Low economic, LGBTQ+ and people of color demographics are often removed from the conversation of outdoor clothing and gear corporations mass markets. The upper class is often targeted in advertising campaigns, focusing on consumers’ need for the best performance and trendy innovation. At Eugene Gear Traders, with two locations both located on West 5th Avenue, there is no need to worry about affording a backpack or multi-terrain shoes. This business has all secondhand items, and it uses a consignment agreement that allows a person who donates items to get a percentage of the sale price once it is sold. All items at the store are marked down by half of their original prices because they have either been gently used or are not in season.
One of the stores predominantly sells gear such as bikes, watercrafts and hiking equipment while the other sells clothing items that range from flannels to fleeces. The stores create spaces that mimic a mountain lodge with wood-paneled floors and walls. The newest location, which opened in December 2021, has a comfy couch available for those waiting on their friends as they try on clothes.
Bevin Helm, the owner of Eugene Gear Traders, said every decision she makes at the shop is based on “living sustainability.” Helm believes if everyone can reuse something, it would be the best decision for the planet. She said retail makes people feel better about themselves, but the consequences of buying fast fashion can lead cheap clothing to landfills and online retailers refusing to refund customers. Helm’s consignment shop utilizes social media to reach a wider audience.
“The whole outdoor industry is relatively new in the mainstream way that it has become,” Helm said. “The industry really began in the Northwest, and generally people who live in urban areas don’t have a connection to the outside where they can practice a healthy state of mind.”
According to a report by the United States Forest Service, there is a barrier for people to experience leisure activities such as camping, backpacking or surfing. The government’s study found that Black and Latinx communities have more constraints than White people because they have less time for entertainment, inadequate information regarding the outdoors and systemically feel unwelcome in public parks.
Helm said Gear Traders supports all types of people in their outdoor activities. She believes there is an adjustment for the populations who did not grow up around the outdoors to positively interact with nature. She also views the stigma of the outdoors as historically refusing to support a budget-friendly person. The products are priced high because the materials are intended to last for a long period of time and are durable in all weather conditions, Helm said.
Jackets made out of Gore-Tex are priced around $600 because they are made to repel water and perform to the quality they advertise. Helm thinks people should research cheaper products that still serve the same function or style they are looking for.
Helm opened the first shop in March 2020 in Eugene after living and working in ski and bike shops in Bend, Oregon, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She noticed Eugene was a centralized location for year-round, multi-sport activities, but it was absent from the consignment model of business. The consignment form works by creating an account with the store and negotiating whether one wants to donate an item, permit the store to set a price or allow the customer to set the price. The consignment period lasts four months, and if a product is not sold, it is considered a donated item.
“Our margins of pricing are based on how much the product sells for, and it is always a slighting scale,” Helm said. “If a product is priced under $100, we take 60% and give back 40% of the sale, between $100 to $200 is 50% and anything over $300 is 70% back to the co-signer. We do take more margin because that’s the only way we can keep the lights on in this place.”
Madison Paschal, a second-year education student at Lane Community College and sales associate at Eugene Gear Traders, is Helm’s niece, and she has worked at Gear Traders since October 2021. As a native to Eugene, Paschal said “loving the Earth” is how she was raised. Paschal views the consignment process as efficient because the items can be properly checked for quality control.
“Gear is just so expensive in general because it is meant to last, and because it is meant to last, it ends up being placed on people’s shelves for years,” Paschal said. “This place is really cool because people get to bring that in, and the community benefits because they get to either make a profit or buy products at a great price.”
Eugene Gear Traders is an opportunity for students or people interested in outdoor activities to buy gear for their next ski trip or kayak adventure.
Eugene Gear Traders is located at 233 W 5th Avenue and 505 Willamette Street. The stores are about two blocks from each other. Both stores are open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m and Saturday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
