Denver’s Wilderness Exchange is closing its doors after 26 years this coming weekend, although the outdoor retailer reported that its website will remain active “for now.”
Black Diamond’s partner-run shop on the main floor reportedly will also close.
The final day for the store at 2401 15th Street is Sunday, March 29. The store offers a mix of used, consignment, overstock, and sample backcountry gear.
Owner and Founder Don Bushey announced the closure on the store’s website and social media pages on Tuesday, March 24, but did not go into detail about why the store was closing, only stating that “all good things must come to an end.”
“We have always believed in the basic truth that the outdoors belongs to everyone,” Bushey wrote. “We’re proud to have helped to make the outdoors more accessible and affordable for so many people and to have been a part of their outdoor journey.”
Bushey said in a text to BusinessDen, “I’m semi-retiring and looking forward to a year of surfing, climbing, skiing, and having adventures!”
Bushey also informed the BusinessDen that the Black Diamond “store within a store” on the main floor will also shutter. The 3,700-square-foot space underwent a renovation and reopened last January as a franchise model owned and operated by Bushey.
Under the arrangement, Bushey owned and ran the operation with Black Diamond providing marketing and branding support. Wilderness Exchange moved to the 2,500-square-foot downstairs area when the Black Diamond store opened.
Bushey’s full note on the pending closure is below.
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March 24, 2026
Fare Thee Well, Denver
Wilderness Exchange will swing its doors open on the corner of Platte and 15th Street for the last time on Sunday, March 29th. For 26 years, we’ve had the privilege and honor of serving the Denver and Greater Front Range outdoor community. For 26 years, our customers and our staff have shared so many wild experiences-from our vast backyard playground at the foot of the Rockies to the ends of the earth. Having adventures, finding our place under the sun, writing our own epics; it’s a story that has been told and keeps writing itself in mountain shops- around campfires – from generation to generation. The wilderness teaches us a timeless lesson that lies at the heart of what it means to be human and alive. In this sense, Wilderness Exchange has always been way more than just a shop; it’s been a living and breathing community.
We have always believed in the basic truth that the outdoors belongs to everyone. We’re proud to have helped to make the outdoors more accessible and affordable for so many people and to have been a part of their outdoor journey. Denver- it’s been a great run- this has been a blast. Thank you for being a part of it!
Well, all good things must come to an end. For now, we will continue our mission online at www.wildernessx.com. We’ll see you on the trail, on the ski hill, at the crags, and wherever the next adventure takes us. Until then, keep it wild!
Don Bushey, owner and founder
Image courtesy Wilderness Exchange
