in Lake Tahoe, California, to save the store from long-term closure by buying gift cards. They responded: within four days, they鈥檇 purchased a whopping $75,000 worth of them. More recently, at 3 Rivers Outdoor Company, Christine Iksic launched a 鈥淕ood Gear Investor鈥� program that asks supporters to buy $1,000 in gear credits that can be redeemed for store purchases. So far, 70 investors have stepped forward to issue something akin to a micro-loan to the fledgling outdoor store.

The Benefit

Madigan used the capital to support his staff. Iksic, meanwhile, is devoting her funding to expand the business to a second 3 Rivers outpost鈥攁 seasonal paddlesports rental location on the river. Her vision is to create a beach-like environment where people can not only rent watercraft but also lounge in hammocks (rented for use like cabanas) and buy snacks from food trucks. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a win-win,鈥� said Iksic, because investors get their money back in gear, while 3 Rivers gets to create a new outdoor space the whole community can enjoy.

The Strategy: Support People in Crisis

Roads Rivers and Trails, an outdoor retailer in Milford, Ohio, responded to pandemic-related economic difficulties by launching a fundraising initiative called Milford Strong, which generated relief money for local businesses by selling gift cards. And for the past 15 years, Skinny Skis in Jackson, Wyoming, has sponsored Run and Ride for the Cure, a race that raises money for the Cancer Patient Support Fund at the St. John鈥檚 Health Foundation. 鈥淎 lot of those patients are our customers,鈥� said Skinny Skis co-owner Scott O鈥橞rien. 鈥淏ut the race also lets us touch a broader swath of our community.鈥� The shop committed to similarly broad outreach when it responded to the pandemic with a shoe sale fundraiser: for every pair of shoes Skinny Skis sold, the store contributed $5 to a community resource fund that distributed money to families experiencing economic insecurity.

The Benefit

Skinny Skis鈥� fundraiser generated several thousand dollars for families in Jackson. Since 1999, the Run and Ride for the Cure has generated more than $200,000 for local cancer patients. Less quantifiable is the feeling of connectedness that shop employees, customers, and racers enjoy by participating in community initiatives. Said O鈥橞rien, 鈥淭he size of our community is growing rapidly now, but we鈥檙e still a small town, and the core community has got to support each other.鈥�

The Strategy: Tout Your Victories

鈥淲hen I go to the grocery store, people stop me and thank me for everything we do for the community,鈥� said Wes Allen of Sunlight Sports. Why? Because the store is good at talking about its contributions, Allen maintained. He prints the shop鈥檚 fundraising accomplishments on Sunlight Sports鈥� paper shopping bags. Invitations to store events also include fundraising summaries so everyone hears about avenues for support and totals generated. Allen also posts info about donation recipients on the store鈥檚 social media pages and asks people to make their own contributions in addition.

The Benefit

Knowing the store鈥檚 community-support record increases residents鈥� willingness to shop at Sunlight Sports, even if it means spending more than they would at the much larger Sierra discounter four blocks from Allen鈥檚 place. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always something cheaper around, so our appeal has to be about how we engage with the community,鈥� Allen said.

The Strategy: Make Community Your Mission

Every retailer who contributed to this article repeated the same thing: community building only works when businesses make it part of their overall mission鈥攏ot just an ad hoc effort that鈥檚 intended to grow sales in the short term. Community connection is 鈥渙ne of the pillars of our operation,鈥� said Jim Smith of Mountain Chalet. Taylor Hall of Skinny Skis put it like this: 鈥淐ommunity is baked into the DNA of the business.鈥� (He鈥檚 not exaggerating: the store was, in fact, founded as a collaboration with the Jackson Hole Ski Club to help young skiers get the gear they needed).

