Outdoor Retail Shakeup: Closures, Comebacks & Community

On this episode of The Rock Fight, Colin sits down with Todd Frank, owner of The Trailhead in Missoula, MT, and board member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, to dig into the state of specialty outdoor retail.

With recent closures like Summit Hut and Next Adventure , the question looms: what’s the future of independent gear shops? Todd shares what makes specialty retail resilient, the challenges of D2C and online competition, and why resale programs could be a lifeline for shops like his.

They also dive into:

• Why community connection still sets local shops apart.
• The role of GOA in elevating specialty retailers.
• Why some markets (like Missoula) thrive while others (like SoCal) struggle.
• The importance of brand storytelling in making product choices.
• Todd’s pick for the next big comeback brand (hint: it’s all about Black Diamond).

Thanks for listening! The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

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