Specialty Retail: Outdoors
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 18 June 2013 11:41
- Written by Paul Gordon
Meeting your outdoor sporting needs
Bushwhacker has the goods for year-round enjoyment
When Rich Pestien went to college to study math and computer science he didn't figure on becoming an expert in anything else, let alone something to do with sports.
"I was your basic math nerd in high school and college. But in college (at the University of Illinois) I wanted to do something different. So I joined a rock climbing club," said Pestien, who before that had become adept at chess.
"I really enjoyed it. We'd go to a little place over in Indiana or up to Devil's Lake in Wisconsin. It got to the point where college was something we did in between weekend trips to Devil's Lake."
After getting his degree in math and computer science and starting to study for his master's degree in computer science, Pestien went to work for the original Bushwhacker store in Champaign. A year or so later, his life changed forever.
"The store owners asked me if I would like to invest with them and become a partner. I thought that sounded like a good thing, so I said sure. Needless to say, the master's degree was forgotten," said Pestien. He opened a Bushwhacker store in Springfield in 1975, then opened one in Peoria at Main and University streets, where One World Café now is, in 1976.
"At the time there were a lot of hard core, granola-crunching backpackers and rock climbers around. I was one of them. Business was good. Then, times changed," he said,
Those backpackers and climbers — hippies, Pestien called them —started getting married and having children, running out of time for their outdoor sports. Bushwhacker started losing money, the original partners got out and Pestien was left to bail out the business if it was to survive.
"I didn't bail. Instead we started looking at other outdoor activities to get into. We started learning how to use equipment so we knew what we were talking about when we were selling it and became a year-round outdoor specialty store. When Vitesse closed, we got into biking and became experts at that. When it stopped snowing as much around here and the cross country skiing business went north, somebody suggested we sell downhill ski equipment. We learned how to downhill ski so we could teach it.
"We did whatever we needed to do to survive. And we survived," Pestien said. The Peoria store is the only one remaining and it moved from its original location to the Metro Centre in 1985. Its present location, a separate building at Metro Centre, was built in 1991.
"Metro Centre has been a good location for us. It's centrally located and easy to find," he said.
Kayaks and canoes have become big parts of the business, with backpacking, biking and outdoor clothing still the biggest selling equipment. Even the excursion into high-end patio furniture has been a positive. "We did that to give something more to sell in the summer. I figured even the hardcore backpackers and bikers needed a nice place to sit and relax when they got home," he said.
Central Illinois has been a good place for such a specialty retailer, he said. "I've been able to make a living at for 38 years. I don't have any regrets or second thoughts," he added.
If anybody would have the opportunity to reflect on their life decisions it would be Pestien. He died while running in the 2011 Steamboat Classic nearly a year and a half ago, but was revived because a fellow runner got to him and administered CPR until an ambulance arrived.
"It was definitely a sobering experience. But I wouldn't have done anything different. I'm a little bit slower now but I am starting to get back into biking and running," said Pestien, 61. "I put things into perspective. The woman who signed me up to run that race felt bad about what happened but the way I look at it is that if she didn't I probably would have had a heart attack when I was running someplace by myself, where I wouldn't have had the help I needed close by."
Business has remained strong, including during the recent recession. Pestien said even 30 years ago he noticed that outdoor specialty stores seem to run counter to the economy. "People kind of revert back to a little simpler life. For example, instead of expensive vacations they go kayaking or backpacking. So we've done ok," he said.
Pestien said some of the equipment used in outdoor sports today are improved from when got into the business, including tools for rock climbing that now allow climbers "to push their limits a little more".
Shoes are lighter yet stronger, as is other outdoor apparel, for another example.
Hanging from the back wall of the Bushwhacker store is some of Pestien's first outdoor gear from when he started getting into rock climbing. "Down jackets are still down jackets but some of the other stuff is different from what we sell now. But it's a good reminder for me of why I got into this business," he said.
BUSHWHACKER
Metro Centre
4700 N. University St.
(309) 692-4812
www.bushwhacker.com
Hours: Mon & Fri
10 a.m. to 9 p.m.;
Tues - Thurs & Saturday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Offers a variety of equipment and apparel for outdoor sports enthusiasts, including canoeing and kayaking, hiking and biking and snow skiing.
