Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2016 - 32

IDEAS
tomers can grab me and I can say I skied both the 2016 model and last
year's, and this is what I thought about them.
Be communicative. Every store gets into a spot when it's tight on cash
flow. Let people know what's going on. Come up with payment plan.
Communicating goes a long way as opposed to ignoring phone calls.
We have no doors on our offices. If you have a question, just ask.
I look at what happened when Jarden bought Dana Designs. People
used to buy a pack because they wanted to go on three-week trip. All the
gear was burly. But then things started to go ultralight. Jarden bought
the best backpack company of the era at the exact wrong moment. The
market can change fast.
I will work an all-nighter if I have to in order to maximize the time
I spend on vacation. I just got back from Interbike and Crested Butte
and had to split wood from 5:30 until 9:00 p.m.
You don't need a Prana plaid shirt for anything "outdoors," but it compliments everything else.

THOUGHT LEADERS

Everything is changing. Most of my employees under age 30 wouldn't
go hiking without a cell phone. They might use it to post a cool shot from
the top or just bring it as their camera. It's not the same as it was in 1980,
and that's more or less a good thing.

Vermont's top shop owner on how staying true to
your passions will keep your business growing.

Ok, technically we do have some doors on some of the offices, but they
are to keep the dogs in.

Name: Mike Donohue
Shop: Outdoor Gear Exchange
Opened: 1995
Title: Co-owner
Location: Burlington, Vermont
Downlow: Donohue started with an 800-foot space he and friends built

in 1995 with no experience in the business. They have now grown to
44,000 square feet (and are planning a move soon) and have become
one of the best known brick-and-mortar shops on the East Coast, as well
as the operators of a thriving online business (GearX.com).
We are basically a toy store for adults.
Know the product. Know why you are carrying it. Be able to explain it.
Don't bring something in simply because someone else tells you it's going to be a big thing.
I demo as many skis as I can. I go to the OR and SIA on-snow days, to
rep demos. I really want to know the difference so that employees or cus-

32 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ Winter 2016

We have 100 pairs of new skis on the wall. We have as broad a selection as we can. If you come into the store, you have to be able to find what
you are looking for.
We host a store retreat twice a year. During the retreat, we go over the
state of the store, financials, new policies, big announcements. We get
great feedback on what people are hoping for.
A lot of our employees are feeling the economic pressure of living
in Burlington, so we also unveiled a whole revamping of our tenured
benefits and changed our rate structure to reward for performance and
sticking around. If you are here longer than two years, we add $1,000
to your salary, in addition to other benefits and raises. Our Living the
Dream program kicks in after five years. We give employees $6,000 that
they can use on child care, their first home purchase, going on the trip of
a lifetime or buying ownership in the store.
Start small and stay true to your passions. We have always bought
product and set the store up for the way we would want it to be, for the
things we need for the activities we love. O.R.

Photo by Broudy/Donohue Photography

To the Core

http://www.GearX.com

Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2016

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