ORIGIN STORY: RETAILER
SERVE THE COMMUNITY: Buffalo Peak Outfitters draws a wide range of customers in Mississippi.
special orders for individuals and groups as necessary. All of these factors have kept the customer base surprisingly diverse. Doctors and nursing students from the nearby medical school buy performance running shoes to stand on their feet all day. Workers from the Nissan plant gravitate toward Hoka and On for “the security of a high top but with the cushion of a running shoe,” Travis notes. When local groups plan trips to the Grand Canyon or even Everest base camp, Buffalo Peak outfits them head to toe, spe- cial-ordering gear as needed. But the team works hard to maintain a broad selection so customers can walk out the door ready for their adventure, near or far. “We’re more of an athleisure lifestyle store now, but we’re still a full-service outfitter,” Edmonson says. Surviving the Competition The evolution hasn’t been without challenges. Buffalo Peak used to do a robust paddlesports business, until certain big-box stores includ- ing Dick’s Sporting Goods and Academy Sports moved into town. “They kind of killed our kayak business,” McCain admits. And the rise of direct-to-consumer brand sales and Amazon posed another existential threat. “Five to seven years ago, our traffic wasn’t up,” Edmonson recalls. “We were having trouble competing with direct-to-con- sumer and Amazon.” But post- COVID, something shifted, he says. “Our customers have come back and stayed loyal to us. We’re working hard to be scrappy and put the customer first like we did in the beginning.” That ethos has become even more critical. “It’s even more im- portant now that you put the con- sumer first because they have the power to spend their dollars other places,” says Edmonson. “Fifteen years ago, it was a different story. We were the only game in town.”
The Grassroots Difference McCain and Edmonson credit the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance as “a big factor in us staying healthy and relevant.” Operating in what he calls “a bit of an outdoor recreation desert,” Buffalo Peak doesn’t have many nearby peers to share ideas with or to help keep a pulse on what’s happening in the outdoor industry. They say Grassroots Out- door Alliance fills that gap. Bob McCain has been deeply involved with the organization, with a turn as Grassroot’s board president, serving on the board, and dedicating himself to making sure the industry stays relevant as things have changed over the last four decades. It’s the kind of lead- ership that’s helped Buffalo Peak pivot alongside those changes and remain healthy in the process. Buffalo Peak’s mission goes deeper than just selling gear, advocating for an active outdoor lifestyle with the belief that spending time outside makes people happier and healthier. And McCain’s commit- ment extends beyond the store’s four walls. Travis’ brother runs the marketing side of Buffalo Peak and also owns a local restaurant. It’s maintained a family-owned at- mosphere focused on meeting the needs of each customer who walks through the door. As Buffalo Peak heads toward its 40th year, the business remains in good hands in service of Mississip- pi’s outdoor enthusiasts. Travis is learning the ropes, and Bob’s vision for a scrappy, customer-first outfit- ter guides the way. In an industry Family Atmosphere, Community Focus constantly facing consolidation and disruption, as a privately owned business, Buffalo Peak’s staying power comes from staying true to its community.
Standing Tall in Mississippi Buffalo Peak Outfitters has evolved from the state’s only outdoor outfitter to a full-service lifestyle retailer—and still stayed loyal to specialty retail. By Aaron H. Bible
B ob McCain opened this spe- cialty outdoor retail shop in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1986 (first as Buffalo Rock Outfit- ters, and after a slight hiccup with the bottling company that shared the same name, Buffalo Peak Out- fitters was born the following year). He was the only specialty outdoor shop in the area then—and still is. The 9,000-square-foot store is the only full-service, head-to- toe outfitter in the entire state of Mississippi. And while McCain, now 67, still comes into the store, he’s slowly transitioning leader- ship to his son Travis, who’s been at the shop for 13 years, teaching him everything he needs to know about running the shop. It’s a careful handoff, the kind when you’re passing down not just a business, but a legacy built on relationships, scrappiness, and an unwavering commitment to putting customers first. Changing Times “We started out as the only outdoor outfitter in the area back in the
day,” Travis explains. “But we’ve turned into more of an active lifestyle shop—selling a lot of Vuori, Patagonia, and a lot of the hot footwear brands.” He says that footwear sales jumped from approximately 25% of total sales to 45% of the business post- COVID over the last five to seven years, fueled by the boom in run and run-casual categories. Dave Edmonson, footwear buyer and “general everything” at Buffalo Peak for nearly 30 years, has watched the transfor- mation firsthand. He knows the customer base inside and out, and has seen the migration from specialty, to big box, to online, and back. Edmonson explains: “We’ve always had a big adventure-travel business. Since we’re vertically challenged in our region and don’t have a lot of public lands, people tend to travel to recreate.” Those realities helped shape Buf- falo Peak’s identity as an in-stock inventory outfitter with broad appeal, and with the ability to do
8 GRASSROOTS STORIES
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