Northwest Iowa’s Top Outdoor Store is Right Here in Spencer

Andy Steffen admits he doesn’t get as much time outdoors as he’d like.

But as the owner of No Limits Outdoors, located at 212 11th Street SW in Spencer, that’s because he’s kept busy running the store he started and owns; and helping other avid hunters and anglers in Northwest Iowa find the gear they need.

“I try to make as much time as possible, but lately it doesn’t seem to be working out,” Steffen said of his time spent hunting and fishing.

When it does work out, though, Steffen is out hunting waterfowl or pheasant – two of his favorite outdoor activities.

“I enjoy hunting ducks and geese and then pheasant hunting, but second would probably be walleye fishing or fishing in general,” he said. “I just love fishing, whether it be open water or ice, especially since my son’s able to do it with me.”

Then there’s deer hunting, of course, another activity popular in the Iowa Great Lakes area that keeps Steffen busy.

The Perfect Outdoor Store Location

However, what keeps him most busy these days is his store. Steffen opened No Limits Outdoors in July of 2010. While he manages the store operations, his wife, Rachel, heads up bookkeeping and accounting.

Now, No Limits Outdoors is known regionally as one of the best – if not the number one –outdoor stores in all of Northwest Iowa. The location in Spencer absolutely helps.

“There’s a lot of opportunity here for an outdoorsman, without a doubt,” Steffen said.

And, as the guy who runs the store, he gets to hear the many stories of those opportunities firsthand from customers of all ages. He said it’s most likely his favorite part of being in the store.

Steffen said, “it makes it worth it, every time you hear about a kid, who went out and shot his first bird, after coming into your store with questions about what they should use or how they should go about that hunt. Same with helping parents who don’t really get outside a lot, but want their kids to, that’s probably the best thing about my job: The people.”

There’s never a shortage of those stories from the regulars who come in to share them or check up on what might be new in the shop.

“We’ve got the guys that come in on a regular basis and we’ve got guys that kind of come in on a semi-regular basis,” Steffen said. “We’ve got great customers.