Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2018 - 16

Known as the Hub City,
Spartanburg, South Carolina's
charm arises from the many
spokes that come together to
make the city a vibrant
community. One of the key
spokes in town is the
Silvermans, who made
Spartanburg home in the late
'90s and are now the city's
outdoor entrepreneurial
power couple.

A

fter traveling to
neighboring cities in order
to buy outdoor gear for
years, the couple decided
to open Spartanburg's first
outdoor retailer, The Local Hiker,
in 2013. Located in a historic
storefront on West Main Street,
the store is now a flagship for the
quickly developing area and
features brands like Patagonia,
Deuter, Smartwool, Marmot, GSI
Outdoors, and many others.
The Local Hiker also conducts
local hikes, monthly classes, river
cleanups, and hosts National Trails
Day at Croft State Park. As Mike
Silverman explains: "We're not
here to just sell a bunch of gear;
we want to build a lasting
relationship with the customer,
whether that be through
going on a hike together
or selling them their
first pair of rock
climbing shoes."

Spartanburg is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge
Mountains, between Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC and
less than an hour from Asheville, NC. You'll discover a
great mix of outdoor fun and a charming historic town
with unique restaurants and accommodations.
For suggested itineraries, guides, maps and more info go
to visitspartanburg.com
RESOURCES:
THE LOCAL HIKER - 173 East Main Street, Spartanburg, SC 29306,
(864) 764-1651, thelocalhiker.com
HUB CITY SCOOPS - 147 E Main St, Spartanburg, SC 29306,
(864) 586-1100, hubcityscoops.com
GLENDALE OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP SCHOOL - 270 Wheeling Circle
Glendale, SC 29346, (864) 586-2021, setgols.org

What better way to
build a relationship with
customers than to also sell
them a scoop of premium ice
cream? In 2014, the Silvermans
opened Hub City Scoops because,
as Mike explains, "we realized that
we needed more on this side of
town, especially for families and
college students." Selling ice
cream from Chocolate Shoppe Ice
Cream out of Madison, Wisconsin,

the shop keeps between 50 and
60 non-GMO flavors on hand,
including vegan options. Their
favorite flavors? Apparently Oreo
is king with espresso Oreo being
Kathy's pick and the Zoreo
(Zanzibar with Oreo) being Mike's.
The Silvermans didn't stop,
though, with The Local Hiker and
Hub City Scoops. In December
2016, they were approached by
the Palmetto Conservation
Foundation to take over the
management of the Glendale
Outdoor Leadership School
(GOLS). A 501c3 organization
specializing in outdoor recreation,
education, and group
development, GOLS was founded
in 2004 as part of the town of
Glendale's revitalization process.
"We wanted to be a part of the
community, to be plugged in,"
Kathy Silverman says, "and GOLS
is a big part of that."
GOLS offers programming for
kayaking, rock climbing,
teambuilding on high and low
rope courses, hiking, camping,
wilderness medicine, and youth
camps. As part of their mission,
many of these programs work with
the local schools and community
groups like the Boys and Girls
Club to help disadvantaged youth
experience the outdoors. Through
GOLS, the Silvermans are also
revamping key community events
http://www.visitspartanburg.com http://www.thelocalhiker.com http://www.hubcityscoops.com http://www.setgols.org
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2018

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