Photograph by Josh Monken
The words lining the windows say it all: “Explore. Trek. Hike. Kayak. Camp. Climb.” It’s a mantra for Backwoods (9 Fountain Grass, Lake Saint Louis, 636-625-2663, backwoods.com), the new 10,000-square-foot store at The Meadows at Lake Saint Louis. Inside is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. The products run the gamut from casual wear (T-shirts, fleece jackets, shoes) to camping and climbing gear (cooking systems, sleeping bags, harnesses—kayaks coming in spring). SLM recently caught up with the store’s CEO and owner, Jennifer Mull, to see what customers might expect if they make the trek to St. Charles County.
Why Lake Saint Louis? We’ve been in St. Louis before. We had three locations here over the course of about 15 to 20 years, but we closed about seven years ago. We’ve always wanted to get back here. When we were looking at St. Louis in general, we saw Lake Saint Louis as an area that’s growing, and it really fit the areas that we’re tending to go into—lifestyle centers like The Meadows. There’s also a lot of access to the outdoors around here.
With the economy like it is, why did you choose to open now? We didn’t—we chose to move into St. Louis about two years ago. We were originally supposed to open last February, but we got behind on construction, and then we pushed it to fall. However, I would say this industry is pretty fortunate, because people are going outside more; it’s a great way to go on vacation without a ton of costs. Sales of camping and hard goods are actually higher than previous years. So in a weird way, we’re less affected.
What sets you apart from other outdoors stores? First off, we spend a lot of time educating our staff about the products. One of our other businesses is Backwoods Adventures, and we have the staff go out and use the gear. Also, the store’s environment is very inviting and warm. We have nine locations, and people come in at the other stores and just dream about where they want to travel.
Are there any new products that people should check out? Nau is a clothing brand that’s very environmentally focused. Horny Toad and Lolë have come on in the last few years. I can’t forget to mention Vibram FiveFingers because we can’t keep those in our other stores; it’s a footwear brand that’s unusual because it looks like toe socks. They have a lot of applications—running, dance, watersports; they’ve grown very popular.
How has the business changed since your dad founded Backwoods? In 1973, when most people like him were starting a business like this, they started it because they loved to camp or climb. It happened to be a business, but that’s not why people got into it—they just loved the outdoors. Even though you have to run it like a business now because there’s so much competition, you still have to keep it fun for the staff. The other thing is, customers come in here to have fun—they’re not buying groceries or something they have to do. They’re here to see the cool stuff and new technology. It’s kind of the entertainment business in a way. As some managers have told me, people come in to get away from it all.
