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Gear for Good: Secondhand Consignment Gear for Sustainable and Accessible Adventures with April Peterson, River Rock Outfitter (Ep 65) · Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more!

• 0:00
  Jessica Bowser: From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is a mecca for outdoor travel and adventure. Virginia outdoor adventures Podcast is your local guide for hiking, camping, kayaking, travel and so much more. Get the information and the inspiration to plan your own adventure right here in Virginia, I'm your host. Jessica Bowser, what if you could acquire the outdoor gear you need for your epic adventures without breaking the bank or contributing to the fast fashion and throw away culture, or what if you could declutter your closets and earn some extra cash for the gear you aren't using?
• 0:37
  Jessica Bowser: April Peterson, owner of river rock outfitter in Fredericksburg, shares why second hand and consignment shopping isn't just trendy, it's a powerful way to reduce waste, support your local businesses and adventure sustainably, while also making the outdoors more accessible and affordable. April uncovers the etiquette of buying and selling pre loved gear, and provides tips for gifting used items, so your one of a kind presents will be extra special.
• 1:08
  Jessica Bowser: Discover unique treasures while keeping gear in the wild. Let's go Virginia. Outdoor Adventures is sponsored by breaks, Interstate Park, brakes Park is a hiking destination in the heart of Appalachia. Every trail features something that will awe you, including geologic formations, scenic views of the canyon, stream crossings and wildlife viewing. Trails range from easy to difficult. The convenience of lodges, campgrounds and luxury cabins inside the park means you'll never need to wander far from the trail. Come see for yourself why breaks is known as the Grand Canyon of the South. Download the digital trail guide at breaks park.com or click on breaks Interstate Park in the show notes of your listening app, April, welcome to Virginia outdoor adventures.
• 2:01
  April Peterson: Thank you so much for having me, Jessica.
• 2:04
  April Peterson: What do you love
• 2:05
  Jessica Bowser: about Virginia's outdoors? Oh, man,
• 2:08
  Unknown: I love everything about Virginia outdoors. You know, my husband was is a retired Marine.
• 2:11
  Unknown: We've lived all over the country. One of the things that I tell people all the time is that we have the most amazing State Park program, the fact Virginia that you can go from like Tip Top mountains to coastline to marshes to flat lands and everything in between.
• 2:32
  Unknown: It's just amazing that we have so much landscape that we can go and see and enjoy. So I'm not necessarily an expert, but I think that I've traveled enough to know that Virginia is one of the best states to visit for our outdoor recreation.
• 2:48
  Jessica Bowser: I'm really excited to talk with you today about consignment and resale gear, especially as we're going to be coming up on the holidays here really soon. And I thought it might be interesting to kick things off with a little bit of a quiz. Do you mind if I put you on the hot seat? Let's do it all right. So I have two multiple choice questions for you, and the first one is, how many tons of textile waste end up in US landfills annually? Is it A, 1 million? B, 5 million or C, over 10 million? Oh,
• 3:20
  Unknown: man, I know it's a lot, you know. Let's go somewhere in between. B, you
• 3:26
  Jessica Bowser: know, the answer is actually, C, it's over 10 million. The number is closer to 11 million, if you can believe that
• 3:33
  Unknown: that is wild. That's wild. It
• 3:35
  Jessica Bowser: is really wild, yeah, but it kind of goes to show you know what the fast fashion industry has done, and why consignment is a growing trend in the US right now?
• 3:45
  Jessica Bowser: That's exactly right. And then my second question is, how many pounds of plastic packaging waste is created from online shopping in the US annually? Is it A, 1 billion pounds? B, 2 billion pounds or C, 4 billion pounds?
• 4:00
  Unknown: Let's go for the big one this time. Let's say c
• 4:03
  Jessica Bowser: you got it. I know, right. You hope it's not that much, but it is. It's over 4 billion pounds. What we're going to be talking about today is really pertinent, not just for the sustainability of consignment shopping, but also we're going to be talking about accessibility as well, because we know that outdoor gear can be really pricey and that can be a barrier for a lot of people getting outdoors. Yeah,
• 4:26
  Unknown: absolutely. And I think the power of shopping local too, because, as you discussed with shipping and plastics, and you know, when you go into your local gear shop, you avoid all that. So I think, you know, that's a big part of the economy conversation that I think we'll have today.
