A little round-up of some of our favorite outdoor industry retail spaces providing high-quality products, engaging merchandise design and a strong sense of community:
Worn Path
Portland, OR
Greatly inspired by the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest, the counterculture of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and DIY vibes, Worn Path was opened by Niles Armstrong in May 2012. From backpacks and camp knives to outdoor books and skateboards, the shop offers a special selection of rooted-in-nature products that provide great aesthetics and solid functionality at a modest price point. One of Niles’s primary goals in creating Worn Path was to maintain an inclusive, communal feeling within the store, while also encouraging its visitors to pursue their favorite outdoor activities.
Friends & Neighbors
Austin, TX
Designed to make you feel right at home and a part of the Austin community, Friends & Neighbors is a concept store that feels comfortable and cozy, offering all of your favorite items under one roof. The layout of the store actually mimics a typical house with each room looking like and selling what’s associated with that space – beauty products can be found in the bathroom, lingerie in the bedroom and housewares in the kitchen, which also has a super cute café. To top it all off, Friends & Neighbors has a stellar outdoor area where visitors can play a board game, sip a glass of wine under the pecan trees, gather for a local meetup or poetry reading, and grab a bite to eat from Cool Beans, the backyard vegan taco truck.
Topo Designs
Boulder, CO
Expanding its retail presence in Colorado, Topo Designs opened a Boulder storefront this summer to continue to share its mountain-inspired products to a town of active individuals, who are well-known for enjoying the outdoors. The new space offers a wide selection of Colorado-handcrafted bags and Made in USA apparel. Adding even more to the mix, Topo’s Boulder shop provides various outdoor accessories and equipment from other brands, including lightweight stoves from Snow Peak and colorful hammocks by Kammok.
Glide
Asbury Park, NJ
Alternative surf shop Glide originally opened in May 2011 in a little town called Normandy Beach, but when Hurricane Sandy forced them to relocate in 2012, owners Phil and Jessica found themselves in Asbury Park, a small city on the beach, which is in the midst of a beautiful resurgence as young entrepreneurs, artists and restaurateurs have come to call it home. Glide’s new space is clean and modern, but don’t expect to find your typical cookie-cutter surf shop big-brand labels. Instead, Glide offers some of the best hand-shaped boards in the world, all glassed nearby at their surfboard and glass workshop Heavens, core surf accessories and unique clothing. To better carve out their distinct role in East Coast surf culture, Glide has also collaborated on original products with some well-known brands such as Apolis Market Bags, Ebbets Vintage and Hackwith Design House.
Art in the Age
Philadelphia, PA
Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, a multi-faceted lifestyle brand established in the American tradition of careful craftsmanship, opened the doors to its Philly flagship store in 2008. While the interior design of the shop is reminiscent of industrial times, featuring both antique and vintage décor finds, modern fixtures also serve to highlight the brand’s organic and creative liqueurs, as well as artisan-made home goods, small-run apparel, apothecary must-haves and cocktail crafting essentials. In addition to the maker-focused retail side of the space, about 20 square feet are devoted to create a monthly rotating gallery space that showcases artists of various mediums and themes.
This article was originally published in RANGE Magazine Issue Four.
Images by Niles Armstrong, Jill Bradshaw, Topo Designs, Rob Cusick and Art in the Age.
XX SYDNEY