Fresh concept in PA
That reporter had his head in the sand or was not born yet. Hmmm… we have had Sojourns in PA for a couple of decades.
Anyway that article would have been a good laugh except the real PA paddlesports stores are closing I mourn the demise of one in Western PA. I hate to see that happen while Dicks et al grows
But my favorite is Blue Mountain Outfitters in Marysville. A real paddling shop.
real paddlesport stores
are not prospering from the Tupperware revolution ?
why is this ?
what a crock
What a crock that linked article is. Usual small town hack journalistic hyperbole.
We have had kayaking outfitters here in Western PA since the late 1960's and clubs like AYH and the ECP (Explorers Club of Pittsburgh) were running trips on local waters even earlier than that. AYH had a fleet of rental flatwater boats and in the ECP we had molds and would get together to build our own glass ww boats to take on the Yough, Cheat and countless other streams in the region.. I was selling Dagger and Perception kayaks (and the outfitter that I managed for a while was teaching whitewater skills) all through the '70's and into the 80's. There were several independent dealers in the region and still are - though one of the oldest shops in the Pittsburgh metro area (Exkursion) closed their retail operation 2 years ago, there are two within an hour's drive of the city center. Even for people who don't want to make that trek either REI or L L Bean are better options for kayak shopping than the bloated sports "superstores" or hunting and fishing emporia.
My gorge rises every time I drive by the Dunham's near me. Most of their "kayaks" and associated gear are crapola and on top of that, they store them out in the parking light on blacktop in the blazing sun -- There may be turnover but I've seen some distinctly identifiable boats out there for entire seasons. Even the local TJ Maxx discount clothing and home goods stores have started peddling pointy plastic blobs.
Moot point anyway, since the story reporter is a day late and a dollar short. Even in this relatively land locked state, SUP's are rapidly displacing kayaks in the realm of the disposably popular recreational fad. PA does tend to be slightly behind the curve in trends so this may not be obvious to the casual observer, but the proliferation of SUP's and a concomitant drop in rec boats on our local waters is obvious to us who paddle here.