• 4:41
  Jessica Bowser: How does buying outdoor gear from a consignment shop help reduce waste and landfill impact?
• 4:46
  Unknown: Yeah, and I think it's exactly what you just talked about in those quizzes, which, you know, really opened my eyes when I when I heard those big numbers, as somebody who loves gear, and I have a ton of gear, and that gear accumulates in your car. Calls it, and you keep buying new gear, because there's new technologies out there. You know, consignment programs offer us the opportunity to drop off our gear at a spot that's going to keep that gear adventuring, where it's going to keep it in the wild, so that somebody else can have access to it. And when you shop local, and shop at one of your local gear stores or consignment stores, and you buy something that's been pre used or loved, you're keeping it in action and all of us, whether it's for a sustainability mission, because you appreciate that about having a used product, or whether it's because you know you're trying to save some money and get some really good gear to get out there and climb or hike or paddle. There's just many reasons why consignment such a benefit, you know, and that resell and reuse market is such a good one for the outdoor industry, aside
• 5:53
  Jessica Bowser: from being more eco friendly, what are other benefits of buying used gear?
• 5:56
  Jessica Bowser: How does it support the community?
• 5:59
  Unknown: Yeah, you know what consignment is so interesting?
• 6:01
  Unknown: And I think everybody's sort of route to consignment is different, you know it's you've got consigners who for somebody who drops off gear, or has the ability to drop their gear off at a consignment store, you have the opportunity and make some money, make some store credit, so you can get that next greatest piece of gear that you're looking for. You've got customers who may have, you know, all sorts of reasons why they haven't accessed the outdoors, and one of them may be an economic barrier. And so for those guys, they can go into a gear consignment shop and find really good used gear at a cheaper price. And then you've got store owners, and you know, it's expensive to stock your shelves with Outdoor Gear. It's not any cheaper for us to buy it than it is for the consumer. And so from a store owner's perspective, you know, we have access to this used gear where we don't have to pay it out until we've sold it. So having these three levels of customers, you know, the customer, the consigner and a store owner, it's just such a healthy way to do business for really all three of those people who all three have different motivations for why they support local gear shops. And then just think about that from an economic development standpoint within your communities, when you have that use gear shop locally, and you can tie that back to your outdoor recreational economy in your community. It's just a win, win, win, win. And it goes on and on. Jessica these consignment programs, which are just really exciting.
• 7:34
  Jessica Bowser: It is really exciting. And I love going into a consignment shop and feeling that community, feeling when you're in the store, especially knowing that all the items that you're seeing there came from your neighbors. I think that's kind of neat, too. It
• 7:48
  Unknown: is so cool. So when you receive those consignment items from the consigner, you know, we always ask the question, Where has this gear been? And it's, it's incredible, just that one question, those answers that you get back. I mean, you know the gears been down, you know, rivers and climbed mountains, and they just have stories and good quality use gear. And we all know those, those brands who produce really good quality gear, they're meant to last a lifetime, truly, they'll outlast you. So being able to put that back out in the wild and allow somebody to have access to it, just, how cool is it to think that you're carrying a pack that has been to the tip top of Mount Rainier? You know, you're just, it's, it's like, it's like a building, it's like anything else, you know, there's a historic there's a story to that piece of gear, and you get to carry on that story. That's right,
• 8:44
  Jessica Bowser: it's no longer an inanimate object. It now has a history and a story with it.
• 8:46
  Jessica Bowser: So that's kind of neat. The last time that I was in river rock outfitter, and I was digging through some of the consignment items, one of the tags had a shirt. It was for a shirt, and the tag said that that shirt had been up old rag mountain over 100 times. And I was like, what?
• 9:07
  Jessica Bowser: So, you know, I, you know, some of the stories are, you know, less significant, but I thought that one was really cool. It just caught my attention.
