Application & Evaluation Process
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is a unique collective of independent specialty retailers. If you're interested in leveraging the collective knowledge, buying power, and voice that Grassroots membership offers, and you believe your store is a good fit, we want to hear from you!
Here’s an overview of our Membership Inquiry and Application Process:
Initial Inquiry Form - Retailers interested in Grassroots Membership should complete the initial inquiry form below. Those who meet the minimum qualifications will be contacted with next steps, which are outlined in steps 2-5.
Interview with the Grassroots Leadership - We want to learn about you and your business to ensure that Grassroots membership is a mutual fit.
Formal Application - If you decide to proceed, you'll complete a formal application that dives deeper into your business, goals, and qualifications for Grassroots Membership. The application includes details like annual wholesale volume with Grassroots Vendor Partners, references, prior year financials, credit review, specific business metrics, and information on your community giveback initiatives.
Applicant Evaluation - Grassroots leadership will confidentially review fully completed applications. You'll receive follow-up communication before moving into the final evaluation stage.
Grassroots Board of Directors Vote - As the final step, the Grassroots Board of Directors, who are also Grassroots retail members and shareholders will vote on new member acceptance.
Ready to get started?
Resources & Requirements Overview
Benefits & Resources
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Grassroots Member retailers gain valuable insights through annual member, financial, and wage studies, as well as monthly sales reports. Grassroots provides anonymized resources to help retailers self-evaluate and benchmark against similar businesses.
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Grassroots Member retailers benefit from annual rebates, substantial reimbursements for tradeshow travel costs, and exclusive programs from Vendor Partners. These include special pricing, discounts, terms, marketing program access, and closeout opportunities.
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Grassroots Member retailers are guaranteed invitations to attend Grassroots trade events, Connect & Discovery Marketplace, with generous reimbursements to offset associated costs.
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Collaboration is our superpower. Retail members benefit from a brain trust of their peers, gaining insights through peer-to-peer conversations, shared business intelligence, best practices, and customized trend and reporting data.
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Grassroots Outdoor Alliance offers courses, seminars, and structured discussion groups to enhance retailer skills. We provide digital sessions throughout the year and host a full day of specialty retail education at our Connect events. Topics have included Retail Math, Merchandise Planning & Inventory Management, Key Performance Indicators for Retailers, Hiring, Training, and Recruitment. We bring in subject matter experts and draw on the expertise of our members.
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The collective voice of our members, in partnership with the Grassroots office, highlights the true challenges and needs of specialty outdoor retailers to the greater outdoor industry. These efforts are reflected through regular industry dialogue, The Grassroots Podcast, and our publication Grassroots Stories.
ReQUIREMENTS
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Grassroots retailers are financially stable and consistently pay their vendors within agreed-upon terms.
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Grassroots Outdoor Alliance retailers commit to upholding the Code of Conduct, which emphasizes professionalism, transparency, collaboration, and partnership.
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Grassroots retailers agree to participate in our biannual trade event, Connect.
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Grassroots retailers agree to participate in membership benefit programs, including monthly sales reporting, annual wage and financial studies, and data reporting programs. Member participation is essential for producing valuable business insights and benefits.
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Grassroots retailers agree to pay annual member dues, billed at the start of the Grassroots fiscal year in July.
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is a retailer-owned organization, with each retail member also serving as a company shareholder. As there are a limited number of shares available to applicants each year, we carefully evaluate potential new members and shareholders through our outlined process. If you have any questions or feedback about the membership qualifications or application process, please contact President Gabe Maier.