Category: Locations

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It’s No Joke! Alpine Shop Purchased 43 Years Ago on April 1, 1978

Every year around April Fools’ Day, we like to relate the story of how the modern Alpine Shop came to exist. It’s not really a funny joke, it’s just that it actually happened on April 1. Here’s the story of the Mapmaker, the Vintner and the Fugitive:

One of the original signs from Mooers Alpine, Alpine Shop’s predecessor.

In 1973, Bob Mooers–a local St. Louis climber, Army Map Service employee, and author of “Finding Your Way in the Outdoors” (still available used on-line)–convinced Chouinard Equipment, a growing climbing brand at the time, to open him as a dealer. So, Mooers started a climbing shop – in a small room upstairs from the home wine-making shop he was moonlighting on the side from his Army Map Service work. It took just one month for climbing to outsell wine-making, which ended up being abandoned when Mooers moved the climbing shop to a new, larger space.

Five years later, “Mooers Alpine” was thriving, but Mooers was looking to sell and move to the Northwest.

Russell “Holly”, and Lisa Hollenbeck, co-owners of Alpine Shop, on a recent trip out West.

Enter Russell “Holly” Hollenbeck to the picture. A 45-year-old customer of Mooers’ originally from the Northwest, Hollenbeck had come to St. Louis to work in the city’s banking and finance industry. However, a change in leadership at the company he worked for had soured him on the field, and he had taken to considering himself a “fugitive” from corporate life. While skiing at Snowbird in Utah during the winter of 1977, Hollenbeck broached the subject of purchasing Mooers Alpine with his family. On April 1, 1978, “Mooers Alpine” became “Alpine Shop” with Hollenbeck as the new owner.

43 years later, climbing is still at our core, but over the years we have added gear, clothing, events and clinics for almost every type of outdoor enthusiast, from backpackers, hikers, campers, paddlers, and cyclists, to snowboarders and skiers, at four locations in Missouri and Kansas.

Alpine Shop Kirkwood’s collection of historic climbing gear, cleared from big walls in Yosemite National Park by friend-of-the-Shop Rich Copeland. Copeland died in a fall in Yosemite in 2014 and the outpouring of tributes was truly amazing.

Those 43 years have been good to us and to our vendors, as well. Recently, at the 2019 Grassroots Outdoor Alliance summer meetings, Alpine Shop was named National Retailer of the Year, an honor we are truly humbled by and continue to strive to earn in the eyes of our customers.

Our first supplier, Chouinard Equipment, ended up morphing into Great Pacific Iron Works, which went on to become Black Diamond and Patagonia. They remain our largest and one of our most admired vendor partners.

After 49 years in the business, it is Alpine Shop’s Vision to see Generations Transformed by Discovery Outdoors.

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7th Annual Egg Hunt Challenge

Are you one of those people who still enjoy participating in Egg Hunts around the Easter holiday? Or do you like to test your “detective” skills and solve some riddles? How about trying your hand at both?!?!

Alpine Shop invites you to participate in our Seventh Annual Egg Hunt Challenge on-line at www.alpineshop.com! Yes, you’re still looking for eggs – in this case one very lovely golden egg worth $200 in an Alpine Shop gift card – but your hunt involves solving riddles related to five different products on our website. Find the products and find your next clue! Solve all five clues and you’ll be entered into the drawing to win the $200 gift card.

We’ll randomly draw a winner from the names of everyone who finds the golden egg between now and Monday, April 5. Get hunting!

Oh! And everyone who participates get a mystery coupon code, too! So… to recap: Solve the clues. Find the product on alpineshop.com. Get entered to win. Shop with a coupon code. Good? Alright here we go…

Here’s your first clue:

So what do you think this could be? The only hint you’ll get from us is that it’s at alpineshop.com!

So, you’re looking for a product on www.alpineshop.com that matches the description of the clue. You’ll know you’ve found it when you arrive on a product page and see, below the main product photo – instead of an alternate-color image – a clue, like in the photo below:

See that first alternate color image that looks like the first clue… that’s what you’re searching for, right there!

Solve all five clues and you’re in the running for that $200 gift card to Alpine Shop!

Ready to begin the challenge? It starts right here.

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Shopping Safe

From the moment we reopened our stores earlier this year, Alpine Shop and The Pathfinder have been concerned with only one thing: making sure you are safe when you shop with us.