• 9:15
  Unknown: It's just amazing. And, you know, our very first cell in our reboot program was my very first kit when I went off to college and and I got to purchase my first kit. For the first time with my own money. I went into my local REI store in Arizona where I was in college, and they hooked me up with a backpack, a tent, a sleeping bag, you know, kind of that just initial package you needed. And I doled out my money, which I didn't have very much of at the time, doled out my money and had my first kit, and I kept it with me for decades. You know? I mean, it was special to me, even when I had access, as a store owner, to all this amazing new gear, and I wasn't using my college gear anymore. I. But it was special to me because it held those memories. And so when I opened up my consignment shop, I wanted that to be the first set of gear that I sold. And it was just really cool to see the families that purchased my pack or purchased my tent, and I knew that they were going to carry on those great stories with that gear. You know, there's so many reasons why I think, making sure that this gear that was really built to last a lifetime doesn't end up in the trash somewhere, doesn't end up in a warehouse somewhere doesn't end up staying in your closet. You know, release it. We like to say, release it back to the wild,
• 10:40
  Jessica Bowser: from the rivers of the clinch valley to the mountains of the Appalachians and Allegheny Highlands across the Piedmont to the pine forest savannas of the Tidewater throughout waters of the Chesapeake Bay and beyond. The Nature Conservancy is working to create a world where people and nature can thrive explore the protected lands of the Nature Conservancy's preserves across Virginia. Many preserves are open to the public and offer hiking, camping, biking, boating, fishing, nature photography and wildlife watching opportunities. Don't miss the spectacular Brownsville preserve on Virginia's Eastern Shore, a 1200 50 acre historic farm where birds and other wildlife abound. From the boardwalk in trails traversing this historic farm, you may see deer, fox, raccoons, blue herons, bald eagles, wild turkeys and many other species of birds, or take a self guided audio tour on your hand held device. It's like having a naturalist in your pocket, the William B Cummings birding and wildlife trail offers a round trip hike of three miles through memorable coastal Virginia scenery. Explore wooded uplands, take in expansive marsh views and enjoy the variety of life all around you. Don't forget your binoculars, field guide and a camera connect with nature at a preserve near you by clicking on the Nature Conservancy in the show notes of your podcast listening app. Do you have a sense for how much money is usually saved by purchasing used gear? Yeah,
• 12:16
  Unknown: for us, when we sit in price used gear, it really has to do with the age of the gear and kind of quality of that gear when it's brought in. And so for the most part, most gear is being priced at at least 50% off of what the Original MSRP prices are, and a lot of times even more than that. So when we talk about savings, there's really significant savings in this gear. You know, another interesting thing that we found, and it wasn't something that we were expecting, is that so many people buy this gear with these big hopes and aspirations and dreams, and then life happens, right? They have kids, their jobs, whatever, and they actually don't make use of it.
• 12:57
  Unknown: So it's really surprising how often you can go into a consignment gear shop and actually find brand new gear, often with the tag still on it.
• 13:04
  Unknown: And so it's not, you know, this idea that it's this heavily used or sort of old technology in a gear section, sometimes you'll find brand new gems that just, you know, didn't get used by the previous owner. And so it's a lot of fun. I think, that discovery piece of a used gear shop, you know, you get to go in, you know, it's constantly changing. There's only one piece, so you visit weekly, so that you can kind of hunt through and see what's new and what's different and what you might find. And that discovery piece within a gear shop is, I think, a really fun aspect of our store, and I know that I hear that often from other consign consignment shops
• 13:46
  Jessica Bowser: well, and also I think it's one of the main reasons why consignment in general has gotten so popular.
• 13:52
  Jessica Bowser: It seems like all of the young folks are consignment shopping now. And I was talking to my friend the other day who has a daughter who is going off to college soon, and she came home from one of the consignment shops in the neighborhood with all of these big baggy flannels.
• 14:06
  Jessica Bowser: And I could not believe it, because I'm looking at it going, oh my gosh, like, that's what I wore in the 90s, but that's the style now. So she's out shopping for this kind of stuff. And I'm going, No way this is nuts. I think it's hilarious. But if you go into a consignment shop and you're looking for something like that, it's a great opportunity to find those it's the discovery piece that you talked about
• 14:30
  Unknown: That's exactly right.
