Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2017 - 55

Feature .03

Courtesy The Mountaineer (middle), Justin Costner (top)

set. When we're not here, you can find us out
paddling, hiking, riding, or fishing. We exist
to make sure every customer who walks out
of our door is better prepared to go do something or to find more enjoyment in it. Paying
the bills is important, but helping people
make memories or discover a new passion is
a crazy-close second."
The community responds to this authenticity with patronage and participation. And
the town and retail store have both cultivated a positive national reputation for embracing the outdoor lifestyle due to their prime
location on the AT and ability to service-
and sometimes save-weary thru hikers.

Of course, where there's recreation, there's
often beer. But it's indicative of the outdoor
mindset in Franklin that the leading craft
beer tap house here, Lazy Hiker Brewing,
has built its company around the recreation
economy in its town.
The entrepreneurs at Lazy Hiker embraced the community by making its brand
synonymous with hiking in western North
Carolina, a move that Gabarro calls "brilliant." On their web site, Lazy Hiker states:
We're a product of our place. If it weren't for
the age-old mountains, clear blue skies, and
fresh mountain water, we wouldn't be here
brewing great craft beer.
Retailers here seem to know what Garbarro
learned a long time ago at his shop: "Every person that spends money in here is a click away
from being able to get the same item cheaper,
but our customer service and our engagement
in the community set us apart," he says.

K E E N E VA L L E Y
NEW YORK

A town built around trails
KNOWN AS THE "HOME OF THE

high peaks," Keene Valley, population 1,105,
provides the East Coast with its own version
of a Rocky Mountain high. Climbing and
hiking dominate the outdoor activities amid
the Adirondacks, and nearby Lake Placid
and Lake Champlain provide opportunities to relax on the water. The High Peaks

Wilderness welcomes hikers and backpackers
with more than 72 lean-to structures available
on a first-come, first-served basis. These shelters are just one of the many ways that public use
of outdoor recreation is encouraged in the area.
Off of Route 73, rock and ice climbing enthusiasts will find the famous Beer Walls. These
easily accessible granite slabs in Chapel Pond
Canyon offer beginners and experts around 30
routes with names including the 5.8 Rockaholic
and the 5.10c Delirium Tremens. Anglers on the
Ausable River benefit from slow sections with
deep undercut banks for dropping a fly. No surprise, many of the trails in Keene Valley used for
hiking also provide excellent cross-country skiing and snowshoeing once the flakes fall.
The Adirondacks draw the outdoor enthusiasts, but the inclusive community makes
them want to stay. The Adirondack Mountain
Club (AMC), Adirondack Trail Improvement
Society (ATIS), Barkeater Trails Alliance, and

several guiding services lead the way in creating an accessible experience for adventurers
of all levels. Trail building and maintenance,
naturalist walks, guided hikes and skills clinics, nature camps for kid and teens, organized
trips, and even monthly group potluck dinners
bring the community together and show the
extent of their commitment to the natural resources where they live and play.
Vinny McClelland, owner of local shop The
Mountaineer, spent his childhood summers in
Keene Valley and helped his family cut down
the trees that built the store in 1975. "My parents took my brothers and I on all sorts of hiking, canoeing, camping, bushwhacking, skiing, and fishing trips here in the Adirondacks.
I think the store was a good excuse for my family to move here year-round," McClelland says.
Since the store's opening, McClelland says he's
seen the interest and growth in outdoor recreation surge to new levels. "Our season used
to be limited to the summer months, but the
increased interest in ice climbing and backcountry skiing has grown to be year-round,"
he says.
Most of the inns, restaurants, and retailers in Keene Valley are family-owned and
operated, just like The Mountaineer. Local
purveyors know this area intimately, and
they provide a unique level of expertise that
solidifies their business with residents and
visitors. "It took many years for my family to
turn a profit," McClelland admits. "But they
persevered, and here we are over 41 years
later." It's hard-earned patronage that keeps
the outdoor economy running in Keene
Valley, but it's worth it. O.R.

Summer 2017 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 55

Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2017

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