To that end, we have continually offered as many options as possible for you to safely get what you need from our stores – including curbside pick-up, buy online, pick-up in store, 24-hour online shopping at www.alpineshop.com and enhanced sanitization and disinfection protocols at all of our locations.

Stores open at this time:

All Alpine Shop locations are open, although many have shorter operating hours than you might have been used to in the past. Please visit our locations page to verify hours before heading out to see us.

Health and Safety Policies:

The health of our staff and our loyal customers is always our biggest concern. Over the spring and summer months, our management team developed specific sanitization protocols that are now in effect at all stores.

Each location is deep-cleaned every morning before we open, and staff rotate different cleaning procedures throughout the day.

Dressing Rooms:

Dressing rooms are available as needed, but are only accessible with the help of an outfitter. After each use, our staff will disinfect and sanitize the dressing room before allowing anyone else to enter.

Masks:

In accordance with CDC guidelines and with local city mandates, outfitters are required to wear masks at all times when inside our stores.

Customers are also required to wear masks in all stores, as well.

If, for some reason, you are unable to wear a mask, we will still do everything we can to make sure you can get the assistance you need. Before entering the store, please call and ask a manager for assistance. We will be happy to help.

Number of people allowed in our stores:

All locations are operating at far below the max occupancy levels mandated by local government authorities. In fact, all stores are operating at fewer than 15% of max capacity throughout the holidays, with staff on hand monitoring total number of customers inside the store.

Returns:

We are currently allowing and accepting returns inside our stores according to our normal return guidelines.

Curbside Pick-Up/Buy On-line, Pick Up in Store:

Curbside Pick-Up as well as Buy On-Line, Pick-Up in Store are both available at all Alpine Shop and Pathfinder locations. However, there are some limitations. All on-line purchases are handled from our Kirkwood location and may take extended time to reach another store.

If you would like to use curbside pick-up, we would encourage you to please call your preferred store and tell the outfitter you would like to arrange for Curbside Pick-up. They will take your order over the phone and make sure we have everything ready for you to pick-up at your convenience.

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Holiday Availability, Delivery & Concierge Information

Alpine Shop Kirkwood

As we head closer to Thanksgiving, our home town of St. Louis has reinstated a Stay at Home Order to combat the COVID-19 virus. While all of our stores remain open, it is a reminder of just how unpredictable everything has become.

Earlier this year, our area parks, waterways and roadways suddenly saw huge increases in hikers, paddlers and cyclists as the country shut down the first time. As we were able to finally re-open our stores, our inventory of boats and bikes quickly disappeared. Unfortunately, many of the manufacturers of those products were also shut down for months at a time, meaning both our current and future inventory is limited.

So, here’s where we stand right now…

We have a seen a slow trickle of boats and bikes into our warehouse over the past month, but nowhere near what we would like to have on hand. If you’re considering giving or getting a bike or boat this holiday season, please act quickly and understand that our current inventory can change at any time.

The snow industry (featured in our Kirkwood location) has (thankfully) delivered much of what we ordered, but if demand remains as high as the last month would indicate, we will once again experience inventory issues in skis and snowboards before Christmas, as well.

Basically, this is just a long way of saying we recommend you grab the gear you’re looking for this holiday season at your earliest convenience.

So, here are some options for you:

  • If you’re shopping on-line, please plan ahead to avoid any unnecessary shipping costs or delays.
  • If you’re interested in scheduling concierge services with a single member of our staff at any of our stores, please sign up for our Personal Shopping Appointment using the form below. We can hand-pick items we think will work best for you and have them prepared for you as you walk into the store.
  • You can also make a reservation for ski or snowboard boot fittings. These reservations mean you won’t have to wait any longer than necessary to get the gear you need. (Plan on around 90 minutes for a complete boot fit for skis. Snowboard boots don’t normally take quite as long.)
  • We are also still offering curbside pickup throughout the holidays if you feel safer staying in your vehicle.

Everyone at Alpine Shop and The Pathfinder is doing everything we can to help you Get Outside Yourself this winter. We hope to welcome you into one of our stores over the next couple of months, or on-line 24 hours a day at alpineshop.com.

The Alpine Shop Staff

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We Honor Our Veterans – Today and Every Day

On this Veterans Day, we honor the brave men and women who have risked their lives to protect our freedoms.