• 14:30
  Unknown: And you know, thrifting is just, it's a sport. It's the way I describe it, like young people treat it like a sport. They know where all their favorite thrift stores are, and they visit them frequently to find little special gems. And it's the most exciting thing, I think, for the outdoor industry, because one of the ways, in my opinion, we struggle as an outdoor industry is that we're we are. Really focus on that older population, the ones who have the means to be able to purchase this new gear, which is expensive, the means and the time to be able to travel to state parks, and you know, all these places that maybe you know, young professionals might not have, that those extra funds, and they may not have the time. And I love that the outdoor industry is making changes, and they're doing it in lots of ways, and you can see it in local communities. They're building local trail systems. They're building local mountain biking, you know, parks, they're they're exposing their rocks and and having rental programs to get people on rivers that way. You don't actually have to go far to experience the outdoors. And likewise, I think stores are bringing in this consignment component to their stores. That way we can offer a way for the younger users to be able to get in at a better price point, but still have high quality gear.
• 15:57
  Unknown: And that's the piece that I want to emphasize, it's, it's not a goodwill model, right? It is.
• 16:04
  Unknown: This is high quality gear that you're getting that has been tested by our stores and our gear experts, and we know that it's going to work for you when you get out there on the trail.
• 16:15
  Unknown: And so you're still getting high quality pieces to be able to go outdoors. But I love this piece of this, like local economy aspect, where, you know, cities are doing their part, and I think stores are doing their part to be able to expose the outdoors to this younger generation.
• 16:32
  Jessica Bowser: That's such a great point in this podcast is always focused on introducing people to new activities, and oftentimes that means having to find the gear, and that can often be a barrier for folks, especially if it's expensive gear, because nobody wants to make a big investment in, let's say, a bike or a kayak or something else that costs a lot of money, if they're not really sure if they're going to get into it, or, you know, how often are they going to use that gear?
• 17:00
  Jessica Bowser: And I think when somebody makes that decision and then they start shopping, this is a great opportunity for that. And so in past episodes, if I've been doing an episode about mountain biking, for example, I always ask, Where Can somebody find a mountain bike without having to go into a bike shop and pay hundreds or 1000s of dollars for a mountain bike? And so this is the same concept, right? People can find things that maybe they don't have the means for buying brand new, but it makes it accessible to them.
• 17:28
  Unknown: That's exactly right.
• 17:28
  Unknown: And the story of the customer is a really good one. But I also like the story of the consigner too, because it opens up some new doors for that person who is consigning some of their older gear, kind of like I talked about myself, right? I know that I was not going to use my first kit again. It was heavy, it was bulky. I had some access to some newer lighter gear that I wanted to use as I get older. I need to consider lighter packs on my back to save my knees. Girl, you know what I mean, and so as a consigner, it allowed me the opportunity to earn some money from that first kit, to be able to put towards new gear that I could get outdoors with. And, you know, I think the outdoor industry, this is a whole nother show, but the outdoor industry has a problem with greenwashing.
• 18:19
  Unknown: So I think a lot of times we talk a lot about being, you know, sustainable, and we're more sustainable than most, you know, as an outdoor industry, but we're just as bad as as any other industry in that we're constantly producing goods more and more and more clothes every season, more colors. And so in a lot of ways, we're, you know, we're a big part of the problem as well. And I think, from a consigner standpoint, what, what this provides us is, rather than constantly buying new new new with every new color that comes out, or every new upgrade in technology, this allows us to put, you know, our gear which is still usable, which is still great, which is still high quality, back out into the wild, earn some money before we purchase that, that next great thing. And so that's that life cycle, I think, of gear, whether you're the customer or the consigner. And I think that's where we really start building a sustainable model within our outdoor system. And that's what I really like about it.
