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Your local climbing shop

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Andy225 22 Sep 2014
Hello everyone,

I did a simple research and find out that there are few big companies selling climbing equipment, well-known and popular. My dad had a small climbing shop, but after he passed we had to closed it. I would like to reopen it and try it again cause he loved it so much.

Do you have in your local small shop with climbing equipment? How many?
Do you go to local shop or shop from a big companies or online? Do you think is still possible to run this type of bussines? What do you prefer?
Thank for your answers
 BarrySW19 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Andy225:

Generally, stuff that needs to fit me I buy from shops where I can try it on; stuff which doesn't I buy online from whoever has it cheapest.

I'd be surprised if a climbing shop could survive these days if it didn't also have online sales.

 Neil Williams 22 Sep 2014
In reply to BarrySW19:

The Outdoor Shop has moved so far towards online sales that I find the shop itself badly stocked and the staff not always helpful. You genuinely get better service (quite aside from the small guy vs. big guy pricing) at Go Outdoors.

Neil
 The New NickB 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Andy225:

I use a mix of specialist independent, specialist chain, general outdoor chain and the internet. I like to try stuff on and often buy impulsively, so having stock in store is important to me. The economics of the small independent shops seem a bit tenuous to me, I guess it depends on location, ensuring the offer matches the demand and building good relationships with both customers and suppliers.
 Uluru 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Andy225:

Crickhowell Adventure Gear in Crickhowell and Brecon seen to do OK. The Brecon shop have the advantage of having a military base nearby so that helps. It does have Cotswolds and another independent shop also in the town. Crickhowell is quite a popular tourist town so that's how they get a lot of their business, and they hire out caving and other equipment.
 pebbles 22 Sep 2014
In reply to The New NickB:

I try to use climbing shops where poss because they stock specialist equipment and have specialist knowledge that the general outdoor chains could never match. can you imagine Blacks, Go OUtdoors etc hosting a warts and all website about their stock like Needlesports? for the same reason really I would always try to buy guidebooks etc from an independent stockist rather than amazon. But I would very likely order the goods from their online sites rather than physically visiting them, simply because there are none near me!
 deacondeacon 22 Sep 2014
In reply to The New NickB:

I'm in sheffield so have a good choice of stores but I tend to use cragx mostly as the prices are competitive and the advice is great.
I'd happily use larger stores like gooutdoors or even decathlon too if the customer service was better.
I also use outside in Hathersage too for chalk, or the odd bit of clothing if it's on sale as I feel

.it's important to have a gear shop within close range of where I'm climbing.
 Ramblin dave 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Andy225:


> Do you have in your local small shop with climbing equipment? How many?

Our town has an independent walking / climbing / general outdoors place. They're staffed by enthusiasts and hence a) can generally give good advice from experience and b) only stock stuff that's actually useful and competitively priced. They seem to be just about holding up against Cotswolds, who have more stock but less good staff.

> Do you go to local shop or shop from a big companies or online?

I'll go to a local shop if I want to try something on or look at it, want advice, am after something cheap enough that the online saving isn't that significant, or need something in a hurry. I'll go online if I want something expensive or very specific and don't need advice or want to look at it in the flesh. I tend to use the local shop rather than Cotswolds because they normally have better stuff and better advice for similar prices. I try to buy stuff online from "real" shops because I think it's worth not always getting the best possible price in order to be able to try on a dozen rucksacks before deciding which one to get when I need to.

> Do you think is still possible to run this type of bussines?

Possible but difficult, I think.

> What do you prefer?

Shops attached to climbing walls seem to be a good scheme for selling climbing stuff - they tend to be open at a time and place where you were going to be anyway, so you don't have to take a lunchtime off work and head into town specially. They probably also get a fair bit of passing trade from people who go in to kill time until their mates turn up and come out with a pair of technical ice-axes or a portaledge or something. They're probably less accessible than high-street shops for non-climbers though, so less good for selling stuff to walkers and/or the great unwashed.