As a retailer owned by a veteran, Alpine Shop is keenly aware of the significance of November 11. We’re also aware that the sacrifices that these men and women have given so that we may have our freedoms deserve to be honored every day, not just once a year. To those of you who have served, we say “Thank You.” Thank you for your service and thank you for continuing to serve your country. 

On this day, and every day throughout the year, we invite all military personnel – current & retired – to take 10% off their purchase* inside our stores.

Our sincere thanks for your selfless service.

*Please note, this discount is not currently available on-line at www.alpineshop.com. Proof of service such as a military ID is required, however we will allow dressing in uniform as a form of identification. Discharge papers, VA cards and veteran organization membership cards also can be used to prove your service.

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Friends & Family Weekend Is November 13-15

It’s that Time of Year Again: Friends & Family Time!

This up-coming weekend, we invite you back into our stores and on to the pages of our website for our Winter Friends & Family Weekend at all Alpine Shop locations, at our Manhattan, Kansas, store—The Pathfinder–and on-line at www.alpineshop.com!

You read that correctly – take 20% off the full, retail price on almost everything in our stores including all apparel, outerwear and footwear. We’re even offering the same deal throughout our camping department, as well. So, tents and sleeping bags? Yep! Looking for some new goggles? Those, too! Bike gloves? You get the picture. Certain exclusions apply. See below.**

Yes, you also read that correctly… You can save 10% off the retail price on nearly every bike or boat, ski or snowboard, and snowsport boots!

We invite you to share this event with your own friends and family! The more, the merrier!

Can’t, or don’t want, to make it to the store? Shop on-line at alpineshop.com using the discount code: AlpineFamily

START SHOPPING HERE!

**Note: 2020 Winter Friends & Family Weekend offers valid November 13-15, 2020 ONLY at Alpine Shop locations and The Pathfinder (Manhattan, Kan.), or on-line at www.alpineshop.com. Discount may not be combined with any other coupons or offers. Excludes all gear from GoPro, Jackson Kayak, Kuat, Specialized, Thule, Yakima & Yeti brands. It also excludes all previously discounted merchandise, previous purchases, gift cards, Alpine Shop clinics and any boat or ski package deals or service work. Sale price limited to in-stock items only.

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Donate a Coat, Take $25 Off Your Next Purchase

Since we held our first coat drive back in 2006, Alpine Shop customers have donated over 17,000 coats to help keep our communities warm. This year, we’re asking for your help, once again, in bringing in at least a thousand more as Alpine Shop kicks off its 15th annual One Warm Coat Drive on Monday, October 26, 2020 at all Alpine Shop locations in Missouri and at The Pathfinder in Manhattan, Kansas.

One Warm Coat logo

How It Works

From Monday, Oct. 26 through Thursday, November 12, we’ll accept clean, gently-used coats, jackets and sweaters at each and every Alpine Shop location.

• Just for bringing in a garment, we’ll give you a $25 off coupon for your next full-price purchase of $125 or more at any Alpine Shop store. (Some exclusions apply. See a sales associate for details.)

• Plus, we’re also giving away four $250 Alpine Shop Gift Cards – one for each of our stores. For each and every coat or sweater you donate, you get one entry into that drawing. Here’s the deal, though… we only draw the gift cards when we reach our goal of 1000 total coats donated across all of our stores. And each Alpine Shop location must collect at least 100 coats to be eligible to give away a gift card. So, help your local Alpine Shop out!

NOTE: Alpine Shop will only give away one coupon to each customer during the coat drive no matter how many different coats you donate. However, each item donated will still earn one entry into the gift card drawing.

How to Donate

Alpine Shop has made donating simple. Just bring your clean, gently used coats, jackets and sweaters to any Alpine Shop location. Bring your coats inside the store and check them in with one of the store’s outfitters to make sure you receive your coupon and get entered into the drawing. Then, Alpine Shop and One Warm Coat take care of the rest.

Donated coats will be split among organizations in the greater St. Louis are, including: Webster-Rock Hill Ministries and the St. Patrick Center. In Columbia, all coats will go to the Rainbow House. At The Pathfinder in Manhattan, Kan., coats will be donated to Common Table, The Manhattan Emergency Shelter and FIT Closet and Clothing Exchange.

In November of 2018, Alpine Shop customers brought in nearly 1300 coats in just over 10 days.

Last year, we managed to beat our goal once again. We hope you can help us do the same in 2020!

