Blue Ridge Outdoors is CLOSED!

[momalley]

I am sorry to report that Blue Ridge Outdoors, one of the outfitters in Blacksburg, is closed. There is no sign saying why and no message on the machine when I called. Rumor is that they sent all the employees home this past thursday (4/5). I will try to find out more information and if I do it will get posted.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Competitors force Blue Ridge Outdoors to take hike

[Phreak]

Unfortunate.

[Stobl]

They had to have been closed before this past Thursday. I tried to go get a new stuff sack sometime about two weeks ago (the day of the big rain/hail storm) and they were closed then. Sad to see.

[trlhiker]

It's a shame when any outdoor store has to close. Shame on those who go to any store to try on gear and then buy from the internet.

[Gaiter]

i wonder how their greensboro store is doing, since great outdoor provision company and a new rei are in the same shopping center. i know gopc wasn't much competition, but the rei opening there last year had to hurt. any one know?

[Baum Trigger]

It's a shame when any outdoor store has to close. Shame on those who go to any store to try on gear and then buy from the internet.

I work at an outfitter in Knoxville, TN and cannot blame customers for trying out the product in the stores and buying online. As much as I'd not like to see the store close and lose my job, ...shame on us for charging out the a** for products that generally aren't worth the cost price...just MHO. I apologize before hand if I stepped on anyones toes...

[hammock engineer]

Sad to see.

Other than clothes though, I try to order from hiker owned cottege industries when I can. There gear may not always be the cheapest, but I have never been disappointed. Great service too.

[Smile]

Gander Mtn. and Cabelas are doing a real job on local outfitters in many areas, too bad!

Best wishes for their success in the future!

[frieden]

Thanks for the link, Dino. Like it says in the article:

"We will put the backpack on you and have you load it up with your stuff and have you walk around for an hour in the store. You can't do that online."

I would have paid more for a pack to be able to do this, but this wasn't available in Tampa. The outdoor stores around there were focused (obviously) on water sports. However, I can't pay a 50% markup more than the Internet price, just based on customer service. They have to be somewhat competitive.

[Smile]

Definately a catch 22 on this one....I've bought both online and in a store, stuff like a pack and most clothing I just have to try on! Can't imagine buying a pack without feeling it 'loaded' and walking around a store.

There's an outfitter in JAX, a haul, but a nice store!

[ShakeyLeggs]

I have to put my 2 cents in here because the loss of an Outfitter any Outfittrer is a crying shame.

I WILL NOT buy a pack or boots off the internet. I will always go to my local outfitter for those. But the rest of my gear comes from primarily cottage industry folks and either Campmor or REI. I always do alot of research on the gear I am buying. I totaly reoutfit about every 5 years and this year I have totaly replaced all my gear. I am still waiting on a few things I orfered online but my pack and boots this year came from my local outfitter (Wildware) Just my 2 cents.

[briarpatch]

. . . . I would have paid more for a pack to be able to do this, but this wasn't available in Tampa. . . . . .

I answer the email to the GATC and try to locate outdoor stores when I travel to get a feel for the regional differences in gear and expertise. That way I can recommend local stores to people who write in asking. My job requires that I travel more than I would like, but that gives me a chance to hike in lots of new places.

I found a store in St. Petersburg that was mostly water sports, but had an excellent selection of packs and tents. They had a thru-hiker on staff and he had a lot of practical advice.

Summit Hut in Tucson is a favorite. Very knowledgable staff who aren't on comission and a great selection. I just bought a WM megalite there last week. I'm in Miami this week, so I won't even look for a store. Next week is Los Angeles (Anaheim, actually). I wonder what I'll find there?

[Outlaw]

I have to put my 2 cents in here because the loss of an Outfitter any Outfittrer is a crying shame.

I WILL NOT buy a pack or boots off the internet. I will always go to my local outfitter for those. But the rest of my gear comes from primarily cottage industry folks and either Campmor or REI. I always do alot of research on the gear I am buying.

I do exactly the same as ShakeyLeggs. I love going into the local outfitters and just browse about and chew the fat with the knowledgeable sales people (who are often the owners).