• 19:25
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• 20:03
  Jessica Bowser: Songbirds and birds of prey following the Atlantic coastline as they migrate south are funneled down the peninsula, creating one of the highest concentrations of migrating birds. One of the best places to view Raptors during this time is the observation platform at the Kitsap peak. Cock watch winter brings migratory waterfowl by the 1000s. If you're a birder like me, this is paradise. I've been exploring the Shore's 22 stops on the Virginia bird and wildlife trail, including the Nature Conservancy's Brownsville Preserve. In addition to natural beauty, the Eastern Shore is also known for their local artisans, including painters, sculptors, glass blowers, wood carvers and more, discover unique gifts inspired by this coastal Haven, natural beauty and authentic coastal heritage.
• 20:52
  Jessica Bowser: It's a shore thing. Start planning your Eastern Shore trip today. Click on visit the eastern shore of Virginia in the show notes of your podcast listening app. So what kind of gear can somebody find in an outdoor gear consignment store?
• 21:08
  Jessica Bowser: I imagine it's not everything, right?
• 21:11
  Unknown: Yeah, it's, you know, I think there's still some stigma as there should be. You know, when you're wearing outdoor gear, you're doing a lot of things in it, like sweating, so a lot of, like, gross sort of adventures, and a lot of that stuff should probably not be repurposed in a gear shop, but you would be amazed by what you find. Jessica, you know, one of the most exciting things for our store is when we sit and think, hey, we we we know about everything. You know, because we've got all the catalogs we get to go to the buying shows.
• 21:41
  Unknown: We hear from our reps, but with our consignment program, somebody will always bring in something where I'm like, wait a second, what is that? And then I learn it's discovery on my part too, where I'm like, I didn't even know that existed. That is so cool. And that's kind of that great piece to that, that consignment program all the different, you know, bits and bobs that you'll find. So, you know, gear, I think it's a great place to buy used backpacks, sleeping bags, because they're easy to clean. You know, jackets are a great thing to buy used.
• 22:14
  Unknown: And you'll find all sorts of sort of mid layers and outer layers within a gear store. You know, clothes I think is absolutely fine, and you'll find a lot of that. In fact, we the thing we saw the most is soft goods, our clothes. And again, because these outdoor brands are building clothes really well.
• 22:33
  Unknown: It's not like a fast fashion sort of industry. We're building clothes with technology that's meant to last. And so you can get a lot of great close to within an outdoor store. But I encourage people just go to your local find your local consignment shop, wherever that is, and just go in. You know, I think maybe this podcast, the term for this podcast, is discovery. I didn't even write that down, but I love that term.
• 23:00
  Unknown: Since you and I have been talking, it is discovery. Go in and see what you may not have known exist, and you, I promise you, will not leave that store without something cool, different you didn't know you needed it absolutely.
• 23:15
  Jessica Bowser: And for folks who want to sell some of the gear that they have at home, maybe they just need to make more space, or they want to declutter, or they're not using it, or they just want some extra cash. How does outdoor consignment work? Do they just bring it into the store and you sell it for them? Or what's the process? Yeah,
• 23:31
  Unknown: so definitely Google your you know, local consignment store. We're lucky in Virginia, because we pretty much have a consignment shop in each of the regions. So you've anybody who's listening to this podcast has one nearby, so definitely google it. Find your local one. Check out their website to see what the terms are. A lot of us have very similar terms. I mean, for river rocks, reboot program, the consigner gets a little bit more of a percentage if they receive payment back in store credit.
• 24:01
  Unknown: It's just a benefit to us, but it's an also a benefit to our consigners, because they know that they're going to be spending it on something. And that's the cool thing. A lot of times, our consigners will come in and say, Hey, I need a new pack. I need a new bag, I need a new whatever. And so they've they're bringing in consignment to earn their money, and we've got consigners sitting on, I'm not exaggerating, like, 1000s of dollars, Jessica, they just saving it for a kayak or, you know, whatever it is that they want. So it's, it's a really cool way to get that next piece of gear. But then consignment shops will typically always offer a cash out option too, typically at a little bit of a less, less of a percentage, but for somebody who's like, I've already got everything that I need, I'm not looking for anything right now. Just send me a check for my gear. And that too is beneficial to a to a gear shop, again, from the standpoint that I don't have to pay you until that item has sold. And so it's a benefit to both of us, that relationship. So. So it's a great way to earn a little extra money, or put it towards a cool, new piece of gear.
