Outdoor Insight

20 • Outdoor Insight • July 2021 outdoorinsightmag.com Adapting to an ever-changing business climate over the past year has been a key to success for River Rock Outfitter. A l ove for each other and the great outdoors was the spark that started the eventual founding of this single outdoor specialty shop in the down- town district of this historic town. Keith and April Peterson began their outdoor adventures on a high school rock wall in Shreveport, LA during their sophomore years. Later, the now married couple's adventure would move to the trails and camp sites of the Grand Canyon State where they attended Arizona State University. In November 2014, after moving from coast to coast with the U.S. Marine Corps for more than a dozen years, the couple established their per- sonal and business roots in Fredericksburg, VA. This past year, adapting to an ever-changing business climate has been the store's key to survival. River Rock established a consignment segment, the Re-boot Consignment Program, to gain immediate access to inventory. And the store is working to align itself with vendor partners and rep agencies that are showing the most sup- port for small independent shops. Additionally, River Rock is gearing up for an anticipated big uptick in adventure travel merchandise. More than a year into dealing with pandemic impacts, River Rock co-owner Keith Peterson says, "I'm not sure what normal will look like for us after such a lengthy disruption. Luckily for us, the outdoor industry really thrived during the pandemic. We were able to pivot our services quickly to meet the demand as people were finding respite in outdoor spaces. In many ways, we are a better business now. We were forced to look at what was working and what wasn't, get rid of any excess, and be more efficient. We focused on supporting our customers getting outdoors and it paid off for us. We had our best year in business in 2020 and are up month over month in 2021." River Rock Outfitter saw a 30% increase in revenue in 2020, according to Peterson. Outdoor gear sales saw the largest spike — specifically paddle sports and camping gear. Peterson says the shop made key changes River Rock Outfitter, Fredericksburg, VA T H E G R E A T 8 I N O U T D O O R S 2 0 2 1

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