Blue Ridge Mountain Sports has been our go-to outdoor store for years. It’s sad to see them go. Mission Ready Equipment has closed as well.
We’ll miss you!
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Any thoughts on why they are closing? Do you see the outdoor-tactical market shrinking, growing or static. Do tell. Thanks
Their issues have been going on for several years. Some bad decisions, exacerbated by a few warm winters.
Too many retail stores maybe? Very sad. Hudson Trail shut down just last year too.
The same thing happened to one of my favorite local outfitter/surplus shop years ago. He was hurting bad for a few years when Dicks and other similar sporting goods stores in the area got better at selling medium to lower high end backpacking and hunting stuff. The only thing keeping him open for 5 or so years was the boy scouts and die hard return customers. When a Cabellas moved in just north of town and a Bass Pro just to the south, it was over. It was sad to see them go since they were THE outdoor shop going on 50 years when it ended.
Blue Ridge Mountain Sports was the place to go in Knoxville, TN for climbing gear and rope. I imagine the REI that moved in right up the street didn’t do any favors. Oh well, free markets and such.
I don’t want to bash, and I love a free market, but REI does move to locations with the expressed intent to shut down the small mom and pop shops. They moved into our area and shut down two excellent specialty outdoor stores. They just can’t compete with volume pricing.
Yep, the small businesses have to push brands REI doesn’t offer and customer service.
brands not carried by the corporate retailers (REI, Dicks, etc.) are the only way an independent, mom/pop, store can distinguish themselves and successfully complete; with unique “specialty” products, like Crescent Moon Snowshoe, for example, and supplemented with customer service. if they try to compete with the same brands they get “margined” out of business eventually. dare to be different.
Sad to see them go they had some good stufgf in there but it also felt like a lot of people window shopeed in there as well.
You have to wonder if their expansion into the military market space, away from their core outdoor recreation market, didn’t play a role in this.
I’ve been buying from BRMS since the 90’s and hate to see them go.
Dang. It’s a tough market for a brick-and-mortar store that isn’t REI.