• 25:06
  Jessica Bowser: Oh, how cool.
• 25:06
  Jessica Bowser: Especially with the holidays coming up, I feel like it's always a good time to sort of clear things out that you don't need anymore, because you know that more stuff is going to be coming in. That's exactly right.
• 25:17
  Jessica Bowser: So for those who are thinking about shopping for others by buying consignment. Is there any stigma around giving gifts of used outdoor gear and especially apparel? You
• 25:28
  Unknown: know, I think that this is also generational. I think if you have younger people in your lives, there's very little stigma around it. I mean, these guys are comfortable. They talk in terms of thrifting. They understand sustainability in a way that I think our generation maybe didn't, and certainly older generations didn't. So if you've got a younger person, I think they're going to see it as such a plus that you bought them something used, and make sure they know it too. Maybe get some stickers from that used gear shop, put it inside the card, let them know what you did, because they'll see it as not only do they get something really cool from you, they're going to understand, you know, from a thoughtfulness standpoint, what you just did in terms of environmentalism and in shopping local for an older, you know, generation, let's say 40 plus, not to give away any of our ages, you know, 4045, plus.
• 26:22
  Unknown: This is where I think you gotta tell a little bit more of a story, right? I think clothes are fine. I think gear is fine.
• 26:29
  Unknown: I think just look at it and make sure that you're buying a quality piece. And then make sure you tell the story for how you chose to shop local to purchase them that piece of gear, you know, you know the person that you're buying for.
• 26:44
  Unknown: You know if they're going to be comfortable with it and what their their comfort level is, and if they are going to understand and appreciate that story, then I would say, go for it. So
• 26:54
  Jessica Bowser: there is some etiquette it sounds like when giving secondhand gear. And that's really good advice, because I think the last thing you want is for somebody to open up a gift and go, you bought me what?
• 27:05
  Unknown: That's exactly right.
• 27:05
  Unknown: And I think, you know, gift giving is so personal, we should always sort of think about that end user when we're buying a gift. And it's no different if it's used gear and new gear. You know who you're buying for. And if you think that they'll appreciate that story, it's a special story, so don't be scared to do it.
• 27:23
  Jessica Bowser: Yeah. You know, in fact, I think if I purchased something secondhand that still had the tag on it with the description of where that product had been and what that what that item's history is, I would leave it on. I mean, I think that's part of the charm.
• 27:35
  Jessica Bowser: That's
• 27:37
  Unknown: exactly right. Exactly right.
• 27:41
  Jessica Bowser: Looking for an outdoor gear consignment shop near you. Check out these local neighborhood Outfitters, Good Wolf gear in Reston, high tour Gear Exchange in Charlottesville, Roanoke mountain adventures in Roanoke trail hut in Richmond, and river rock outfitter in Fredericksburg. Check your show notes for the links, white used outdoor products are appropriate to give and which ones should be skipped. Thinking, Joel,
• 28:09
  Unknown: I usually whether it's new or used. I try to steer people away from things that are super personal, like pair of boots, right? I mean, that's shoes are personal. Everybody's feet are different. It's hard to sort of judge that, and a lot of times with used gear shops, one of the limiting factors is because it's consigners that you're paying a lot of times, used gear shops won't have very lengthy return policies, so definitely check that, because once we pay out the consigner, we're not going to take that, that product back, so make sure you understand the use gear shops return policies before you do this. But think about things from that sort of discovery piece, the thing that might be new or different, something that the end user, the person you're giving the gift to, may not know about. Find those unique little gems within a gear shop that are really cool and different, you know, packs and bags and belts and all sorts of cool things.
