Outdoor Insight

By Cara Griffin O zark 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. The store's current owner Jim Frank describes Ozark Outdoor's early incarnation as a hardcore gear store that had several investors in its early years, but uncertain financial footing before finding its way in the '80s. Before his family purchased the store outright in 1986, Frank had already spent time working at the shop in his teenage years when his brother was one of the store's investors. After attending college in the early 1980s, Frank, whose family had a history in retail, went to work as a computer programmer at Dillard's. While he eventually made his way back to the outdoor shop, his time at Dillard's included going through their buyer training program. "So I had some retail training," he says. Today the shop that Frank runs caters to an upscale clientele in what he calls an "old- money" neighborhood of Little Rock. The store offers high quality outdoor clothing and equipment, with a stated philosophy "to provide customers with the products, services and knowledge to help them get the most out of all their outdoor adventures." Here, Frank shares his thoughts on the store's strategy and the specialty retail market in general. How would you describe your community and your customers, and how has that changed over the years? "We cater to teenagers all the way to 70 year olds gearing up for travel. We see a lot of families come in who are traveling and doing some high dollar trips such as safaris or mountaineering. We've had customers doing Kilimanjaro or Machu Picchu. Our location backs up to some of the highest dollar houses/bank accounts in the state. They are not shy about spending money. In the early days, before the internet, before all the other stores started popping up selling The North Face or Patagonia, we were The North Face and Patagonia dealer — the only one — for 50 miles. Now of course that has changed." What's the merch mix like in your store? How important is the "lifestyle" element? "Footwear is very important to us. We have played with our apparel mix over the years and tried to 'solve' it, but we know that for us the gear and equipment strategy is where we are pretty unique. Women's sportswear is tough for us. Our women's business is focused on technical apparel and product you might need on your Africa safari or your Iceland trip — items that customers can't just run off to Old Navy to buy." What's your online strategy? "We do not sell online. We made a conscious decision on that because I don't feel like I can offer the customer anything better than anybody else is already doing online. And I still believe in customer service. That is the one thing we still have that a lot of stores don't have. We try to beat it home to our employees. My parents taught me that the customer is always right and if you are not sure about it, then the customer is always right. I probably say yes too many times but in the long run I try to pick my battles carefully." How do you compete with discounters, big-box stores and online sellers? "The most important category in that respect is footwear. I don't think a lot of people want Little Rock's Outdoor Home OZARK OUTDOOR SUPPLY, LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS GRASSROOTS P E R S P E C T I V E S A Local Gear Specialist Since 1972. outdoorinsightmag.com 52 • Outdoor Insight • June 2019

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