Beloved outdoor store shutters ALL locations after three decades in crime ridden city
Next Adventure, a beloved outdoor gear store founded by childhood friends Deek Heykamp and Bryan Knudsen in 1997, swiftly grew into a 'beloved Portland institution' throughout its three decades in operation, making nearly $24 million in annual sales at its peak, Portland Business Journal reported.
The business eventually expanded to four locations across Oregon - its flagship store in Portland's Central Eastside, another in Sandy, and two paddle centers in Portland and Columbia County.
However, all four locations are set to close later this year, the owners announced Monday afternoon.
'We're entering a very uncertain time, there are challenges and we're in our 60s,' Heykamp told the Business Journal.
'So when you're in uncertain times, and you make decisions as a leader, it's my and Bryan's responsibility to look at our business and make good decisions on how we can build stability and build the best possible outcome for everybody,' he added.
'And after a lot of work, we came up that this is the right direction to go.'
Next Adventure began in a 1,600-square-foot retail space on S.E. Grand Avenue, selling used outdoor gear. Over the years, the company became an iconic Portland business.
Its flagship store was particularly known for its 'Bargain Basement', featuring heavily discounted supplies and closeout sales.
This year marks the end of an era for the childhood friends, who considered selling the business but ultimately decided that, given the struggles in retail, closing up shop would be the smartest move.
Citing 'uncertain times' and 'challenges' as factors in the decision, Heykamp described 'the current business climate and the challenges that we face as an industry, as a nation and as a city', as reported by the Business Journal.
'There's macroeconomics, there's big things, there's little things, there's interest rates, there's all kinds of things that we as business people face,' he told the outlet.
As the store officially closes, Next Adventure will hold a retirement store closing sale, with all outdoor gear inventory available for purchase starting May 28.
While no exact closing date has been scheduled, the company stated that, 'due to the large volume of merchandise, it is anticipated that the sale will last into the summer', according to the Business Journal.
The owners are now encouraging anyone who has made outdoor memories thanks to the store to stop by one last time and grab a deal before their next adventure.
'When we travel for trade shows, we have had people come up to us in the airport and tell us their story of how, because of Next Adventure, for the first time they were able to get out skiing or snowboarding or go hiking,' Heykamp told the Business Journal.
'That's got to be at the top of my list of favorite moments,' he added. 'Ones where we know that we touched people's lives.'
'The fact that we started this business to hang out together and to do fun adventures together, and now we get to do that full time in retirement, it sounds pretty exciting to me.'
Next Adventure's closure will be a particularly big blow for the city, as Portland and its stunning Oregon surroundings have long been hugely-popular among outdoorsy types.
However, its just the latest business in Portland to close its doors, particularly in the outdoor retail sector.
After nearly two decades, outdoor gear co-op REI closed its only Portland location, choosing not to renew the lease on its Pearl District building.
The reasoning was simple: rising security costs due to the increasing crime and theft plaguing the city.
In a 2023 letter to members, the retailer said it would close the city's downtown store, which has ' had its highest number of break-ins and thefts in two decades '.
REI spent $800,000 on additional security in 2022, and said that it did not believe a downtown Portland location would be possible in the near future.
Six percent of burglary callouts in downtown Portland in 2022 were to REI, according to KOIN News. In November of that year, a car rammed its storefront during a dramatic robbery.
REI installed new safety glass, spent heavily on security guards and even stationed a 24-hour security trailer outside its store in a bid to stop theft - but all to no avail.
At the time, the company's move was just the latest in a string of retailers pulling out of the city amid skyrocketing crime. Cracker Barrel, Walmart and Nike all closed stores in the area, citing underperformance and theft.
'In recent years, Portland has been dealing with increased crime in our neighborhood and beyond,' the 2023 letter to members read.
Public data showed that since the pandemic, more than 2,600 downtown businesses have filed changes of address with the US Postal Service to leave their downtown ZIP codes.
While Portland has seen improvement in overall crime rates, issues continue to persist downtown at 'historic heights' - particularly with car and retail theft, according to Axios.
However, a recent survey showed that efforts to revitalize the city are having an impact, with the majority of residents expressing increased optimism about the future, citing improvements in public safety and cleanliness, KOIN News reported.
'Organized crime is having a hard time doing business downtown and that's exactly what we want,' Downtown Portland Clean & Safe Executive Director Mark Wells told the outlet.
'A year ago, you would walk around, it would be very common to see open drug use and open drug dealing,' he added. 'It still exists, for sure, but it's dramatically decreased, and that adds to that sense of safety and security.'
Downtown Portland Clean & Safe, a non-profit providing 24-hour dispatch and cleaning services, has left nearly all 300 participating business satisfied with the results.
According to the survey, business experiencing theft and shoplifting incidents dropped from 47 percent in 2023 to 30 percent in 2024.
The number of businesses reporting the need to repair windows or any other physical damage dropped from 67 percent in 2023 to 47 percent in 2024.
Additionally, 57 percent of businesses expressed a renewed comfortability about being located downtown.
However, there are still areas in need of improvement. While nearly half of business reported employees quitting due to safety concerns in 2023, the figure reduced to just under one-third last year.
'We saw about a 17 percent decrease in those numbers,' Wells told the outlet. 'But a third, you know, that's still too high.'
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