BTS: Small Business Struggles

This December, Rusty and I made the choice for Gear Hut to be open on Mondays... for holiday shopping and winter gear-up. Every year, we always stayed open an additional day of the week... but committing to Mondays this year meant being open 7 days a week (after our hours expansion last year). On paper, it made sense and we had the staff who were ready to work the hours... but it may not have been the right call, financially with how the economics of winter are playing out, and definitely not emotionally.

Our winter sports season is usually what carries Gear Hut through the year. These months are when shop traffic is high and the sales of big ticket items like jackets/skis/snowpants help pay the bills and set ourselves up to survive the slower seasons (when we're selling $7 tank tops). But this year, winter hasn’t quite shown up yet. With the lack of snow, early season government shutdowns, economic uncertainty and a general thriftier vibe... foot traffic has been slow (despite us being the budget option). Add in an unfortunate string of shoplifting incidents, and suddenly the season that’s supposed to feel hopeful feels heavy.

Being open seven days a week has taken a real toll on us... (and this was a lesson in the fact that until we have a full time manager-which isn't on the radar anytime soon - we NEED a day off to reset). If you see Rusty or me wandering around the shop with glazed-over eyes, there’s a good chance we don’t know what day it is anymore. The lines between weekdays and weekends blur, and I'm pretty sure I've almost dropped the kiddo off at school on a Saturday.

Recently, I had a conversation with another small business owner, and it turned into one of those honest moments where you realize you’re thankfully not alone. We talked about the reality of entrepreneurship, the back end stuff that people don’t always see. There’s no safety net. No holiday bonus. No automatic cost-of-living raise handed down from some “big boss in a big office.” If we want to make more, we work more. We hustle harder, we stay logged in. And even then, after putting in the hours, there are no guarantees that it even pays off... this December being a very real reminder of that.

We’re sharing this not for sympathy, but for understanding and a glimpse into the "behind the scenes/screens". Behind every small business are real humans being doing their best to keep the doors open, the lights on, and the dream alive. The long hours, the hard decisions, the mental load... small business ownership is a struggle on the risk of collapse, not a steady vision of middle-class success it once was.

Your support means more than you know. The familiar hellos, the regulars popping in. Checking with us before clicking “order now” on Amazon. Choosing to shop small. Telling a friend about us. Liking, commenting, or sharing our posts. Clicking on the website to improve our "search engine optimization"... It's not just dollars that support the shop! And every little every action makes a big impact on the back end of operations. We're beyond thankful for every single one of you that is helping us in our mission of keeping the outdoors affordable and sustainable.

And finally, on the note of making business judgment calls and listening to what we need as humans—we’re planning some holiday so we can rest and reset... coming back at our normal 6 days a week. Thank you for understanding, and for continuing to support Gear Hut in all the ways you do.

With love,

-Leah Wzientek