The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 8
The Pulse
# W E A R E C O M M U N I T Y
Q
Watch the full
#WeAreCommunity
conversation with
Jennifer Pharr Davis
HERE.
Keep Going
Independent retailer, long-distance hiking luminary, and author Jennifer Pharr Davis talks to The
Weekly about finding the right mindset to withstand the COVID-19 crisis. By Bevin Wallace
Name: Jennifer Pharr Davis
Company: Blue Ridge Hiking
Company
Title: Founder and Owner
Location: Asheville, North
Carolina
The Downlow: Long-distance
backpacker, author, and 2012
National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Jennifer Pharr
Davis started the Blue Ridge
Hiking Company 12 years ago
as a hiking and backpacking
guide service. But her guiding clients kept asking her for
gear recommendations, so she
eventually decided to curate
the best of the best in a retail
shop. The store-which she
calls a lightweight-backpacking boutique-celebrated its
one-year anniversary during
the COVID-19 crisis.
We're struggling, but we are
very optimistic, and hikers are
really good about being minimalist and being resilient. So
we are channeling those traits
and putting one foot in front
of the other. And, yeah, we're
going to be here. We're going
to keep going, and we're going to get through this.
Guiding is the heart and soul of
what we've done for 12 years.
We also have a bunkhouse
on the Appalachian Trail and
gear rentals and shuttles. Everything has been forced to
close. Retail is the one thing
we can do.
People still want gear for
when they can get back on
the trail. So even though the
shop's closed, we can still
add value and communicate
8 THE WEEKLY / OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2020
with our customers during a
challenging time.
One of the things we were
doing this year was a book
club. When COVID hit, we
turned the whole thing into
the Armchair Adventure Book
Club-streaming online every
Thursday. It's gotten great
engagements and views, and
it's a way to support authors,
which I love.
Being a caregiver by nature,
that's another weight during corona. You really want
to take care of the people
who have worked for you
and given so much for your
company. And then a lot of
people have families at home
that they need to take care of,
and it just feels so often like
you're trying to make the best
decision and there's no good
decision because there's
not enough resources to go
around.
I think we will make it through
better in so many ways. And I
think the community's going
to respond really positively
when COVID lifts by supporting small businesses and
the people who really are
the local experts.
One of my main mantras
and one thing we say a lot
within our hiking company is
"keep going." That's been a
constant reminder of putting
one foot in front of the other
because it's hard.
We will celebrate. We will
have an extra-big two-year
anniversary next year.
https://blueridgehikingco.com
https://blueridgehikingco.com
The Weekly - May 12, 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Weekly - May 12, 2020
Contents
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - Cover1
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - Cover2
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - Contents
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 4
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 5
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 6
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 7
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 8
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 9
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 10
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 11
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 12
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 13
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 14
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 15
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 16
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 17
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 18
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 19
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 20
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 21
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 22
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 23
The Weekly - May 12, 2020 - 24
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