Wilderness Exchange partners with Black Diamond for business

A unique partnership between Wilderness Exchange and Black Diamond Mountaineering Equipment will soon transform one of Denver’s best-known independent outdoor retailers, opening a full-service Black Diamond branded store in the thrift and consignment shop that has been a Platte Street institution for more than two decades.

The first step in the transformation process will take place over Labor Day weekend with a “renovation sale” to clear inventory and make room for Black Diamond to move in. The store will be closed for renovations in November and December, with the goal of reopening the first week of January. It will be Black Diamond’s first “partner-operated” mountain gear store in North America.

After the renovation is complete, Black Diamond will occupy the ground floor. Traditional used gear sales, factory outlet items, brand discounts and consignment sales will take place in the basement with expanded inventory. Wilderness Exchange will manage and staff Black Diamond operations.

“We’re becoming a store within a store,” said Don Bushey, who founded Wilderness Exchange in 2000. “They (Black Diamond) are trying to leverage our experience running a local mountain gear store in Denver because we’ve been doing that for so long, but they also want to become more relevant to the Rockies, the Colorado customers. We’re turning the climbing/backcountry ski business into an extension of the Black Diamond brand. We’re building it out like a branded mountain gear store.”

Bushey noted that many brand name stores sell name-brand items with an emphasis on apparel, but are not full-service mountain gear stores. Black Diamond and Bushey want the new store at Wilderness Exchange to be one such store, offering skis, climbing gear and other equipment needed for adventures in remote areas.

“If you think of a brand store on Pearl Street in Boulder, there’s Patagonia, Arc’teryx, prAna, La Sportiva, Black Diamond, and they all use their brand store to tell the story of that brand,” Bushey said in an interview. “None of them are what I imagine a mountain store to be. They attract superfans of the brand. They shop there, but if you’re going to do an overnight trip and want to climb a peak, you’re not going to be able to complete your gear. That’s why you go to mountain stores, where a climber or skier can get geared up.”

The Black Diamond Store at Wilderness Exchange sells ski touring gear, trekking poles, climbing gear and other mountaineering equipment.

“We are thrilled to partner with Don Bushey to bring together the best of Wilderness Exchange and Black Diamond in a modern format that honors the rich heritage of both brands,” said Neil Fiske, brand president of Black Diamond Equipment, in a press release. “Don has long been a pioneer in the industry and we believe this next evolution of retail will prove to be just as innovative and groundbreaking as his original concept.”

Bushey said the vision is to transform the Black Diamond area into a full-service, full-service mountain shop.