Clean Lines Paddlesports

It’s been an interesting few months, working on ramping up a new rafting store.  One of the more surprising aspects of the initial work has been the variability of vendor interest and engagement.  The industry is in a lot of flux right now; in my ‘day job’ we’d euphemistically refer to the source of this turbulence as “Creative tension associated with perverse incentives” around retailers and manufacturers sometimes competing for the same sale.  That could be the source of the hesitance for some suppliers.  I also started executing on the idea around the same time holiday promotions and business was ramping up, so it could also be just a symptom of being a new distraction around planned work. 

Portland has a very large paddling population by both qualitative and quantitative measures.  The nexus of year-round local and regional rivers and a demonstrably vibrant action sports community means a natural opportunity for whitewater adventures.  For specific metrics, zip codes in the census-defined metro  – with about 2.5 million residents  – had more households enter  in the 4 Rivers Lottery (a federal lottery run to distribute recreational float permits on the Middle Fork and Main Salmon rivers, plus the Selway river and the Hells Canyon section of the Snake river) than all but two entire states, and nearly as much as the rest of the country combined.  There’s a market here.  Not a big one relative to a lot of other goods and services – cost remains a barrier to entry even when exposure and experience are on hand – but a very solid one in this industry that’s not going to be untapped much longer.

When the respective owners of the two rafting shops that formerly operated in Portland (Andy & Bax and Next Adventure Paddleshop) retired over the last few years, I’m sure some vendors and suppliers saw an uptick in direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales.  I think some of those vendors – large players with significant name recognition and ubiquitous market penetration – aren’t all that excited about a retailer getting between them and the customers – or at least the customers’ money.  Retailers exist to ensure customers have access to products and services they need, when and where they need it.  Every product on the market has a substitute, and suppliers’ short term revenue bump might be replaced by long-term decreased market share.  I really appreciate the vendors who have been responsive – I’ll remember that engagement as my company matures and grows; you know who you are and I sincerely thank you for your support.  And for vendors who have been less interested in engaging, there’s still an opportunity for a future that includes you and the rafting community in Portland, if you want it.  We’re past the holidays, so let’s make it happen. 

It doesn’t look like I’m the only one experiencing this tension, based on feedback to the Paddlesports Trade Coalition, perhaps just the newest set of eyeballs, and quite possibly the thinnest skin.