Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 22

THE PULSE

CASE STUDY

Prime Location
With mainstream retail reeling and online competition getting
even more fierce, the days of brick-and-mortar feel numbered.
But these retailers, with stores at resorts and in mountain towns,
have found ways to grow. Does where you set up shop matter?
by Jonathan Waterman
IT WON'T SURPRISE ANYONE READING THIS MAGAZINE TO LEARN THAT RETAIL, AT LEAST
traditional brick-and-mortar retail, is in a bad way. Earlier this year, The Atlantic pointed out
that "There have been nine retail bankruptcies in 2017-as many as all of 2016. J.C. Penney,
RadioShack, Macy's, and Sears have each announced more than 100 store closures." In the outdoor and snowsports space, EMS, Sports Authority, and other big boxes continue tanking, and
Amazon continues to grow (acquiring Whole Foods this fall). Some promising small shops are
giving up: Brooklyn's Gear to Go Outfitters, which we profiled in the Winter 2017 issue of this
magazine, shut down; and the dynamic B-Corp Chopwood Mercantile in Crested Butte plans to
get out of the business. Nonetheless, it's hardly doom and gloom for independent specialty retailers with prime locations in mountain towns-if they can leverage their unique value.
For example, many on-the-hill ski-and-snowboard shops are prospering. Drive just an hour (if
you don't hit powder-day traffic) west of Denver up into the Rockies on Interstate 70 and you'll hit
Loveland Ski Area, which sits at 10,800 feet above sea level and has been hosting downhill skiers
since 1937. The Loveland Sports Shop has a captive audience-and it has capitalized on that perk.

22 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ Winter 2018

Its manager, Sue Booker, has worked the modest floor space for 34 years. And while many
local retailers have struggled over the past two
ski seasons, Loveland's shop has experienced
its best sales in over three decades.
Booker credits that success to top-notch
staff: "Number one for me is having good
people working for you," she said, "then
training them well. If employees are happy,
so are the customers."
The Loveland Sports Shop also gets creative
with its offerings, including a Day-Tripper
Special-a rental package that includes clothing along with skis, boots, and lift tickets.
The store's Hat-Trick Demos allow customers to ride three different boards or skis in a
day. They also offer a large selection of gift
items and souvenirs-t-shirts with the iconic
Loveland ski area logo fly out of the store (see
page 16 for the importance of t-shirts)-and
changing the displays often keeps the store
looking new (see our merchandising tips on
page 14) "We are thriving," Booker said, "but I
get concerned about online retail."
Being on a busy ski hill is a slam-dunk.
"But if we were located in Denver," she said,

Courtesy BLM Idaho

LIFESTYLE PROPOSITION
Location on-mountain can
certainly help retailers who
hire active, knowledgeable
staff-who get out and put
gear to the test in the wild.

Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018

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