• 29:07
  Unknown: You know, a lot of used gear shops are also doing fun things around there's, you know, there's certain rules around some of the things we sell. For example, we can't sell anything that was weighted. So we can't sell climbing gear. For example, we can't sell or use climbing gear. We can't sell helmets, anything like that, because you're not from a safety standpoint, it's not good to buy that used. So what we'll do is we'll still take it because we don't, again, don't want it to go into a landfill. But a lot of used gear shops are doing fun things with those pieces. So for example, they may be making dog collars or leashes out of old climbing rope. So talk to some of these gear shops to find out.
• 29:49
  Unknown: Hey, are you repurposing any of that used gear that's coming in that you may not have been able to sell into something cool, new and different? So it's just this can go. This goes on. On and on and on. And this is the fun part about discovering your local gear shops and then taking a tour around Virginia and discovering them all, because each specializes in different things based off of their you know, community of consigners.
• 30:14
  Unknown: It's endless what you might be able to find and discover in a used gear shop. April,
• 30:19
  Jessica Bowser: do you want to describe a little bit what river rocks reboot part of the store looks like, what people can expect when they come into the store. Yeah,
• 30:27
  Unknown: absolutely. You know, we opened store 10 years ago, and from the beginning, I always wanted a used gear portion of our store. I had fallen in love with a used gear store in Vermont that just never left my memory, and I always wanted that within our store, but coming up with the policies and procedures and getting it rolling, I never did that. And then COVID hit, and one of the challenges for the outdoor industry was sort of a good challenge and a bad challenge. On the bad side, we had supply chain interruption, where it was just really difficult to get gear. On the good side, we had a bunch of new customers because, as people had more time, because they were they had to, you know, stay at home from their jobs. They were discovering local trails and going outdoors where it was safe. And so we had more customers, but less gear. And so in 2020 I started our program, which we branded as reboot. And honestly, from a small business perspective, we talked about this earlier in the podcast, where it's motivations, right?
• 31:30
  Unknown: What motivates each of the customer types to shop or sell use gear? My motivation was I just had to get gear. It was survival. I just had to have gear in my store to sell. And so it was a great motivation for me to get kick started this consignment program. And so reboot for me, I won a grant through national Main Street, and I was able to really brand it. We came up with, you know, some logos around the idea of recycling adventure. We our tagline is keep gear in the wild, and really was able to market our gear shop. And more importantly, you know, every gear shop needs sales, but more importantly, we could tell the story of why use gear was important, and that's been the most fun for me. My reboot section is merchandise right alongside my new gear. It was important to me that as customers come into the store, they don't really feel like there's a difference, you know, if there is any of that stigma, you know, I wanted to take down that barrier within the shop so, you know, you've got new gear right next to the used gear so it all kind of meshes and melds together and tells that story.
• 32:43
  Unknown: And so I've really enjoyed that.
• 32:47
  Unknown: I think that it, you know, the shopping experience is a good one. And any of the other used gear shops around Virginia, and I've been to all of them, because we all call each other, we all talk to each other, we all learn from each other. And all the gear shops are the same way. They're just so much fun.
• 33:04
  Unknown: And like we discussed before, Jessica, it's just your local gear shop is the heartbeat of your community. It's, you know, one of my employees called it, you know, river rock, the cheers of our downtown. We know everybody's name, we know their children's name, we know their dog's name. Our customers come in, they show us pictures from their travels, like we just get to know each other in a way that I'm not sure happens in all other stores. So outdoor stores are so special that way, and I encourage all of your community, and I know your community is so good about supporting outdoors, so I'm preaching to the choir here, but go and find your local gear shops that that kind of heartbeat, and discover the ones that are selling this used gear, and they're going to help you with that discovery piece to get that very special gift, or that next piece of gear that you need to get outdoors. And maybe even more importantly, for our local communities, they're going to tell you about the local trails and the local water and the local rocks and all the fun ways that you can adventure just walking outside. You know your back door. So it's, it's all linked together. And you know, Jessica, the fact that you tell that story every day with your podcast is just, it's, it's an important link to all of this.
• 34:23
  Unknown: We're all doing such good work to promote the outdoors and all the benefits of playing in the outdoors, particularly in Virginia, River Rock
• 34:33
  Jessica Bowser: has some exciting things coming in the future, doesn't it?
