Trailheads

But even nearing its ninth decade, Mountain Shop is very much a business of the present. Its sales floor is stocked with lightweight tents, technical layers, and trail running shoes that didn’t exist when the shop first opened back then. Gear has changed but its purpose hasn’t.

Marcus Stephens, 54, who in June 2021 became the newest owner in a long lineage of owners, sees preserving the shop’s legacy and preparing it for the future as part of the same job.

“I hope it continues forever. I feel good about what I’ve done and am planning on doing,” Stephens says.

One of the biggest investments he has made so far was purchasing a new location on 33rd Avenue, which used to be a TV and appliance store. After extensive renovations, Mountain Shop opened the doors to its new spot in September 2025.

Downstairs is dedicated to camping, backpacking, climbing, apparel, and shoes as well as the rental fleet and tuning department, while the second level is devoted entirely to snowsports. One wall up there is lined with ski boot fit stations from Dynafit, Salomon, Atomic, and Tecnica.

That still leaves room in the building for Stephens’ personal woodshop, a conference room, and studio space shared by other Portland outdoor companies, including gear repair service Stitch Tech and potentially ski apparel maker Trew Gear. The mountain guides at Trillium Alpine Guides also have a spot on the sales floor. “We’re all supporting each other,” Stephens says.

To own Mountain Shop is to fulfill a lifelong fantasy for Stephens: In high school he dreamed of one day owning a gear shop. Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, he was always outside, either skiing with the ski club, water skiing in the summer, or on a motorcycle or bike.

When he left the Midwest for the Pacific Northwest in his 20s, his outdoor interests broadened—boat building, sailing, climbing, and backcountry skiing. In fact, he bought his first touring setup from Mountain Shop. “I just have this history there, like that’s my shop,” he says.

Decades later, he started working there part time as an employee. By then, Stephens had already built a career outside the outdoor industry, including investing in real estate. He viewed his time in the shop as a way to give back while also building a likeminded community.

When the previous owners were ready to sell, Stephens was poised to buy.

Until this winter, business was steady. Revenue was growing and the shop was profitable, Stephens says. But then, it hardly snowed. Winter 25/26 became the worst snow year on record in Oregon history, breaking all-time lows set in notoriously bad years like 2015 and 1977.

Snowshoe and ski rentals, previously a boon for business, plummeted. Meanwhile though, trail running and footwear grew in interest and therefore as categories. Hosting events, such as film screenings, garage sales, and outdoor skills workshops, also helped bring people into the shop.

If this coming winter is as slow as the last, Stephens knows Mountain Shop will have to adapt. For now, he’s resisting the urge to make any rash decisions. Consistency—for both customers and employees, many of which are decades-long loyalists—is more important.

“I try not to switch it up all the time,” he says. “I set it and see how it goes. And if things really change dramatically and we see trends change, then we will definitely develop.”

Fortunately, outdoor retail has built-in novelty. Brands are constantly refining fabrics, updating designs, and dreaming up the next quirky piece of gear—like a pair of skis emblazoned with a French fry graphic. Keeping customers and employees excited, Stephens says, doesn’t always require reinventing the business when the products are already evolving on their own.

That model has worked for 89 years, and he believes it can work for another 89.

Needless to say, he’s still hoping for snow.

*All photos courtesy of Mountain Shop