I will always be a devoted fan of REI, aka The Big Kids Toystore, but when I get the opportunity I like to support independent retailers. I recently heard of The Gear Revival, and took a moment to pop my head in.
I'll admit I was expecting a tiny hole of a store based on their "Atlanta Store" photo, and I was pleasantly surprised to find quite the contrary: it's no REI mothership, but still nicely sized. Big enough, not overwhelming.
The Gear Revival "buys, sells, and trades new and gently used gear for outdoor adventures." ... When I want to finally sell some of my extra gear, I have a great and easy way to go about selling it. And I'm totally ok with buying used gear and clothing, plus whatever new stuff I find there. They were not pushy as I nosed around, but not absent if I needed help.
I took a quick peak at their backpacking packs, and was happy to see that (at first glance) they appear to be selective about the gear they take in. The packs appeared to be in great condition with a range of options. The other used products I browsed were also in good to great condition, with equally good pricing. I found some pants for $10, and our favourite backpacking cook set for $20. New pricing seemed to be right in line with competition, if not slightly lower.
They do not offer the extremely generous return policy that REI does, which could be seen as a drawback by many, but I honestly wouldn't expect them to offer that. Their return policy strikes me as perfectly reasonable:
NEW, unused products may be returned to us within 15 calendar days of receipt for a refund if not satisfied. Contact us for a return authorization number...With all of that said, if you are ever unsatisfied with a purchase from us, pleaes contact a manager and he or she will make sure you are taken care of. Your complete satisfaction is our goal.
I give them an A for offering an alternative and for being an independent retailer in a sea of chains. I'm still pretty devoted to the other big folks, but will happily support these guys when I can.
PS. For those not in ATL, they have an ebay store and sell some products online.
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ReplyDeleteNick and I went into the Marietta St. store about a month ago to look at a used kayak... They had some whitewater gear, not a lot, but the guy said they were always on the lookout for it and that he would put us on a list and call if things we were looking for came in. Very personal service; he was eager to talk to us about what we were into, what he was into, and what we might be looking for. Big thumbs up to this place for service.
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