What would you want from a gear shop?

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Dan G
05/01/2002 at 17:33
What would be your ideal gear shop?

What would it stock? Travel gear? Climbing hardwear? Neither? Lots of different models or lots of different colours?

Do you want lots of high-end gear, or would you rather have a wider choice of 'budget' stuff? Kids gear?
Drew
06/01/2002 at 10:55
It would be really, really, REALLY big (7 floors), and would stock everything from Gelert, to MHW, from Key rings, to Bikes, and tents which cost 2grand. Absolutely massive. More of the good stuff though. More MHW, ME, TNF, Berghaus, Karrimor, Lowe, Sprayway, and Terra Nova, than Gelert, or Hi-gear, but still some of 'em.
Dan G
06/01/2002 at 11:30
Seriously though...
Ninja Marmot
06/01/2002 at 11:41
He WAS being serious! He's just described my ideal shop!
Don't forget, though, the excellent book, map and mountain guide section, and the tea shop which sells hot buttered crumpets - like the Cottage Tea Rooms in Kettlewell but bigger; but cheaper than the place in George Fishers - you need a mortgage to have more than a snack in there.

Oh, and staff who Know What They're Talking About.
Michael Brabenec 2
06/01/2002 at 13:36
And a shower where you can test waterproof jackets....
I could swear there's a place somewhere that has this.
Dan G
06/01/2002 at 14:01
But who'd ever buy a two grand tent? I don't think such a shop would ever turn a profit. Though I think Snow and Rock in London has five floors. Maybe they're very small?

Couple of shops up north have test showers. Wouldn't they make your trousers and feet wet?
Dave O aka Jungle Dave ;)
06/01/2002 at 14:14
Probably but never mind that It would be nice to have a shop with all brands stocked and where staff do look and sound as though they are enjoying their job and do actually know what they are talking about!!
Oh yea it would be really big!
Orange Alex Ford
06/01/2002 at 16:54
an in store ice climbing wall...and a really good cafe with HUGE mugs of tea, with free refills, and free gear loan (ok have to pay a deposit), and staff who don't just work saturdays and do actually know their stuff, and a stock room with lots of sizes of everything, and a permanent 80% sale, and no kids allowed, and free Chocolate Hob Nobs on entry, and the full range from EVERY gear manufacturer, and a library of travel/guide books, and free maps on request, and lots of........STUFF!
Michael Brabenec 2
06/01/2002 at 18:37
What about the the 'THF 2 meter dome tent' - *four* grand!!!! I'm sure it would be cheaper to have a tonne of breeze blocks flown to everest base camp and have a hut built there!!!!

anyway.....
neil rich
06/01/2002 at 20:31
most of these features are at CCC, a shop in Sheffield, admitedley they also sell 'family camping' and caravanning stuff but it's a 3 (i think) storey shop with cafe, with climbing wall next door, with tent floor, worth a visit if you're in the area, (John Street, near Bramhall lane)
Orange Alex Ford
06/01/2002 at 20:36
CCC...don't they also have a climbing wall attached to the shop....what's it's name?

The Edge? Went there years ago and was very impressed, but parking and finding the place was a pain mind you.
Dave Moseley
06/01/2002 at 20:39
Sounds more like REI in the States from what I've been told, isn't there a gear shop near Glasgow who had some sort of ice wall you could try axes & crampons out on?
Orange Alex Ford
06/01/2002 at 20:47
cool! sounds good.

Yankie outdoors shops always scared me a little...they always seemed like the shop on Southpark, with the two Vietnam vet geezers...all survivalists and guns, guns, guns; lots of camoflage stuff too...
neil rich
06/01/2002 at 20:55
went into a mililary surplus store last week in vegas, looked it up in the yellow pages and drove off with a street map.
couldn't miss it, it had tanks and anti-aircraft guns parked outside,
there was every bit of military clothing from every army you could think of, tons of hardware, all the lot.
I bought some ration packs, the disarmed hand grenades would have made good paperweights at $6 but I thought they might have caused problems when my luggage went through the xray at the airport.
Yes the climbing wall is called the edge
Orange Alex Ford
06/01/2002 at 21:04
I think know the place Neil.....Thats the one I'm on about........
Drew
06/01/2002 at 22:29
Isn't it TISO with the ice wall in it? Neil, reckon you could go to multimap.co.uk, and get a map of where CCC is? I NEED to go there. It sounds like I could spend days in there, and not get bored.
Ninja Marmot
06/01/2002 at 23:21
The Edge has difficult parking. There are a few spaces on the road outside - filled by about 5 a.m. I reckon. At the top of the road is a multi-junction thingy and you can sometimes park around there.

The tent floor at the top has a viewing window which lets you look at people climbing up a chimney. Try to stop other people's unsupervised children from banging on the glass however, nervous climbers have an epic when they do that for the first time!

By the entrance to the climbing wall is a small cafe but it's hardly the Pen Y Ghent cafe - they sell (goodness me) cappucino and things like quiche! I have to have a pint pot of tea in the P Y G cafe, it's a funny tradition I've had since my teens....
Ninja Marmot
06/01/2002 at 23:26
Here's a map for The Edge Click here.
Si
07/01/2002 at 09:19
Dan, getting back to your original question (I know, sorry, very dull of me). It would need to be large and well stocked. What level of kit it woud carry would depend on who it is aimed at/where it is located. I wouldn't be too interested in Gelert, Regatta etc, but there are many people who would be. I would also like to see a gear lending service (which I am guessing would have to be sponsored by manufacturers) to enable me to try out jackets, tents, etc before I part with my hard earned dosh.
A cafe with similar sized portions of food to the one above Outside in Hathersage would be good.
Also it is vital that the people advising customers about the kit have relevant knowledge/experience in whatever field they're advising on and actually use the kit themselves.

Why did you ask by the way?

Si
Si
07/01/2002 at 09:25
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I would like a discount card for all people called Simon (or Simone, lets not be sexist), nothing unrealistic, say 95%?
Also an adult adventure playground would be fun, along with a massive ball pool with no kids allowed.
And an offroad course, with Land Rovers available to play with.

Right, I'm off to take my medication now.

Si
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