Grassroots Outdoor Alliance announced that five new retailers have joined its network of outdoor specialty retailers in April, elevating the group’s network to 104 independent retailers. The additions also set a new benchmark for the total number of retailers in the organization, which now includes 223 specialty retail stores in 45 states.
The five new specialty retailers include:
- Down Wind Sports, with three stores in Houghton, Munising and Marquette, MI, owned by Bill Thompson, Todd King, Arni Ronis, Nic Dobbs, and Matt Abbotts.
- Granite Sports, with on store in Hill City, SD, owned by Lisa and Pat Wiederhold.
- Sherpers, with three stores in Hales Corners, Port Washington and Oconomowoc, WI, owned by Nathan Scherper.
- The Trail House, with one store in Frederick, MD, owned by Drennan and Catie Hicks.
- WheelzUp Adventures, with one store in Cumberland, MD, owned by Mandela and Jaime Echefu.
“As we add more independently owned retailers to our network, it strengthens the work we do in helping all of our members run their businesses more effectively,” said Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Board Chair Maile Spung, owner of Colorado’s Ute Mountaineer and Neptune Mountaineering. “We’re excited to welcome this group of five proven retailers to our network. As we grow, so does our ability to share information and learn from one another, which helps us all serve our communities better.”
The five new retailers will join the other retailers and vendors at the Connect retail buying show June 9-12 in Reno, NV, where the organization will host “148 retail businesses and 147 exhibitors” for line showings to support order writing for the Spring 2026 product. The figures include guest retailers and exhibitors.
Image courtesy Down Wind Sports
