Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2017 - 47

a way to make a meaningful impact, until someone made a
casual comment to me: "You'll never protect what you don't
love, you'll never love what you don't know, and you'll never know what you haven't come to experience." That comment opened up my path; it made me realize that people
who haven't experienced the mountains won't work passionately to protect them. Now, I want to be the guy who
helps make that connection for people.

WHAT MAKES YOUR SHOP UNIQUE? WHAT BRINGS PEOPLE
HERE RATHER THAN ONLINE OR TO A BIG BOX?
We are a boutique outdoor gear shop. When you walk into
the store, you recognize right away that we have curated
a unique space. We don't use slat board. We don't have a
tile floor. All of our fixtures are custom made with sustainable materials to fit a specific purpose. All of our tables are
handmade. Our register counter was built with a combination of pine beetle kill and a bowling lane from
a famous bowling alley that used to be in the
neighborhood. We also work very hard to build
community. Every shop talks about it, very few
execute it. And even though we're a very small
shop, we dedicate a room to adventure planning. We want to unlock something new for
everyone who walks in. Find a new trail. Find a
new adventure. If you want to create adventure
for customers, your shop design needs to reflect
that mentality.
WHAT POSSIBILITIES DO YOU SEE FOR POSITIVE GROWTH MOVING FORWARD?
I think there is a tremendous opportunity for
independent shops over the next five years.
Everyone talks about Amazon as if it's the pendulum in the pit for the small guys. I see it differently. Amazon can never do what we do. I
think they can be a perfect complement to our business.
They do what we can't, and vice versa. The big-box retailers have to compete with Amazon on price and selection
and compete with the independent shops on service and
community. It's tough for them to be stuck in the middle.
Amazon will continue to put a tremendous amount of topdown pressure on the big retailers, releasing independent
shops to continue to differentiate in all the ways that we
always have. Sure, customers want you to have an omnichannel shopping ecosystem. But don't stop wearing your
old jeans to work. Don't fire the shop dog. Don't lose your
identity. That's why your community has always loved you.
WHATWISDOM WOULD YOU IMPART ON SOMEONE OPENING A SPECIALTY OUTDOOR RETAIL SHOP TODAY?
Run the business that you're proud of. Don't sacrifice on
this. If you're not courageous enough to do things your
way, you might as well be working for someone else.

Matt Wanker
▼

Current Title: Outdoor Goods Manager
Store Name: JL Waters & Co
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Founded: 1973

WHAT WAS THE GENESIS OF YOUR SHOP?
Our store started out of a simple need. The 1970's saw a wave
of new outdoor gear coming onto the market, replacing old
heavy surplus gear, yet none of the local surplus stores were
evolving to get on board with it. Our owner decided to take
it upon himself to bring that gear to Indiana.
HOW DID YOU COME
TO WORK HERE?
After graduating college, I was
looking for something different.
I didn't want to be stuck behind
a desk, struggling to find time
to get outside. Instead, I joined
the team at JL Waters as the flyfishing buyer and haven't looked
back. Although I ultimately
spend more time working inside than I originally thought I
would, I am able to connect with
people every day and encourage
them to explore the outdoors.
Over time, a few opportunities
opened up and I was able to expand into my current role as
footwear manager. My position offers something different every day, and just when I think I have everything
figured out, a new challenge arises. Quite frankly, it's
addicting.
WHAT MAKES YOUR SHOP UNIQUE? WHAT BRINGS PEOPLE
HERE RATHER THAN ONLINE OR TO A BIG BOX?
Our shop isn't trying to be unique. Our goal is simply
to listen to every customer's needs and put them in the
right gear. This personalized service has been lost in the
Internet age, and my customers greatly value it. We don't
have employees that are just there to stock the shelves,
or work in one department indefinitely. Instead, we provide our driven employees opportunities to constantly
learn and continue expanding their outdoor horizons.
The more they learn and grow, the better they can connect with our customers, which results in staff that is approachable and knowable.

"We
stress
education
over
selling
and seek
to connect
with our
customers
on what
they love,
as opposed
to what
we're
selling."
-Marc Sherman

YOUNG GUNS
Jimmy Funkhouser (left)
said sayanora to the
corporate world and
opened Feral Mountain
Co. just over a year ago.
JL Waters' Matt Wanker
(above) turned his back
on a desk job to find
something more fun.

Summer 2017 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 47

Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2017

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