Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2017 - 49

Ed McAlister
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Current Title: President
Store Name: River Sports Outfitters
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded: 1983

WHAT'S THE GENESIS OF YOUR SHOP?
I started River Sports Outfitters in Knoxville, Tennessee,
about 35 years ago. I hated what I was doing-I was an engineer-and wanted to change. I started with 900 square
feet. I knew nothing about retail. And quickly I realized
that I needed to be a little bit more than whitewater because it was a very competitive niche. But our big role from
day one was community events: We do outings. We have
a couple of full-time event directors. We run three or four
events a week. And I guess that's what we're known for, the
interaction with the community. We're a full-fledged retail
store, with a climbing gym attached to us, bikes, all that
good stuff. But it's the community, that's our strong suit.
WHAT MAKES YOUR SHOP UNIQUE? WHAT BRINGS PEOPLE
HERE RATHER THAN ONLINE OR TO A BIG BOX?
I look at what I call the service end of the business. We have
five rental locations and are going to add some more in con-

junction with the state parks. Our state parks are all starting
to privatize a lot of the things they do, so it's an opportunity, I
think, for any retailer, with all of the stuff going on out there,
with vendors and that other gorilla that's out there, and so
forth. Retail's hard now, so I'm constantly looking for something somebody can't take away from you. And that's the service end of the business. Whether it be bike rentals, or boat
rentals, or kayak fishing, or leading trips, if you do a good
job, I think you can grow your business. And you can make a
profit on it, and it's good advertising as well. So, that's where
I see the future of our store in the Knoxville area, because
we have a ton of competition there. It's a saturated market.
That's the fun part, too. Some of the reason you get into the
business is not just to sell, but to get out and do stuff. So, we're
putting our feet on the ground.

WHAT POSSIBILITIES DO YOU SEE FOR POSITIVE GROWTH
MOVING FORWARD?
The big question is, how do we engage today's youth?
Because our future depends on a new generation of users
coming in, and with all the things that are changing out
there, I see more people wanting to get to the summit, but
not get to the summit. They want a two-hour experience
and to be at the summit, but they don't want to have to carry
a pack to get there. Or whatever it is, y'all know it's the same
thing. The hardcore customer is declining, I think, in volume. So, how do we engage them? To me, that's what the
industry needs to be working on. I mean, I know each store
does that, but how does the industry do it? O.R.

Watch the entire roundtable discussion at
#WeAreOutdoor:
bit.ly/2qJhogY

"Retail's hard now, so I'm
constantly looking for
something somebody can't
take away from you. And
that's the service end of the
business. Whether it be
bike rentals, or kayak fishing, or leading trips, if you
do a good job, I think you
can grow your business."
-Ed McAlister

Summer 2017 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 49

http://www.bit.ly/2qJhogY

Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2017

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