Shop Checkout: Greenwater Outfitters
Paula Aranda
For all of you Business-Betties interested in learning about the workings of a snowboarding shop, today you’ll be reading a profile about super-rad snowboarding shop, Greenwater Outfitters out of Greenwater, Washington. Located next to State Route 410 as it winds up into the Cascade Mountains, owners Seth and Karen have been running their shop since 2006.
Seth, originally from Minnesota, started board sports at a young age and over time learned snowboarding, surfing and skating. After moving to several different places including California and Alaska, he and Karen eventually landed in Greenwater, Washington. Greenwater is a very small town, with only about 300 people in the summer and 1,100 people in the winter. As it is the last town people pass through on the way to Crystal Mountain resort, many skiers and riders make stops there.
The shop mainly relies on word of mouth and passersby for customer traffic. According to Seth, a challenge of owning a shop in this area is the weather. Unfortunately, some seasons have less snow than others, which affects the number of people coming through their shop. To maintain some traffic in the shop during the summer, a deli/café was opened inside the shop to serve coffee, sandwiches, ice cream and more to customers.
Another challenge GW Outfitters faces is that it seeks to sell brands that line-up with the shop’s philosophy. They carry many snowboarding brands that originally are from Washington to keep their stock fresh and interesting. Lastly, nearby Crystal Mountain is known more as a skier’s mountain, so there’s been a bit of a struggle in overcoming stereotypes about snowboarders on the mountain. It has improved over time, but it is still in progress. However, to keep snowboarders and other visitors coming in, Seth and his wife take an active role in supporting Greenwater’s nightlife. Events such as open mic night, rap battles and snowboarding contests help drive that sense of community. This helps to draw crowds to stay in the area and gets them excited to snowboard there.
Seth’s advice in getting started with your own snowboarding shop includes starting small - it’s best not to go big right away. It helps to keep your finances and inventory at manageable levels until you experience a significant amount of sales to increase in size. Next, know who you are selling to. By identifying your target market demographic and who is coming into your shop, you can adjust the lines you carry to be ones that the demographic is most likely to purchase. You also want to come into your shop with a “ready to work” mentality. The reality is that you will miss out on awesome powder days because you are at the shop. However, by staying focused on your shop, you will be a more successful business owner because you will be more aware of what’s going on in your shop and the industry. Finally, have a super-knowledgeable staff. At GW Outfitters, the staff consists of some long-term employees, including a rad tattoo artist named Ten, who have a depth of knowledge that comes only from lots of experience and exposure to the snowboarding industry and the sport itself.
As a business owner, challenge yourself to set up goals for yourself and your team to work towards. For GW Outfitters, these goals include increasing volume exponentially by 10% into the future and being the one shop in the area that people go to for their snowboarding needs. This means a focus on great customer service: taking care of their customers and giving customers that assurance to keep coming back.
In terms of snowboarding in Washington, Seth believes it should be interesting to see how the climate changes coming up affect the Pacific Northwest and its future snow forecasts. The upcoming snow skate technology also offers a lot of promise within the snowboarding community.
Seth’s final words to readers are to keep on snowboarding, and though may take a while to find the right spot to settle in, you’ll find it. Also, come visit them and check out their snowboards, Sasquatch gear and hear some awesome stories about the legendary Bigfoot!
Greenwater Outfitters:
58410 State Route 410
Enumclaw, WA 98022
(360) 663-2255