From a cost perspective, one thing that a mail order house doesn't have is the same overhead expenses of a retail establishment. Retail rent is generally a lot more per sq. ft. than some warehouse space. They also don't have the same issues with regard to shoplifting (known as "shrinkage" in the industry). They also may not have anyone with any expertise on the equipment they sell (labor cost savings). Often times they don't even answer their own phones, but use a out sourced service to take phone orders (think in terms of Dell Computers using a company based in India). It is also difficult for a local outfitter/retailer to compete with the buying volume of EMS, REI, Cabela's or Gander Mtn. Volume purchasing is just too costly, especially when the turnover is slow.

I do feel bad when small, local outfitters go out of business. Market demands have done this to too many other small businesses as well, e.g. local mom & pop grocery stores, independent book stores, etc. Unfortunately, it is more often than not the "sign of the times."

[max patch]

I'm in Miami this week, so I won't even look for a store.

I used to live in Miami and I outfitted myself back in the 70s with state of the art (for the time) equipment. North Face cats meow bag. Eureka Timberline tent. Svea 123 stove. Camp Trails external frame pack. I bet somewhere in Miami there is a quality outfitter.

[Toolshed]

Gander Mtn. and Cabelas are doing a real job on local outfitters in many areas, too bad!

Best wishes for their success in the future!

It depends - There was an article on our local Cabellas (We also have a Gander Mountain that's about an hour away). Since both don't specialize in high end firearms and weaponry, some of the local expert gunshops have seen an uptick in business for services/high end equipment and other follow through that the chains cannot provide.
While it is nice to have a lot of mass merchandise at your fingertips, finding a true expert is usually worth the additional price of admission to smaller scale shops.

[RadioFreq]

I have to put my 2 cents in here because the loss of an Outfitter any Outfittrer is a crying shame.

I WILL NOT buy a pack or boots off the internet. I will always go to my local outfitter for those. But the rest of my gear comes from primarily cottage industry folks and either Campmor or REI. I always do alot of research on the gear I am buying. I totaly reoutfit about every 5 years and this year I have totaly replaced all my gear. I am still waiting on a few things I orfered online but my pack and boots this year came from my local outfitter (Wildware) Just my 2 cents.

I, too am strictly a REI or cottage industry buyer. One thing that I have never been able to wrap my mind around is the idea of buying boots/shoes over the internet. One manufacturers size 10 will not be the same as another's size 10.
Ya gotta try em on first, right?

[frieden]

I found a store in St. Petersburg that was mostly water sports, but had an excellent selection of packs and tents. They had a thru-hiker on staff and he had a lot of practical advice.

Bill Jackson's. Been there, spoke to him. We talked for awhile about his thru, and he helped me try on a couple of packs, but nothing fit right. I bought my Platy and stove canister there.

I've found that the best backpacking stores are in mountain areas, or very large cities.

[ShakeyLeggs]

I only have one problem with local outfitters and it sometimes become a very big problem. It seems that everytime I go into one (I have been in way to many) I always go in for a reason like last time for an Osprey pack and a pair of Vasque boots. My problem starts when the sales assosiate asks if there is anything else they can do for me. I almost always end up walking out with more than I went there for in the first place. I am like a kid in a candy store.

[Toolshed]

I usually try to support my local 'fitter, but we have one here who I feel you really have to keep an eye on - Nestors. They charge full wack, which I don't mind paying for some items, but I also expect them to have sales on decent merchandise and not just crap that didn't sell during the season.

Anyways, I once bought a local trails Mapset and Trail Guide, only to get home and find out it was the old guidebook and mapset and that a newer edition had come out 2 years previously. I returned it - and explained that that someone else might end up buying it and not realize it wasn't the latest edition. They said they would talk to their distributor and get the newer versions in to replace it. a month later, guess what was on their shelf. ame edition, mapset and guidebook. I was annoyed.

Another time I bought a can of BD skin glue for my ascensions. I opened it a week later and the can was half full - obviously used previously. I brought it back and explained the issue and the comment from the counter geek was - "how do we know you didn't use it?"
I left the can on the counter and walked out, knowing that they would never get a penny from me again and I would tell everyone I knew that there were much better places to go.