B2B publication from Grassroots Outdoor Alliance drops third issue ahead of Connect show delving into topics facing the outdoor industry.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (June 3, 2025) — How do product-development cycles and supply chains affect specialty retailers? And how can retailers have a voice? What impact are shifting public lands policies having on the outdoor industry? How are retailers and manufacturers dealing with whipsawing tariff proposals? What’s the general state of specialty retail?
The third issue of Grassroots Stories — a B2B publication published by Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, the national organization dedicated to the health and growth of specialty outdoor retail — is available this week, and it tackles those issues and many more. The organization publishes Grassroots Stories with the goal of highlighting issues facing the outdoor industry, pointing out potential paths forward, identifying best practices to make the industry better, and celebrating the people who make the industry special.
Print copies of Grassroots Stories will be available next week at the Grassroots Connect Show in Reno, Nev., June 9-12. Next week’s show will be attended by 148 retail businesses and 147 exhibitors, which includes guest retailers and exhibitors. The Connect Show takes place twice a year to support brand line showings for independent specialty retailers timed around key ordering deadlines.
“Sharing educational resources and knowledge amongst the specialty retail community and vendor partners to help them run more effective businesses is one of our core missions here at Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. Publishing Grassroots Stories to help focus a lens on issues of importance to our specialty retail members is a direct outgrowth of that mission,” said Gabe Maier, President of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. “Certainly there are no shortage of issues of importance to our industry at present, and we’re glad to be able to add some perspective to the conversations via Grassroots Stories.”
Among other topics, the current issue of Grassroots Stories offers features and stories on:
How manufacturers’ product-development cycles and supply chains tie to what happens at retail, and — conversely — how retailers can have an impact on the products produced by the brands whose products they purchase.
What retailers have to say about how shifting policies around public lands, and how workforce reductions and potential sales of public lands might affect their business.
A lens on how the outdoor industry is working to set itself up as best as possible to navigate tariff proposals that seem to change by the day.
Lessons learned from big box retail that can be adapted to specialty to create both standout culture and exceptional service.
How one specialty retailer uses her voice to affect change.
A snapshot of the state of speciality retail derived from Grassroots Outdoor Alliance data.
Grassroots Stories is directed and conceived by the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance staff in concert with Artemesia Media and editorial director Doug Schnitzspahn. Schnitzspahn brings 25-plus years of experience in the Outdoor Industry and outdoor media, including working as the longtime editor of the Outdoor Retailer Show Daily and Outdoor Retailer Magazine, 15 years as the editor in chief of Elevation Outdoors, and work as a freelancer for publications ranging from Outside Magazine to National Geographic, Men’s Journal and Travel + Leisure. A range of longtime outdoor industry freelance writers are contributing stories to the independent publication.
“Media is changing rapidly in the outdoor industry and beyond, so it’s exciting to see a group that supports specialty retail see the value in helping provide information and perspective that benefits not only their members but the larger outdoor industry community as a whole,” Schnitzspahn said. “There’s certainly a lot to dissect and try to understand at the moment, and we’re excited that Grassroots Stories can add to the industry’s perspective.”