• 34:39
  Unknown: Yes? Well, because of all these wonderful things we were talking about on here, my programs are growing and expanding and and that's that's great. And so we are opening up our second store. We're still in Fredericksburg, but we're taking it outside of our historic district, and we're opening up in an outdoor mall center here called Central. Park. And basically that's just going to give me more square footage, more usable square footage, to expand my new offerings, but to also expand and continue to grow reboot, which is what we're really excited about. So people will be able to find us in that new space in April of 2025
• 35:18
  Jessica Bowser: Wow, I can't wait. I mean, I love the location you're in now, but also I could see where it's a little awkward because you are downtown Main Street area, so parking, you know, you kind of have to sometimes park a block or two away. And I've seen people carrying kayaks out of your store down the street.
• 35:35
  Unknown: Well, the same, like, same with our consigners. You know, our consigners bring in these big bags of all of their gear, you know, backpacks and shoes and so I, you know, I think giving them the opportunity to make that process easier, we're really excited about, yes,
• 35:50
  Jessica Bowser: whenever you can park a little bit closer to the door, that's usually a little more convenient. Awesome. Okay, so we're gonna wrap it up here really soon, but I have a couple of closing questions, and one that I'm really excited to ask you, especially since you were sort of the gear queen, and you know, everything there is to know about outdoor gear. And that question is, what is one piece of gear you can't live without? You
• 36:14
  Unknown: know, you, you sent me this question in advance, and I'll tell you what. I lost some sleep over it last night, because I have so many babies, so many pieces of gear that I love, but I started to think through like my adventures and what is always with me, and Keith and I, my husband and co owner of the shop. We love to travel. We love adventure travel, discovering new locations and countries and places. And the one thing that's always with me is my Patagonia black hole duffel, that sucker.
• 36:44
  Unknown: It's a duffel, and it's a backpack, and one which is perfect for the type of traveling that we like to do. So I feel like, if that that might be I don't want any of my other pieces of gear to hear me say that that one's my favorite, but I definitely think I use that one the most. That's
• 37:04
  Jessica Bowser: awesome.
• 37:04
  Jessica Bowser: Anything that's versatile, like that tends to go to the top of the Favorites list, right? Like you can do so many different things with a versatile piece of gear, and that makes it worth hanging on to for a really long time. That's exactly right.
• 37:15
  Jessica Bowser: Awesome. April, how can listeners connect with you and with river rock outfitter,
• 37:23
  Unknown: yeah, check us out on our website at WWW dot river rock outfitter.com and you can also follow us on our social media pages at River Rock outfitter, on Facebook and on Instagram.
• 37:34
  Jessica Bowser: April. Thank you so much for joining me today on Virginia outdoor adventures. Do you also want to mention what your store hours are for people who are coming in for some holiday shopping. Yeah,
• 37:44
  Unknown: Heck, yeah. So we are open seven days a week. We're open Monday through Saturday, 10 to six, and Sunday, 11 to four.
• 37:51
  Unknown: And if you follow us along on our social media pages, on Facebook and Instagram at River Rock outfitter, you'll find that we've got some extended holiday hours too, which we're excited about. So yeah, come on down.
• 38:02
  Unknown: Check out Fredericksburg in the holidays. I it's, it's like a hallmark town. It's amazing. You
• 38:11
  Jessica Bowser: are absolutely going to see me in Fredericksburg before the holidays. I'm going to be in the shop for sure, because I I'm really excited to be doing some consignment shopping this year for the first time for other people. So yeah, I can't wait to see you there. Thank you so much. April adventure on
• 38:28
  Unknown: Thank you. Jessica.
• 38:30
  Jessica Bowser: Virginia Outdoor Adventures is inspired by and supported by listeners like you, which is why your messages and feedback mean so much to me. You can text me directly by clicking on Send me a text message in your show notes. I answer questions, respond to comments and share your feedback on the show never miss an update. Get even more information and inspiration by signing up for my newsletter. Click on newsletter, sign up in your show notes or visit Virginia outdoor adventures.com. Thanks for listening until next time.
• 39:04
  Jessica Bowser: Adventure on you.