> Thank for your answers

Good luck!
 AlanLittle 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Andy225:

I have the impression that most of the surviving independent outdoor retailers are situated in major climbing areas, run and staffed by enthusiasts(*), have good internet presence, and manage to do sufficient volume to have reasonably competitive prices. I'm thinking of V12, Joe Brown, Needlesports, Outside etc.

The city I live in has a small independent climbing shop that is focused almost entirely on rock climbing - no non-specialist clothing, very minimal mountaineering and skiing offerings. It is staffed by climbers, has prices generally below anything I can find online, does basically no marketing and has no online presence at all. It is a little miracle and I have no idea how they do it, but as long as they continue to sell me Miuras for 80 Euros I'll continue to be happy.

However the city I live in (a) is not in the UK, (b) is situated midway between the Alps and the Frankenjura, (c) has over a hundred thousand German Alpine Club members - about ten percent of the entire population of the city - and six big commercial climbing walls, all of which are packed every weekday evening. So the local market for a specialist shop is exceptionally large.

(* when I realised I the person I was asking about gear for slate in V12 last year was Emma Twyford my confidence in the advice I was getting increased considerably)
 gingerbex 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Andy225:

Dick's climbing in Bristol - great example of a local climbing shop. Extremely helpful and knowledgeable staff (and owner); very involved with the local climbing community (walls and clubs). I try to buy what I can there, to support local trade, and would prefer to do this whenever I can.
I do appreciate though that prices may be prohibitive for some, however he still has great deals and has discount nights etc. I get the feeling within the local climbing community there is a lot of support, but then a city the size of Bristol with the climbing activity it has may be able to support this along with gooutdoors/cotswolds/s+r and another small (3 shop) more local chain.

http://www.dicksclimbing.com/

 BnB 23 Sep 2014
In reply to gingerbex:

Dicks, Needlesports and V12 are the most helpful I've encountered. And they have one thing in common, they are staffed (and I would guess, owned) by enthusiastic climbers.
 AlanLittle 23 Sep 2014
In reply to Ramblin dave:

> They probably also get a fair bit of passing trade from people who go in to kill time until their mates turn up and come out with a pair of technical ice-axes or a portaledge or something.

If this forum had a system for voting to praise/damn other people, I'd be voting you a big plus for that. Loved it.

In reply to Andy225:

The local shops (Outside and Hitch'n'Hike) seem to be successful but they are in the middle of Peak climbing, and have web sales too. In town, Crag X at the Foundry and The ClimbingWorks shops both do well just through the sheer volume of trade passing through the climbing walls. Again Crag X is also highly web active.
As far as just buying off the web is concerned, Urbanrock and Bananafingers are both excellent. Off the beaten track, RutlandCycling and Homebarn are worthwhile for cut price Arcteryx. Which is nice.
 climbwhenready 23 Sep 2014
In reply to Andy225:

I go to my local independent climbing shop when I want to have a play with something, or try something on. I also go when I want random fairly low-value stuff. They seem to be doing well, but I suspect most of their sales come from online. I want to support them so that there will be places to try on shoes/harnesses etc. in the future, as well as places to buy stuff you might want half way through a holiday - large "outdoor" shops seem to have a climbing selection that consists of 50 harnesses, two sizes of nut and one size of cam.

However when it comes to buying more expensive stuff, I go for wherever is cheapest (out of local & online).

If you're opening a shop I think you have to a) know your shit, b) be price competitive, c) have a wide selection of stock, because it's very annoying if someone comes in and you're out of something (and also it means you might not be able to fit a good pair of shoes, for example).
 illepo 23 Sep 2014
In reply to Andy225:

I try to use the local shops as much as possible. I like having the gear in from of me to try. But i'm finding it harder and harder to stick to that policy. An example of that would be my wanting a new set of offsets, none of the shops have any in. They offer to order them in, but then what's the point? I'd rather order them myself from needle sports.

I think a local shop would be viable but really depends on what you stock. I don't think things like offsets are that specialised to not have in stock.
Andy225 25 Sep 2014
In reply to Andy225:

Thank you all for your answers. I do appreciate it.

Well I agree with things you said about running this type of bussines. And I am glad to see that you still support shops like this and love to go there It makes me feel more confident in my plans.
Thanks to all

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