The Benefit

Making friends and forming community connections feels good for both business owners and customers. Plus, shops that enmesh themselves in the fabric of their communities enjoy an enviably stable customer base. 鈥淭he benefit [of community building] is customer acquisition,鈥� said Smith. 鈥淲hen a customer feels like a part of a community, they support you over the long term.鈥�

The post Retailers: 12 Ways to Build Community and Become Local Heroes appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

When Christine Iksic’s lifelong friend expressed an interest in wanting to accompany her on an overnight backpacking trip, it dawned on Iksic. She had assumed her friend wasn’t interested in doing “outdoorsy” things, but really, she just didn’t have the equipment or knowledge to go. And Iksic realized there had to be others facing the same barriers.

“Once you’re on the other side and have more experience outdoors, it can be easy to forget about how huge and intimidating those hurdles can be in the beginning,” Iksic said.

Iksic opened 3 Rivers Outdoor last year, becoming one of dozens of specialty outdoor retailers across the country offering used and rental gear. We talked to a few about why it鈥檚 good for business and for the outdoor industry.

1. Getting Beginners Stoked About the Outdoors

“Finding ways that customers can get their feet wet and just try out an activity, where and when they want, will go a long way in increasing life-long lovers of the outdoors. Having loads of expensive gear in the shop won’t help us get new people outside. We have purposely chosen to invest in rental equipment to ensure people in our community have means to get outside more.鈥� 鈥擟hristine Iksic, co-owner of 3 Rivers Outdoor Co.

2. Getting Customers Stoked About Your Store

鈥淲e’d rather rent a SUP board a handful times all summer and see a few folks get stoked on exploring our local rivers than to buy a new SUP board that sits on our sales floor and never gets sold. Ultimately, it鈥檚 a win for retail sales. If we don’t provide that path for exploration into new sports, then there is no desire to purchase the products either.”聽鈥擨ksic

3. Extending the Lifespan of Products

鈥淚t gives people an easy way to get rid of gear that they may have bought in error or simply outgrew.鈥� 鈥擬arc Sherman, manager of Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington, Vermont

4. Controlling Price Access

鈥淚t allows us to take a two-person backpacking kit that at retail would cost $1,500 and rent it to a couple for a weekend for $99. It gives our community a new way to access really high-quality gear. Brands can鈥檛 tell me how much I can sell a used tent for. We鈥檙e able to wrestle a way to control price issue. Take a tent sitting in someone鈥檚 garage and put that back into the stream of use.鈥� 鈥擩immy Funkhouser, owner of Feral Mountain Co. in Denver and Idaho Springs, Colorado

5. Reversing the Stigma That the Outdoors Is for the Wealthy

鈥淔or our rental/borrowing programs, we’re very focused on making the experience not feel second-class, so that people feel free to use these services without social stigma, and find it easy to use these services without obstacles where it feels like maybe just buying something on Amazon for cheap with free shipping is the easier option.鈥� 鈥擩ames Dong, owner of Last Minute Gear in San Francisco, California

6. It鈥檚 Environmentally Friendly

鈥淚t helps with the environmental issue as well. Rather than throwing something away after a couple of uses and having a brand new customer buy a new thing that prevents that thing from ever being used again and going in to a landfill, it offers options for reuse that helps the environment.鈥� 鈥擩on Crowley, manager of Mammoth Mountaineering Supply聽in Bishop and Mammoth Lakes, California

7. Lowering Barriers to Entry for Small Business Owners

鈥淭he used climbing gear business has turned our company around from another box store suffering from the internet to a retail opportunity for a small operation. We鈥檙e very pleased with our position in the market right now. It seems like we鈥檙e surrounded by larger outdoor retailers either in bankruptcy or reorganizing, but we鈥檙e having one of the best years ever.鈥� 鈥擱ick Wilcox, owner of International Mountain Equipment in North Conway, New Hampshire

8. Making It Easier for Customers to Attain Gear

鈥淚t gives our customers an easy way to upgrade their gear as they grow in their outdoor interests and in the level of gear they want. For example, we make it easy for someone who bought entry level gear one year to get their old gear in front of a large customer base and turn it quickly into store credit for their next level of purchase. It also gives people an easy way to get rid of gear that they may have bought in error or simply outgrew. It helps our customers feel more connected to our mission of helping our local outdoor community.鈥� 鈥擲herman

