Gear Ye, Gear Ye WV’S LOCAL OUTDOOR RETAIL SHOPS ARE MORE THAN JUST STORES
W
est Virginia’s status as a midAtlantic mecca for outdoor adventure is the foundation for a growing outdoor recreation economy. Scattered throughout the state are independent, locally owned gear shops that go to great lengths to stock the best gear for our terrain, employ knowledgeable staff, serve as information hubs, and support the local economy. While there are many sport-specific retailers and outfitters of various sizes, few stores do it all. West Virginia is fortunate to have two comprehensive shops that standout in terms of
their inventory and longevity, as well as their economic and cultural contributions to the state’s economy and rich outdoor adventure heritage.
Meet the Stores Water Stone Outdoors: Fayetteville You can’t mention West Virginia’s flagship outdoor town of Fayetteville without a nod to Gene and Maura Kistler. The couple moved to Fayetteville in 1991, long before it boasted the “Coolest Small Town” sign along U.S. Route 19. Back then, relations between the granola folk and the longtime locals weren’t as peachy as they are today. Like the New River Gorge Bridge itself,
28 HIGHLAND OUTDOORS SPRING 2019
Gene and Maura covertly used their outdoor gear shop Water Stone Outdoors to bridge the gap between two disparate worlds. Nowadays, Fayetteville is a thriving example of the outdoor recreation economy’s transformational power. Gene opened Fayetteville’s original gear shop in 1994 as a third branch of Blue Ridge Outdoors, a nowdefunct Virginia-based shop that Gene owned and has since sold. Gene and Maura now co-own the shop with manager and local climbing legend Kenny Parker. “Next thing we’re setting up this gear shop and hanging out downtown, and I said, ‘This will be a great
base for subversive positive social change,’ and that was always the clandestine objective,” Gene said. The rest is a white-knuckle ride through history. Water Stone is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, which will be done in typical Kistler fashion with a big blowout where everyone and anyone is welcome. Pathfinder of West Virginia: Morgantown West Virginia’s thirdlargest city is home to the state’s largest independent outdoor store. Located in the Monongahela Building in the heart of downtown Morgantown, Pathfinder is the most comprehensive gear shop around. From
Dylan Jones
By Dylan Jones
