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Howe: New store can thrive on local ties, community commitment.
Chris Howe moved one store out of a Broadway location, cut the ribbon on a new one Thursday, and prepared for a steep challenge: Competing to sell outdoor merchandise in the Broadway shopping district.
Howe owns both the Denali and Trailblazer stores, which sell outdoor gear. He’s combining them now: He has moved most of the Denali brands such as Nike and Merrell from the 13 Broadway location (now empty) to his Trailblazer store across from Broadway at 296 Elm St.
Meanwhile, he joined city officials Thursday in cutting the ribbon for the official opening of a Patagonia outdoor clothing franchise that he will operate as a franchise in the marquee storefront at the corner of York and Broadway. And next summer L.L. Bean is opening a two-story outlet right next to Trailblazer.
At the ribbon-cutting, Mayor Toni Harp pointed out that the Patagonia store opened just as two well-known outdoor events are about to take place in the city: the 20th New Haven Road Race and the New Haven Grand Prix bike competition.
“I welcome this addition to the city’s retail mix,” she said. “I appreciate the company’s faith in New Haven that prompted this decision.”
Howe has been getting what he said is the ultimate question since the news broke about his new venture: With L.L. Bean coming, does New Haven need another outdoor-centric store?
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Preparing to cur the ribbon Thursday.
Howe responds yes. And he argues that Trailblazer/Denali, an independent set of retail outlets that have been in Southern New England since 1994, has its own established community niche.
“I think it’s different — completely different,” he said. “L.L. Bean is iconic, it’s been around for a long time and it is a tremendously large company based in New England. But it’s not based in Connecticut.
“We’ve been here for 23 years with pretty much the same message from the beginning: If we’re successful, we’re going to give back to the community.”
Shoppers check out the new store and learn about the products.
Howe said Trailblazer/Denali has done that by giving back some $200,000 and helping more than 2,500 New Haven schoolchildren get outdoors by working with nonprofits and schools like Common Ground High School.
“I think for us it’s just always been really important that where our stores are located that we are making sure we’re working with nonprofits or other organizations to kind of protect and grow the public outdoor lands,” Howe said. “Sometimes it seems crazy because we don’t have any big national parks, but we do have accessibility.”
He said what Connecticut lacks in national parks it makes up for green space: 70-plus acres that people can reach in 10 or 15 minutes. If you live in New Haven, he said, it could be quicker than that with just a walk to East or West Rock.
“We really want the next generation to realize that you can experience peace and tranquility and presence, and I know that sounds like a weird thing to say, in a five-minute walk in East Rock Park,” he said. “You can leave refreshed and re-centered and prepared for the next six texts or whatever notifications in the next hours.”
He said that’s part of the reason he’s partnering with Patagonia to bring an outpost of the store to New Haven, particularly in the face of the impending L.L. Bean made sense. Patagonia is a California-based, outdoor apparel company known for its staunch commitment to the environment and fair labor practices. It has contributed more than $78 million in grants and in-kind services since it started its tithing program in 1985.
“I can see the comments already of people saying it’s going to be expensive,” Howe said. “Don’t get me wrong. It isn’t inexpensive, but this is a company that doesn’t just spend. They don’t do good things to make themselves look good. They do good things because they have integrity.
“They actually do good things and they take positions,” he added. “And that kind of integrity is maybe missing right now.”