Backcountry.com Opening Park City Storefront

Backcountry.com has only one retail store, in West Valley City, Utah. But more, including in Park City, are on the way. Photo: GoogleMaps Street View

PARK CITY, Utah. — The outdoor retailer Backcountry.com has operated almost entirely online since its founding in 1996. That’s changing this May, with new storefronts set to open in Park City and Boulder, Colo.

The new Park City store won’t be hard to find: It will sit below longtime company headquarters in Kimball Junction, right next to Bed Bath and Beyond. Backcountry CEO Melanie Cox told Snewsnet that the location will  foster collaboration with company executives and will be filled with Backcountry Gearheads, highly trained customer service experts that include former professional athletes, semi-pros, and general industry experts.

The retailer carries top-name brands for mens and womens sports apparel, footwear and gear such as goggles, duffel bags and camping equipment.

The company’s first and only store is attached to its warehouse and fulfillment center in West Valley City, Utah. Cox told Snewsnet that she “took a look at the sales in that store and that was almost all I needed to know about the potential for brick-and-mortar retail for Backcountry.”

The West Jordan store has enjoyed success due in part to its location in an industrial park off one of Salt Lake City’s main thoroughfares. The Kimball Junction location may similarly benefit from ample parking and traffic. Timing, too, could work in Backcountry’s favor: As the pandemic has driven greater numbers of people outdoors into open spaces, outdoor industry retailers have reported impressive sales and heightened customer demand for gear.

The Boulder store is slated to open in a pedestrian mall on Pearl Street.