Suppliers are pushing the performance envelope next fall, answering increasing demands for product versatility—ranging from innovative linings that help pump up blood circulation to styling as suitable on the trails as in the office. The latest outdoor footwear offerings address the anywhere, anytime desires of adventure enthusiasts who seek to travel lightly and move fast. Topping the list are all-purpose shoes that can withstand the elements and handle a variety of terrain. And while tried-and-true hikers still have space on many specialty outdoor store shelves, the surge continues in all-around shoes that claim to do more—just like the enthusiasts themselves.
Retail Speak
Specialty stores sound off about what’s moving off shelves, running clubs and the (somewhat) sunny outlook for 2011.
With the long shadow of 2009 no longer darkening many sales floors, specialty outdoor retailers from coast to coast believe this spring will give store owners reason to smile. “Consumers are loosening up their wallets and the recession is starting to recede,” notes Mike Dahlberg, head buyer for Midwest Mountaineering in Minneapolis, MN. “There’s pent-up demand for what [customers] have been craving.”
Dahlberg says what they’re craving in the City of Lakes is natural motion footwear. Keen and Merrell sell well, but he says Vibram FiveFingers is easily their best seller, and offers other retailers his own mantra for 2011: “Watch Vibram very closely.”
Somewhat surprisingly, further west in Fort Collins, CO, The Mountain Shop co-manager, Mike Caputo, has never heard of Vibram FiveFingers. The in-demand products at this store include Ahnu, Patagonia, Teva and relaxed surf-sand brand, OluKai. Looking forward to this year, Caputo sees La Sportiva becoming its top-selling brand. His biggest business gripe is with the large outdoor shops. “The bigger chain stores have return guarantees that are hard to compete with,” he says. “You go to REI and you can return a pair of boots after 100 days, and they’re already destroyed.”
Drive an hour south on I-25 in Colorado and the town of Golden will appear. There, The North Face’s Abby style garners attention, as do most high boots with a little fur. For hikng, Merrell high-tops are number one, and as for natural motion, customers have begun buying Vibram for yoga and pilates.
On the east coast, nestled along the Appalachian Trail within New Hampshire’s border is outdoor specialty shop The Mountain Goat of Hanover. Kendra Dynok, the store’s manager and buyer, has seen an upswing in road runners throughout 2010. To capitalize, she launched a running club. Members have the perk of invitations to in-store clinics from companies like Brooks and Saucony. Dynok says it’s been the best business decision she’s made all year. As for the outdoor category, Montrail and Salomon have flown off Mountain Goat’s shelves. —Meagan Walker
