Outdoor specialty organization Grassroots Outdoor Alliance has named 10 new members to its ranks, bringing the total retailers in the group to 83, representing 187 shop doors in 45 states. New members joining the Asheville, NC-based group are...

Every individual and company has been challenged by the COVID-19 crisis in different ways. And clearly the past several weeks have been beyond challenging for outdoor retailers and brands from a business perspective.

When thousands of fervent outdoor recreationalists descended on the Adirondacks’ hamlet of Keene Valley in mid-January for the 24th Annual Mountainfest, they surely saw many familiar people and landscapes. Including the staff of expert associates at The Mountaineer.

Sisters Jennifer and Marinna Merkel love everything about Big Sky Country and the great outdoors, including competing against one another with dueling outdoor specialty stores some 14 blocks apart on Main Street in Bozeman, Montana.

Ozark Outdoor Supply is a specialty shop that serves as a “home” for outdoor goods in more ways than one. The quaint shop, which is located in a renovated house, is nestled right in the upscale neighborhood of the Heights in Little Rock, AR. It’s been the area’s home for outdoor gear since 1972.

In 1947, Frank and Jessie Stephens opened the doors of Frank’s Shirt Shop in downtown Whitefish, Montana — at first, the Stephens’ priority was selling quality men’s clothing. After acquiring a neighboring clothing store, the entire operation was renamed The Toggery.

Northwest outdoor shop Backcountry Essentials is a specialist even among the specialists. The shop, which does most of its business in ski and snowsports, has a keen focus on backcountry customers and differentiates itself as a shop specializing in ski boot fitting.

When Brendan Madigan first began working at Tahoe City, CA, mountain shop Alpenglow Sports in 2003, he was a self-described “part-time employee and mostly full-time ski bum.”