Diamond Brand has been a familiar name for North Carolinians for decades, though the brand has evolved significantly. In the 1930s, Diamond Brand manufactured high-quality canvas products in Henderson County. Then, in the 1960s, it made backpacks and tents for companies like REI, The North Face, and L.L. Bean. By 1964, the company had expanded into retail and opened the Diamond Brand Camping Center, the area’s first outdoor gear store.

In 2017, the company’s manufacturing division (Diamond Brand Gear Company) became a separate company from the retail division (Diamond Brand Outdoors), which included a 15,000-square-foot store.

But that wasn’t the end of the Diamond Brand metamorphosis.

In 2014, store owners Will and Catherine Gay opened a Diamond Brand Outdoors store in downtown Asheville. However, the move to the 3,000-square-foot space required them to rethink their notion of what an outdoor store should be.

To operate within a smaller footprint, they moved away from boats and other hardgoods that required large displays and square footage and instead emphasized apparel, footwear, and accessories. They also adjusted their product mix, as the downtown store primarily attracted tourists and casual hikers rather than hardcore outdoor enthusiasts.

“We really positioned ourselves as more of an outdoor lifestyle boutique,” says Will Gay.

The evolution of the downtown store reflects the broader trend happening across the outdoor retail landscape. While many specialty stores still serve backpackers, climbers, kayakers, and other enthusiasts, more shops cater to the larger population of casual outdoor participants. As a result, there’s no longer a clear definition of “outdoor specialty store.” As with Diamond Brand, store owners across the country are creating unique shops with a non-traditional mix of products to serve a contemporary customer base.

Catering to Downtown Shoppers

In 2023, 13.9 million tourists visited the Asheville area, up from 9.8 million visitors 10 years ago, according to a Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority report. The growing tourist business brings a steady stream of people to downtown Asheville, especially in the summer and fall. As visitors shop, eat, and explore local breweries, many reach Diamond Brand’s doors and head in for a visit.

“When we moved downtown, we learned very quickly that the majority of people coming in here weren’t necessarily our typical clientele,” says Gay. “They’re here for food, for music. If they do anything outdoors, they do a day hike.”

To cater to the downtown crowd, they outfitted their store with stylish apparel that promoted the “trail-to-tavern” concept. According to Gay, his customers want pieces that function well on the trail but don’t look techie and blend in with the restaurant and pub scene. Diamond Brand Outdoors does well with crossover brands like Jetty, Katin, and Howler Brothers.

“We focused on smaller up-and-comers that are all about small, independent specialty outdoor stores. We’ve done extremely well with them, and they’ve been great partners,” says Gay. While this product mix addresses customers’ tastes, it also helps differentiate Diamond Brand Outdoors from local competitors, says Gay. He added that he no longer carries many legacy brands because their terms and business practices were no longer favorable for smaller independent shops. Instead of Patagonia, he carries Cotopaxi; instead of Arc’Teryx, he offers Black Diamond and Outdoor Research.

While Gay altered his apparel offering, he needed to make further changes to maximize sales. “We had a conversion rate where only 10 to 13 percent of people coming in would actually buy something,” says Gay. Part of the problem was that the store lacked enough lower-priced items. “A customer would walk through the door, see a $250 Outdoor Research jacket and say, ‘Ooh, this place isn’t for me,’ and turn around and walk out the door,” says Gay.

That changed when his wife Catherine started to do more buying and brought in smaller items that most shoppers could afford, such as stickers, magnets, T-shirts, and jewelry. She browses Faire, an online wholesale marketplace, and other Etsy-style shops to find these items. Some of her successful jewelry lines include Seed and Sky, Made of Mountains, and A Pocket of Posies.

“We’re seeing a much higher conversion rate,” says Will Gay, noting that one of the store’s main attractions is a wall with more than 500 stickers for sale. “Those are $2.50 to $4 items that anybody and everybody can buy.”

Focusing on Foot Traffic

As Will and Catherine revamped their product offering, they also changed their marketing strategy. “We paid a fortune in marketing trying to get people into the south Asheville store,” says Will Gay. “Here, we don’t spend a dime on marketing, but we have unlimited access to foot traffic.”

To take advantage of the foot traffic, they needed a way to draw customers into the store, and their solution was unusual but effective.

At the front of the store, near the door, they placed a large display of pet portraits by Whitehouse Art. “People have asked me, ‘Why would you put pictures of dogs in the best square footage of your store?’ ” says Will Gay. “I tell them to stand here for 10 minutes and watch what happens.”

He explained that when people on the sidewalk see the curious display of pet portraits, they stop, do a doubletake, and walk through the door. “That square footage pulls people into the store,” says Gay. “We will never, ever change that.”

The Right Vibe

The pet portraits are unique but not out of place among Asheville’s eclectic mix of shops, restaurants, and breweries. With its unusual collection of products and eye-catching displays, Diamond Brand Outdoors has successfully adopted the fun and quirky nature of the downtown area. One key to the shop’s success is that tourists appreciate its friendly, low-key vibe. People interested in a casual day hike won’t feel intimidated when they enter the shop, as sometimes happens in hardcore gear stores.

“Down here, everybody’s having fun. Everybody’s on vacation,” says Gay, noting that an essential part of his job is ensuring visitors have a positive experience. That means sometimes serving as a concierge. “We’ll recommend a hike or a good place to have dinner,” he says. “We can point people in any direction they want to go. If they have a good experience, they’ll come back and see us the next year, and many people keep coming back.”

Surviving the Storm

While Will and Catherine have successfully created an outdoor lifestyle shop, Diamond Brand Outdoors has undoubtedly faced challenges. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene ravaged Asheville and destroyed the store’s warehouse and offices. Despite losing the inventory in the warehouse, Diamond Brand recovered and resumed operations in late October.

Unfortunately, the storm caused catastrophic damage to the Diamond Brand Gear Company, which closed after being in business for over 140 years.

That leaves the downtown boutique as the only remaining North Carolina business carrying the Diamond Brand name. (The 15,000-square-foot store closed in 2018). But Will and Catherine are positioned well to keep the Diamond Brand name alive. If they’ve proved anything, they’re not afraid to experiment and evolve to remain relevant in a changing landscape.