Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2019 - 39

he Appalachian Trail is the grandmother of all long-distance trails.
The 2,190-mile-long ode to culture,
history, and public lands switchbacks along the backbone of the
Appalachian Mountains, drawing everyone
from execs who cashed out of Wall Street to
lifelong burnouts to ultra athletes looking for
a spot in the record books. But for the 14 states
it runs through, the Appalachian Trail also creates a vibrant economic corridor that funnels
an estimated 2-3 million hikers annually into
small rural towns along the way.
In 2010, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
designated the first of these towns, Franklin,
North Carolina, as an Appalachian Trail
Community, a program which now recognizes and supports 46 trail-friendly communities along the white blaze. Some of these towns,
like Erwin, Tennessee, are new to the scene,
while others, such as Delaware Water Gap,
Pennsylvania, have been rooted in hiker culture
since the trail's inception in the 1920s.
Close proximity to the trail alone is not enough
to warrant designation as an Appalachian Trail
Community. Cities and towns must demonstrate a community-wide commitment to the
hiker experience, be it through the services they
provide or the trail magic they spread. Nobody
knows the recipe for that better than independent retail shops in these communities. The following five businesses are run by locals and hikers alike and are proof that a community-first
mindset makes a great mountain town, which
in turn makes an even better business.

ERWIN OUTDOOR SUPPLY
ERWIN, TENNESSEE

Mile 339.9
When Erwin Outdoor Supply co-owner Brandy
Bevins was growing up, downtown Erwin was
the place to be. Situated along the banks of
the Nolichucky River and its tributary North
Indian Creek, the small eastern Tennessee town
was quaint but lively thanks to its position as a
railroad hub. The vast majority of Erwin's 6,000
residents, including Bevins' family, worked for
the CSX railroad, which served as the town's
main economic driver for over 100 years.
That all changed in the fall of 2015. For
months prior, rumors swept through town
about the state of CSX. Coal production in the
region had been in a steady decline for years.
Traffic in the railyard had noticeably slowed.

Residents worried about what the future held
for Erwin and Unicoi County. Sensing an impending downfall, restaurants and antique
shops began closing their doors until Bevins'
beloved downtown was all but shuttered.
Then, on the morning of October 15, 2015,
employees arrived at the CSX rail terminal only
to be told that the company was leaving town,
effective immediately. By 7:30 a.m., Erwin was
in despair. Overnight, some 300 of the town's
residents had become unemployed.
In the weeks and months that followed the
closure, Erwin's tight-knit community scrambled to redefine its identity. By then, Bevins was
already out of school, married with kids, and
well over a decade into her career as a nurse. The
only Erwin she had ever known was a railroad
town. And yet, alongside the empty rail yard
and terminal buildings left in the wake of CSX
was a renewed pride of place, a determination
to not just save Erwin but to make it better.

clude outdoor recreation and tourism.
"We have a tremendous amount of assets as
far as natural resources in this area," says Lafever.
"We've never really taken advantage of it like we
should. I won't say Erwin did anything wrong in
the past. It's just we have to adapt to be successful
and to keep on keepin' on."
Though the Appalachian Trail is only four
miles from downtown Erwin, past thru hikers
never ventured farther than Uncle Johnny's, a
hostel, campground, and small store located
near the trailhead. Bevins says it was important
for her to be transparent with the hostel's owner
about her vision for the outfitter. She even took
photos of Uncle Johnny's stock to make sure she
only carried items that were not available there.
The resulting vibe is cohesive and cooperative. Just one month after opening, Erwin
Outdoor Supply-which was not listed in the
2019 edition of The A.T. Guide-was packed
with thru hikers. Tuananh and Kaleigh Cauble,

"I FEEL LIKE ERWIN HAS BEEN READY FOR A CHANGE
FOR A LONG TIME. IT JUST TOOK THE RAILROAD GOING OUT OF BUSINESS FOR US TO SEE THAT IF WE DON'T
CHANGE, ERWIN IS GOING TO BECOME DESOLATE."
-BRANDY BEVINS, ERWIN OUTDOOR SUPPLY

"We all realized we gotta do something to put
our Erwin on the map," says Bevins. "I feel like
Erwin has been ready for a change for a long
time. It just took the railroad going out of business for us to see that if we don't change, Erwin
is going to become desolate."
In March 2019, Bevins and her husband
Tyler partnered with Erwin vice mayor Mark
Lafever to open Erwin Outdoor Supply, the
town's very first full-service outfitter. The reception has been overwhelming. At the shop's
grand opening, over 1,600 people came to
show their support-that's nearly one-third of
Erwin's population.
Lafever says local residents have always
engaged in the outdoors through camping,
fishing, and hunting. Whether or not Lafever
and Bevins realized it as children, Erwin and
Unicoi County have long held their own as
outdoor destinations. Cherokee National
Forest accounts for over 50 percent of Unicoi
County, and the Nolichucky River is a class IIIIV whitewater gem to the Southeast paddling
community. But because of the railroad, Erwin
never saw a need to expand its economy to in-

or "Spruce Lee" and "Shiitake" respectively, were
among the bubble of hikers passing through in
mid-April. Originally from Blairsville, Georgia,
the couple had never even heard of Erwin, let
alone Erwin Outdoor Supply, until they arrived
at Uncle Johnny's.
"I was actually thinking I could see myself
working here [at Erwin Outdoor Supply]," says
Spruce Lee. "The people are really cool, and the
environment is, too. Instead of it being, go in
real quick, buy some stuff, and then head out, it's
like, come in, relax, watch some TV, play some
games, enjoy the company."
In addition to couches, cornhole, and television projected onto a 10-foot-tall Tennesseeshaped mural, Erwin Outdoor Supply also
provides hikers with free coffee and Trail Magic
beer, a device charging station, and lockers for
pack storage.
Within a short walking distance, hikers
can access hotels, grocery stores, the post office, and a smattering of restaurants ranging
from all-you-can-eat pizza buffets to local food
trucks. There's even a taproom right next door
to Erwin Outdoor Supply. Main Street's once-

Summer 2019

/ OUTDOOR RETAILER 39

Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2019

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