30
Outdoors
Smoky Mountain News
Supported by the
mountains
year, said Motion Makers Bicycle Shop owner Kent Cranford. Sales for the June to October period outpaced any previous year, and yearto-date sales are “way up from ever before.” The staff is larger than it’s ever been. That’s all true despite rampant inventory shortages. “We have worked hard to not run out of bikes and repair parts,” said Cranford. “We get new bikes every week but there are still customer backorders for specific models that have been waiting for months. Our suppliers tell us it will be another six to nine months before we start to see normal supply again.” Inventory shortage is an industry-wide issue for outdoor retailers, something that Wilson said shows the importance of local supply chains. While Western North Carolina retailers are still having a hard time with inventory, he said, overall the area does have more access to recreation equipment due to the fact that ever-increasing numbers of brands are located here. “I think we’re going to see a lot of entrepreneurs coming out of this moment in time as people are laid off from their jobs, staying at home, tinkering and seeing needs that they need met,” he said.
THE PRICE OF SAFETY Mask-wearing customers go for a zip line adventure at Nantahala Outdoor Center. NOC photo
Pandemic multiplies SELLING THE SHELVES BARE When the pandemic first began — causing demand, complicates drastic reductions in sales and ultimately a 45day closure in the middle of the typically lucraAppalachian Trail thru-hiker season — operations for outdoor tive Outdoor 76 co-owners Rob Gasbarro and Cory McCall weren’t quite sure what the answer to businesses that question would be. In a March 19 interview BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER s the Coronavirus Pandemic continues, people worldwide are rediscovering the outdoors in a big way — leading to record visitation at public lands in Western North Carolina and offering a marked boost to outdoor-oriented businesses and communities even as the nationwide economy continues to suffer. However, even this successful sector has met its share of challenges related to labor market shortages, supply chain disruptions and the sheer challenge of making up for revenue lost during full-on closures this spring. “The communities that do have recreation are much better off than those that don’t have recreation,” said Noah Wilson, program director for the Growing Outdoors Partnership of outdoors businesses in Western North Carolina. “If we didn’t have these mountains and we didn’t have the recreation opportunities we have here, we would all be hurting so much more. It’s one of those things where it’s all about how you view it. You may not be having the best year ever, but are you having a year where you’re going to make it?”
A
while the store was still open, Gasbarro pondered how much things had changed in the past week and wondered how much worse they might get in the weeks to come. In a May 2 email
Jennifer Dixon hikes at Mingo Falls in Cherokee. Jackson TDA photo
to The Smoky Mountain News, McCall said that the situation was “on a completely different level” from anything the business had experienced before, adding that, “regardless of how stable our businesses has been over the last 10 years, it is impossible to operate without cash.” After the store reopened May 15, the situation turned around quickly. “We have been extremely busy this summer,” said McCall. “Traffic picked up considerably in June and has continued to trend even heavier for the last two months.” Sales between June and October have come in slightly higher than the same period in 2019, though overall year-to-date revenues are down over last year. That’s held true despite the fact that supply chain issues and difficulty funding large inventory purchases following the underwhelming thru-hiker season have made it hard to keep the shelves stocked to normal levels. “All of our hard goods — kayaks, canoes, tents, sleeping bags — have been very hard to keep in stock,” said McCall. “Outdoor recreation was viewed as one of the safest alternatives for dealing with COVID and still allowing a sense of normalcy. We have already seen that the supply chain will affect product availability this fall into late spring of 2021.” Nantahala Outdoor Center’s outfitter shop has had similar issues, said NOC President William Irving. “Nobody has boats, PFDs, paddles,” he said. “They are really hard to get your hands on, just like the bikes as well of course.” Bike sales have gone through the roof this
When it comes to outdoor experiences — rafting, fishing, guided trips — the demand is definitely there, but the challenge is figuring out how to provide those services safely while still turning a profit. “We certainly had more demand than what we could accommodate just because of the reduction of guides that we had and the reduction of people in each vehicle that we had reduced capacity to,” said Irving. To prevent spread of the virus, NOC was operating its shuttles at 50 percent capacity, which obviously reduced the rate with which they could transport guests to and from the river. Labor issues compounded the problem. NOC had around 650 employees this year, about 10 percent fewer than normal. Most of the vacancies were for bus driver and food and beverage positions. “Those are roles that are always hard to fill, but this year was extremely hard to fill,” he said. “Once the unemployment benefits started to dwindle, we did see more applicants coming through.” At that point, however, the season was already starting to wind down. Outdoor 76 also reported difficulties with hiring. “The number of employees we currently have is significantly less than pre-COVID,” said McCall. “We had some employees change jobs or relocate, but hiring back workforce since then has been a challenge. We are currently looking to fill three to four positions.” At NOC, public health precautions also added to the staffing issues. “I’d say at any time we had anywhere from 15 to 20 staff that were out every week, just by the precautions that
F
