Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 40

you are, how outdoorsy you are, how well you
dress, or how much money you have. I think so
many people in retail judge customers subconsciously. But at Sawyer, you're just welcomed
and helped, without being categorized. People
have come in and said, 'I feel like everything in
this store was bought just for me.'"
That comes from Forrester, personally.

FORRESTER TELLS ME AS MUCH OVER A BEER
at a nearby brewery on the afternoon of day one.
It's balmy, the sun is shining, and you can smell
the sea. Tattoos flex on hipster calves pedaling ebikes. Several people sing warm hellos to
Forrester. She hellos back. The warmth radiates.
Forrester envisioned Sawyer after a decade
of working in the outdoor industry. As a rep for
Merrell, she covered central California and the
San Francisco Bay area. But at 40, she says, she
could sell shoes no longer. "It's an incredible opportunity to work for a brand like Merrell. But
I'm creative. I wanted to make my own thing,"
she says. She wanted to start a women's clothing line that catered to "30-plus active (not extreme!) go getters. Women who surf, camp, ride,
etc, but don't want to look the part after or during. They want to look good in their weekender

THE SALTY SLIDER
Launching an apparel
line for kids and book to
go along with it are all a
natural progression in
how Stacy Forrester
sees surfing evolving.
Photo by Scott Martin.

"Go fast. Don't rush. Glide and slide with grace under pressure."
That message, inclusive of all is what makes Sawyer
Land + Sea more than a place to buy stuff but a place to be.
It's a contagious vibe, one that feels more like a wave.
clothing. They also demand that their clothes fit.
They care where they are made and how they
feel against the skin." That morphed into creating a store, where she could meet customers and
use their beta to build a brand.
In 2013, she quit Merrell, wrote a business
plan, and-with a $100,000 small business
loan-opened Sawyer, which, even by name, is
an extension of her persona. It comes from her
grandfather, a forester. And from her favorite
childhood story heroes, Huckleberry Finn and
Tom Sawyer. And from two dogs she raised to
ages 15 and 19, Finn and Huckleberry.
Every item in Sawyer reflects Forrester's
tastes and ideas around what evokes happiness. She operates on two principles: "The idea
of promoting and selling artists' work to help
them continue on their journey of creation," and,
as much as possible, selling made-in-California products-from artwork, clothes, and surfboards to blankets, dog treats, and chocolates.

If an out-of-state maker inspires her enough,
she'll offer their wares at Sawyer. Her wetsuits
are handmade by a family in Japan that takes
measurements of Sawyer customers and, six
weeks later, produces a lush, traceable, custom
suit. Her surfboards: locally shaped. Her mugs:
fired a block away. Her nerd-hip reader glasses
are designed in California. And she personally
designed the surf map to Santa Cruz for sale as
art or inspiration for a future trip.
Total freedom might be defined as the ability
to create an entire world out of a single imagination. But Forrester says that shouldering a
shop alone can be both exhilarating and crushing. On the upside, she can curate to her heart's
content, search for and promote beloved artists, and choose how much to pay her employees. But on the downside, every major decision
reflects her core.
"I'm a private person, and I didn't anticipate
so much of the light of owning a store shining



Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018

OUTDOOR RETAILER - SUMMER 2018
CONTENTS
THE PULSE
HEADLINES
MERCHANDISING
MARKETING
BIG PICTURE
CASE STUDY
IDEAS
CHRISTIAN DE LA IGLESIA
SHIRA EPSTEIN
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
RESEARCH
SAWYER LAND + SEA
DISASTER STRIKES
BE THE BRAND
BREAD+BUTTER
PADDLING HARDGOODS
THE RENEWAL WORKSHOP
BROWN GIRLS CLIMB
COUNTER CULTURE
THE VIEW
HOW I GOT HERE
FROM THE ROAD
#REPLIFE
BACKSTORY
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - OUTDOOR RETAILER - SUMMER 2018
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - Cover2
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 1
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - CONTENTS
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 3
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 4
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 5
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 6
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 7
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 8
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - THE PULSE
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - HEADLINES
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 11
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - MERCHANDISING
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 13
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - MARKETING
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 15
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - BIG PICTURE
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 17
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 18
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 19
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - CASE STUDY
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 21
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 22
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 23
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 24
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 25
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - IDEAS
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 27
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - CHRISTIAN DE LA IGLESIA
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 29
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - SHIRA EPSTEIN
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 31
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 33
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - RESEARCH
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 35
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - SAWYER LAND + SEA
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 37
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 38
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 39
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 40
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 41
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - DISASTER STRIKES
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 43
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 44
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 45
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - BE THE BRAND
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 47
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 48
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 49
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 50
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - BREAD+BUTTER
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - PADDLING HARDGOODS
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 53
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - THE RENEWAL WORKSHOP
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 55
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - BROWN GIRLS CLIMB
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 57
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - COUNTER CULTURE
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 59
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - THE VIEW
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 61
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 62
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 63
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 64
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 65
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - HOW I GOT HERE
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 67
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - FROM THE ROAD
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 69
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - #REPLIFE
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 71
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - BACKSTORY
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - Cover3
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/outdoorretailer/2023Winter
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https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/outdoorretailer/daily2022_Day1
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