It is beautiful. With concrete, Southern yellow pine, steel trusses, high ceilings, and huge skylights, the shop provides an inspiring, comfortable atmosphere for all kinds of outdoorspeople—from "through-hikers" of the nearby Appalachian Trail to casual day-trippers, who covet the Ugg boots, "Life Is Good" T-shirts, and Vera Bradley handbags. The hardcore enthusiasts go for the technical stuff: tents and snowshoes, sleeping bags and fishing poles, maps and lanterns.
The store sells penny candy from jars near the registers, so anyone craving a sugar lift can fill a paper bag with saltwater taffy and chocolate coins and black licorice. Anyone can also use the large, clean rest rooms, one of which stocks free emergency supplies for women (a particularly nice gesture for hikers who haven't made it to the drugstore). It seems that the store owners, Anne McAndrew and Dave Fairty, have thought of everything. They even have a store motto: The Adventure Starts Here.
Adventures in Expansion Since 1994, when Anne McAndrew and Dave Fairty started Backcountry Outfitters, the store has adjusted its inventory to suit the times and the clientele. "We started out as a technical store," says McAndrew, "but we've softened a bit to accommodate more casual outdoorspeople. Our customer is a family person who likes to hike, fish, canoe. The outdoor industry has changed, as well. When we started, outdoor apparel was green and black. Now it comes in all colors." Backcountry Outfitters moved to its present location, in the building that McAndrew and Fairty helped design, in 2001. With two years left on their original lease, the owners needed to fill the old space with a business that didn't involve much overhead. They opened the Cosmic Hippo, a gallery that sold the work of local artists and artisans. The Cosmic Hippo developed its own following, and when the lease ran out earlier this year, McAndrew and Fairty renamed the gallery Northwest Corner Artisans and moved it into the BCO building, in a section of the shop that once housed boats. Panini Cafe, the pair's third business, opened a year and a half ago. "There are a lot of food places in town," says McAndrew, "but nobody served our kind of fresh Italian food, such as the panini. The cafe is so small that we get deliveries daily. The basil and tomatoes come from our garden." McAndrew is especially proud of the homemade gelato. "People tell us that we were voted best gelato somewhere." Award or no, gelato is a smooth alternative to camp grub. |
That motto could apply to the store's founding, as well as to McAndrew's life. In 1994, longtime friends McAndrew and Fairty moved to Kent to buy a wine shop. When the deal fell through, a realtor told them about an abandoned outdoor-equipment store for lease. Fairty wanted to check it out. McAndrew said, "That's fine for you, Dave. I've never slept in a tent."
Fairty prevailed, and within three weeks, they had cleaned out the store, flipped the dusty, damaged inventory, and opened for business. "It was intimidating at first," says McAndrew. "Especially since it's a male-dominated business. I was glad to have Dave there."
McAndrew hasn't looked back. "We've built a good following. Hikers come through to resupply, downsize gear, repair gear. Kent is a good stop because it has a post office and a laundry, and the hikers know we're here. I love seeing them. They add such a wonderful flavor to the town. Some of the hikers are in their sixties and seventies. They're experiencing life on a different level than most of us."
So is McAndrew. On the weekend before 9/11, McAndrew was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. "One morning I woke up, and my vision was very blurry. Every day, I looked out my window at the same tree. Every day, it looked blurrier.
"I met a woman at a picnic who suggested that I go to an eye doctor. I took all of the tests. Then I had CAT scans, MRIs, everything. Not until I had a spinal tap did I receive the final diagnosis. That was a Friday. I had the weekend to pull myself together and tell my kids." McAndrew has three sons, who are now 13, 15, and 18.
"Then 9/11 happened. I'd told my kids, but I hadn't told anyone in town. After 9/11, I was able to put my own hurdle in perspective. Many of our customers are New Yorkers. It touched everyone in this area. I felt very lucky to be alive."
Three times a week, McAndrew wakes at 5:30am and walks for three miles with three other women. Two of them are cancer survivors. "I always feel like the Jaws music is playing in my body. I never know what's going to happen. I take advantage of each and every day. My illness has also taught me not to judge people. At the store, if someone is cranky, I try to remember that maybe they were just told they had cancer or they had to put their dog to sleep."
 The varied stock at BCO. |
Backcountry Outfitters is not the only business that McAndrew and Fairty run. A portion of the BCO floor space is devoted to Northwest Corner Artisans, which features fine art and craft items made by local artists. And in April 2004, McAndrew and Fairty opened Panini Cafe. After a hard day of shopping (or hiking or fishing), customers can stroll across the parking lot and purchase a grilled Elvis sandwich (mozzarella, provolone, "tons" of bacon, and Tabasco) or a creamy gelato made on the premises that morning.
The businesses keep McAndrew busy, but not at the expense of family life. "My favorite part of retail has been the freedom it has given me as a mom. I'm able to maintain a household and go to soccer games and the class play. If one of my children is sick, I can stay home. Retail also keeps my mind active. Retail can be hard. Every day is a challenge. And I like that."
It's that kind of spirit that makes Backcountry Outfitters a pleasure to visit. Add to that McAndrew's sense of humor. A sign inside Panini reads: Health code regulates that all customers must wear shoes and a shirt in order to be served. However, they say nothing about pants.