Midwest Mountaineering in Minneapolis is closing in October after 53 years in business. The closure will leave Grassroots Outdoor Alliance with one retail member in the state at Lake Superior Trading Post.
Midwest Mountaineering joined Grassroots in 2006 when it was called ROI, or Retailers of the Outdoor Industry. Company Owner and Founder Rod Johnson was elected to OIA’s Board of Directors in 2003 and served through 2006.
In an interview with the Star Tribune, Johnson, 74, said the store had lost money every month in 2023 through July. Sales declined for the last seven years except when outdoor gear sales saw a brief surge at the height of the pandemic.
Johnson attributed the sales decline to competition from big-box retailers, including Scheels, REI and Dick’s Sporting Goods, vendors opening stores, selling online, and overall greater online competition.
Midwest Mountaineering does not sell online, which also helps in-store pickup. Johnson also noted that expenses, including employee wages, had increased significantly.
Johnson said the lack of an online presence presented challenges in reaching younger consumers. He told the Star Tribune, “A lot of our customers are over 50. They were our customers back 20, 30, 40 years ago. We’ve tried a lot to get younger people more into the outdoors. You’re competing with the busy schedules the younger people have. You’re competing with screen time. Online sales is a huge thing.”
Johnson also said Midwest Mountaineering’s location at 309 Cedar Avenue South near the University of Minnesota’s West Bank campus was not drawing as much traffic.
The company’s closing comes after Johnson, in February 2022, publicly sought out a general manager to become the next owner of the store. Carina Peterson, a longtime customer, took the role, but sales are not adequate to support operations.
The store notified its 40 employees of the pending closure on Wednesday morning, August 30.
A going-out-of-business sale will begin September 1 and last through October 8.
Photo courtesy MapQuest
