Outdoor Insight

38 • Outdoor Insight • August 2017 outdoorinsightmag.com What has been your strongest sell- ing category this year? Footwear is off to a really good start in the trail running and low-hiking categories, particularly Hoka and Salomon brands. How do you compete as a brick- and-mortar store in today's retail environment? We are fortunate to be in a resort town where we are viewed, cor- rectly, as experts. We know and use the gear we sell, and not just in our home environment. Our prod- ucts are carefully curated, which saves customers from wading through all of the various iterations of what they are looking for. Our local customers and visitors both are aware of this. They also know that we support the products we sell – mounting skis, cutting skins, thermo-molding boots, fitting packs – so many people understand that what we offer has value for them, but certainly not everyone. Some vendors understand that they need specialty retailers out on the front lines creating demand for their products. What is the biggest factor you've found in remaining successful over the years? Maintaining good, trusting relationships with vendors, reps, staff and customers. And a willingness to learn. How have you utilized technology, social media or real-life events to stay relevant and competitive in today's market? Our goal with social media is to continue the conversations we have with our customers on the sales floor each day. Whether it's trail conditions or gear advice, we want to be a source of information and education for our customers and community. Social platforms offer a unique way to keep that engage- ment going outside of our store. Events have long been a part of how we encourage our community to experience the beautiful landscape surrounding Aspen. Our Golden Leaf Half Marathon trail run, which started in 1979, takes 1000 racers through the backcountry trails between Snowmass and Aspen. This provides us an opportunity to combine the equipment we sell with the local outdoors to create an incredible experience for our com- munity. What is the biggest surprise in your business to date? The real surprise is that my daugh- ter Maile shares my enjoyment of the outdoor business as much as I have (said owner Bob Wade). Being part of that community and the local community. It's not an easy vocation, but it certainly keeps us close to people and adventure in the out of doors. For that we are grateful. She is busy taking the Ute to the next level. O What has been your strongest selling category this year? We believe it's less about a given category, since footwear is usually the simple answer, and more about product choice. We sell little-to-no fleece in our store, opting instead for Merino wool. When given the chance, we share our reasoning to eager ears. The great majority of the brands we carry have a "give back" program, opting for cause-based marketing. Our customers are excited to know that their purchase can and will make a difference. We have chosen causes such as Kenya Works, the Juniper Fund and the Fallen Fire Fighters Association as beneficiaries and our customers support these efforts. We do our best to buy American and our customers agree with this choice. How do you compete as a brick- and-mortar store in today's retail environment? Yellow Wood is a unique outdoor gear boutique. Because we do no online sales and offer exceptional personal attention, our customers are extremely happy with our service and variety of products. It is not uncommon to find the owners' family and staff on the floor helping customers trying on shoes and boots. We pro- test most of the products we carry and have a lot of personal experience we share. We will do our best to meet/beat most online pricing and since most of our customers live within a one-to-25 mile radius, they prefer to shop local and find our accommodating attitude a preferred way to shop. Our store is filled with families shopping and their children will often stop by just to hang out. What is the biggest surprise in your business to date? Our goal was to open a store without the same large brands that can be bought anywhere that seem to have lost their way. We buy from companies with high ethical and moral standards, where sustainability and environmental concerns are of greater concern than their bottom line. Our customers are less surprised, and more pleased, with this direction. This paralleled our advertising, where social media and small local magazines and papers became our preferred place to spend our dollars. We focus on not-for-profit event sponsorship or promotion and work with schools and camps to promote our products with their teachers, students, staff and campers. We turn to our vendors for promotional and product support, who respond with enthusiasm and excitement. O Bob Wade, Sam Barg, and Joel Nunez-Smith: Ute Mountaineer, Aspen, CO Moshe Katz and Marty Stilling: Yellow Wood, Whitefish Bay, WI "We know and use the gear we sell. Our products are carefully curated, which saves customers from wading through all of the various iterations of what they are looking for." RETAIL Q/A

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