The post 8 Reasons to Offer Used Gear and Rentals appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

For many, Pittsburgh doesn鈥檛 conjure up the image of an outdoor town. But after Christine Iksic and Chris Kaminski moved back to the 鈥楤urgh after separately spending several years of living elsewhere, the two business partners saw an opportunity for an independent gear hub that could connect the city鈥檚 outdoor community. They started with Gear Fest, a pop-up consignment market for people to swap gear and socialize over beer and bluegrass music.

After two successful runs last year, plus a crowdfunding campaign, the concept has blossomed into the 3 Rivers Outdoor Co. store, scheduled to open in Pittsburgh this spring. While opening a new outdoor retail store in today鈥檚 e-commerce environment may seem daunting, Iksic and Kaminski have spent the past three years validating their idea that people, particularly within the outdoor community, still crave an in-person and local shopping experience.

What inspired you to open a local outdoor shop in this challenging retail environment?

Christine Iksic: We both spent time living out West and loved the outdoor culture there, but we love it in Pittsburgh, too. So we asked ourselves, 鈥淗ow do we build that same community here?鈥� We found out there is a strong outdoor community in Pittsburgh, but [members] feel disconnected. There are no independent outdoor stores where they can gather. We could have taken this to any outdoor town, but here鈥檚 where the market was right, and the city needs it.

Chris Kaminski: We鈥檝e spent the past three years traveling and researching how we were going to do this. That first year we thought, 鈥淥h, we鈥檒l be open by next year,鈥� but there was a lot to learn.

CI: The word 鈥渧iability鈥� kept coming up, and how we needed that before we really committed to this to see if the community would support us before we dove in.

How did you achieve that viability?

颁碍:听That鈥檚 where the pop-up store concept and Gear Fest came into play. The first two, one in April and the other in October of 2017, went over very well. We attracted 700 to 800 people and 40 to 50 vendors to each one.

颁滨:听And we鈥檙e carrying over the used-gear/consignment idea to the new store, along with a nonprofit angle. When people bring in their used gear to sell, they can choose to donate a percentage of it鈥攗p to 100 percent鈥攖o local outdoor nonprofits. Also, one day a month, we plan to do a community nonprofit day to donate a percentage of our storewide sales to those nonprofits.

You partly crowdfunded the store effort on Indiegogo. How did that experience play out?

CK: We just finished the campaign, and while we fell short of our goal (raising $8,200 of a $50,000 goal), it worked more as a marketing tool that鈥檚 kept the conversation going while we work to open the store.

颁滨:听We had a lot of fun making the video for the campaign, which showed all the great outdoor activities around Pittsburgh. The campaign was worth it. It wasn鈥檛 so much about the money as it was a solution to keep the momentum from Gear Fest going and connect it to the new store.

How else are you marketing the new store?

CK: At any kind of festival that could be construed as outdoor, we are there, getting to know the grassroots, locally owned atmosphere in the city.

颁滨:听We鈥檒l continue to do Gear Fest along with features and events in the store, including an adventure-planning center, beer and pizza nights, and other meet-ups. None of these are about pressure for people to buy gear, but to socialize and find activity partners. Every piece of gear is available online today, but sometimes you want to talk to people in your community.

Sell us on the Pittsburgh/Western Pennsylvania outdoor scene. What do people overlook about this part of the country?

颁滨:听We鈥檙e at the foothills of the Alleghenies, and we have some of the best whitewater kayaking in the United States here, along with great mountain biking and hiking. You don鈥檛 have to live in a high-cost mountain town to live an outdoor life. If Pittsburgh can revitalize itself as a tech town, it also can revitalize itself as an outdoor town.

The post 5 Questions for Newbie Retailers appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.