Your Local Retail Shop: Ridgway Adventure Sports (Part 2)

Our Local Retail Shop Series highlights local gear shops and tells their stories. We chat with shop owners to find out what makes their shop unique and how they serve their local communities. 

Shop Name: Ridgway Adventure Sports

Location: Ridgway, CO

Owners: Andy Persio and Amanda Swain

As we continue our mission to find the coolest local gear shops around, we are revisiting a shop we featured on Dirtbag Dreams back in 2019. Since we last spoke with Andy, Amanda, and the Ridgway Adventure Sports team, the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted everyone’s lives. Local retail shops were especially affected, having to close down their shops, restrict the amount of shoppers inside at one time, and enforce extra safety precautions to keep their staff safe. We checked back in with Andy and Amanda to see how the pandemic has affected their shop and how things are going now that we’re in 2022.

How did Covid-19 affect Ridgway Adventure Sports?

We were really busy right before the pandemic started. There were a few days when Telluride was closing down, but no one really knew what was going on. We were still open and busy, but wondering if it was a good idea to be open. And then before we knew it, we were forced to close. 

After that, bike shops became essential in Colorado, so we were able to open again. We were only open by appointment for a month or two, which wasn’t great for business. After a few months when retail shops were able to reopen, we were up-and-running but with a lot of safety precautions in place. Around this time our shop was extremely busy and the Ridgway, Ouray, and Telluride areas in general were busier than we had seen before. People really wanted to get outside and go to places where there weren’t as many people which brought a lot of people to this region. People weren’t traveling internationally or wanting to be in urban areas, which seemed to push people to areas where they weren’t as impacted by social distancing. We’re kind of socially distanced by nature out here.

Fast forward to today…How is business currently?

Business is steady but December and January had a slowdown I think because of Omicron and lack of snow. We are challenged everyday with supply-chain issues but love seeing customers still trying to access and increase their time in the outdoors.

What are your top-selling products?

I’d say bikes and bike accessories are items that are typically in most demand. After that probably backpacks and hiking/trail running shoes year round and cross-country skis in winter.

What are the top activities that people have been interested in during the pandemic?

Cross-country skiing has really seen a spike in interest and demand for ski packages. Of course biking has too.

Have you guys started doing live events again?

We stopped doing live events due to the pandemic and we’re still in a holding pattern with them. We were doing them quite often before and we hope to continue them in the future because they’re a great thing we can do for the community.

How is your staff doing with everything these days?

During the summer it gets really busy and we definitely get exhausted from the craziness. Things are more low key in the winter so we have been more relaxed recently. We are so lucky that our staff is committed to the health and safety of each other and our customers.

How can the general public support Ridgway Adventure Sports in a world where online shopping is so common?

The best way to support us is to come into the shop before you go online and buy a piece of gear. Our staff can offer gear recommendations specific to you and you can physically try on/touch the gear before you purchase it in our shop. We also offer gear tune-ups and repairs in our store so come by to get your gear fixed up!

If you’re ever in the Ridgway area, do yourself a favor and pop your head into Ridgway Adventure Sports. The awesome staff and copious amounts of outdoor gear are sure to put a smile on your face!

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Do you own a local gear shop and want to be featured on Dirtbag Dreams? Shoot an email over to [email protected] so we can spotlight your awesome shop!