Growing up in the shadow of REI, Outlandish is finding new ways to reach outdoor customers in NYC.
“ Our prominent fear is that customers see us as a little REI , ” aver Ken Bernard , who conscientious objector - foundedOutlandish , the 4th Black - possess outdoor paraphernalia storage in the nation .
Bernard understand the outdoor retail ecosystem as well as anyone , having worked as a storey Pb at the REI store in SoHo — just four miles from the Outlandish shopfront in Crown Heights — for five class . “ People enjoy the idea of REI being a Co - Op , the return policy , and 10 % kickback , ” he explains . “ We knew we had to set ourselves apart . ”
To do so , Bernard says , “ We ’ve worked hard to tap into the community , have real conversations with customers , and stay fresh . If we just trade the same thing as REI , we ’re done . If we betray the same things as another speciality shop class , we ’re not really extra . So we do a lot of collabs , like late modified drops with Ciele and Salomon . ”
Photo by Tracy Mammolito, courtesy of Outlandish
Bernard get to know Benje Williams , his co - father , while Williams was moonlighting under Bernard in the footwear department at REI . Both were looking for their next opportunity and started hash out way to solve together . “ We got close while working in the stomach of the beast , ” say Williams . “ After a calendar month , we had coffee , and it just go from there . ”
In early conversation , Williams and Bernard talk over an raiment of opportunities , finally landing on an out-of-door gear shop . “ There already were a lot of great nonprofitsgetting diversity outsideon hikes , ” says Williams . “ At least a dozenorganizationsin the NYC orbit alone . We saw the work being done and did n’t desire to be redundant , so we decided to go a unlike direction to help people get out of doors . ”
Williams , who comes from a non-profit-making backcloth , run across value in building a business that depended on the community around it . Together they sketched a business poser based around a community hub , alone products , and hands - on customer reenforcement . “ We need to pink into an ecosystem of people stimulate about the open who are n’t findingwhat they needat REI , ” pronounce Williams . “ Our thesis was that if we could find all these pockets of masses and invite them in , we would n’t have to depend on grants and subsidies . ”
Photo by Tracy Mammolito, courtesy of Outlandish
Bernard is grateful for his time working at REI , because it assist him become more confident talking about the outdoors to unknown . “ Working there helped me recognise that I do fit in and go . The SoHo entrepot is the most diverse computer memory in the Co - op and equipped me with the tools to go a footmark further . It render us opportunities we could pursue and needs that were fully being assemble . ”
While REI has a good ethics runway platter and a widely loved geared wheel return policy , they ’re not precisely a mummy and soda attempt , reaching a record $ 3.9 billion in sales last year . At the same time , many autonomous outfitter are scramble in a saturated market , while contend with online sellers like Amazon . Despite the odds , Outlandish has found a way to secernate itself : starting local .
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Born and raised in Brooklyn , Bernard has encounter a luck of citizenry in New York who require to get outdoors , but have never had the opportunity . “ We project a physical quad as the missing link . Outlandish is centrally settle , a place where citizenry can meet up and feel a good sense of community . The outer space helps us prepare client and host upshot . That ’s the value of a small workshop like ours over bigger stores . ”
“ We wanted a location near our customers , in their neighborhood , ” says Williams of the Outlandish storefront in Crown Heights . “ Some brands do n’t have diversity in their ethos so they have to think about it a mess , but we do n’t conceive about it at all , because it ’s our background . It ’s rude for us to make everyone sense easy , invite , and welcomed into the store . ”
in spite of appearance , Outlandish is an aggregation of a wide of the mark belt of product . “ It ’s the intersection of fashion and function , ” says Williams . “ You do n’t have to put your personality apart to go outside . ”
Photo by Tracy Mammolito, courtesy of Outlandish
Williams and Bernard set out by reaching out to what they call “ anchor ” brands like Patagonia , Black Diamond , and Arc’teryx , to make a baseline of trust and credibility with customers . But their secret sauce has been add up “ find ” brands that other retailer do n’t carry , often because they are ecological niche .
Many of these breakthrough brand , likeallmansright , are local businesses that they met organically . “ That ’s the great thing about New York , it ’s easy to meet people in the street ” says Bernard , “ REI does n’t deport belittled brands because they do n’t fit their supply chain requisite , but they are many of our best sellers . For example , a local sock company is presently outselling both Darn Tough and Smartwool . ”
While curating the correct products helps Outlandish bring new people in the door , relationship are what preserve them coming back . “ We have personal conversations with all of our customers , getting them set up with the right gear and sharing the story of the brands they are purchase . That ’s the real value , ” pronounce Williams . “ This create a meaningful joining to the products they purchase , and a reason to do back and give us feedback . We have regulars who add up into the shop multiple times each hebdomad just to chaffer . ”
As just the 4th Black - owned outdoor store in the state , Outlandish has learned a fortune from its harbinger . “ We have a call with all three of them every six weeks , to chew the fat about business scheme . It ’s the gift of the curse word of being so few , ” say Williiams . “ They ’ve all been really helpful as we ’ve built the business concern . We dwarf in their storehouse and bring down the Outdoor Retailer exposition with Jamicah fromSlim Pickins . ”
Williams tell a bunch of the scheme they read was introductory — negotiating terms with manufacturers , size of it of inventory , how to get discounts from brand — yet conjointly all important for success . “ A bunch of one - off lessons that impart up to a slew . We would n’t be where we ’re at without their mentorship . ” From these lessons , Williams and Bernard gained a quite a little more sureness and “ feel less like the new nipper on the engine block . ”
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Still , brick - and - mortar retail stay challenge . “ Being honest , on-line shopping is more convenient , ” says Williams . “ We seek to not overly preach about supporting small businesses , but foot dealings keeps the door open . Even our regulars do n’t amply understand how important every sale is to us . ”
“ We feel bright about the way onwards , but it ’s snuff it to be an acclivitous struggle against the large retailers and online shopping , ” says Bernard . “ It ’s lamentable to see small stores closing down around the neighborhood . Without shops like ours , New York would just be Starbucks and Whole Foods and stir Shack . It would n’t be way-out and especial . You ’d turn a loss the character of the block . ”
Photo by Tracy Mammolito, courtesy of Outlandish
Photo by Tracy Mammolito, courtesy of Outlandish