About One Warm Coat

One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization that supports and encourages coat drives. It helps individuals, groups, companies and organizations across the country collect coats and deliver them to local agencies that distribute the coats free to people in need. More than one million coats have been provided to those in need at no cost since its inception in 1992.

About Alpine Shop

What began in 1973 as a small climbing shop in Webster Groves, Missouri, now serves almost every type of outdoor enthusiast from backpackers, hikers, campers, paddlers, and cyclists, to snowboarders, skiers and adventure racers. With four family-owned locations across Missouri and Kansas, Alpine Shop was named the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance National Retailer of the Year in 2019.

After more than 45 years in business, it is Alpine Shop’s vision to see Generations Transformed by Discovery Outdoors.

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Give a Little. Save Big. Glennon Card Discount Days are October 16-25, 2020

Back in 2011, Alpine Shop was one of the first retailers to sign on to assist SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital with their new “Glennon Card” promotion. Little did we know then just how big this would promotion grow!

When you purchase a Glennon Card – either at Alpine Shop, on on-line at www.glennoncard.org, 100% of your money benefits the kids cared for by SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. Plus, the Glennon Card also provides you with significant discounts at over 250 retailers, restaurants and salons on-line and in the area (including Alpine Shop!) through Sunday, October 25. With unlimited use for 10 days, it’s easy to recoup the cost of the card. Best of all, 100% of card sales benefit the kids.

Here’s how it works: You can purchase a Glennon Card either in any Alpine Shop location or on-line here for $60 and use it all participating merchants. With your card, you’ll receive a 20% discount on nearly everything in our stores* with the main exception being a 10% discount on full-priced bikes, boats or snowsport hardgoods.

Alpine Shop is proud to have been the top Local Merchant for Glennon Card sales in 2017 & 2018 and in the top five for  2019. We’d like to reclaim the top spot in 2020 with your help! Please come in and purchase your Card anytime between now and Sunday, Oct. 25, and be sure to select Alpine Shop as how you heard about the Glennon Card if you purchase a digital card through the  on-line checkout here.

2020 GLENNON CARD RULES AND EXCLUSIONS:
Card sharing is strictly prohibited. Since the Glennon Card is a fundraising event to help the sick and injured children cared for at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon, we encourage shoppers to buy their own Glennon Card! Participating retailers will not accept cards unless purchaser has been verified with a valid photo ID.

*20% off promotion applies to the full retail price on in-store apparel, footwear and camping gear only and is not eligible to be combined with other promotions or offers, except for clearance goods (marked with $_.97 pricing) which will be discounted from the lowest-marked price. Hardgoods such as bikes, boats and ski & snowsport hardgoods receive a 10% off discount.

If you would like to shop on-line with us, please access our site through this link here. You will need the passcode that is either on the second page of the paper Glennon Card or from the information you received through your digital card. 

Select brands and items are excluded. Please see an Alpine Shop outfitter for details.

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Alpine Shop Wins Two 2020 A-List Awards

St. Louis Magazine announced their A-List Readers’ Choice Awards on Saturday, June 20 and St. Louis-based Alpine Shop has, again, won two awards.

Thank You, St. Louis for voting Alpine Shop Best Outdoor Store and Best Sporting Goods Store in St. Louis Magazine’s A-List Reader’s Choice Awards!

Alpine Shop won for both Best Outdoor Store as well as Best Sporting Goods, beating out brands like REI, Bass Pro Shops, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Big River Running.

This is the second consecutive year that Alpine Shop has earned two A-List Awards, and the second consecutive year winning Best Outdoor Store. In 2019, the store also won awards for Best Activewear and was a finalist for Best Bike Shop.

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Curbside Pickup Now in Kirkwood!

IT’S FINALLY HERE!

CURBSIDE PICKUP WILL BE AVAILABLE STARTING MONDAY, MAY 18 AT OUR KIRKWOOD STORE!

Here’s how it works:

1. Browse our inventory on alpineshop.com

2. Place your order online and select “Kirkwood Curbside Pickup” during the checkout process, or call (314) 962-7715 to place an order over the phone.

3. An outfitter will call you to confirm when your order is ready for pickup.

4. Let us know when you arrive curbside (near front entrance).

5. An Outfitter will bring your items out to you for contact-less service.

Off you go with your awesome new gear!

***All employees will be wearing gloves and a mask during contact-less pickup. Please remain in your vehicle to maintain the safety of yourself and our employees.*** If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call, we are here to help!

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