Friday, April 26, 2024 | St. Lawrence County, NY
(Adam Atkinson | NCTW) By ADAM ATKINSON North Country Now CANTON – Need new or new-to-you snowshoes? Skis? Skates? Hiking boots? Bindings? A shop opened recently by Brooke Rouse, Grasse River …
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(Adam Atkinson | NCTW)
By ADAM ATKINSON
North Country Now
CANTON – Need new or new-to-you snowshoes? Skis? Skates? Hiking boots? Bindings?
A shop opened recently by Brooke Rouse, Grasse River Outfitters at 45 Main St., offers new, used and consignment outdoor recreation gear and features a gear exchange program.
The business fits into a niche left vacant by the closure of Wear on Earth in Potsdam in 2015. And, GRO even carries some of the leftover inventory from Wear on Earth, including brand new Nordic skis.
Rouse has the 400-square-foot shop lined with skis, skates, snowboards, hats, coats and other clothing, with metal shelving featuring accessory gear.
“Charles (husband) and I are very invested in this community,” said Rouse.
The couple runs a bed and breakfast and owns several properties in the community. Rouse is the executive director of the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce.
She said they have several plans for future businesses and decided the gear shop would be a way to expand the retail offerings on Main Street in Canton while filling a need.
Rouse said the shop will focus on lifestyle sports instead of organized sports. And the gear exchange and consignment aspect of GRO makes it unique to the area.
“Our intention is to keep it small and keep inventory moving,” she said.
Rouse plans to expand by opening a tuning shop in a few months in the space next door to the GRO shop. They plan to offer ski and snowshoe binding tune-ups in the winter and bicycle setup in the warmer seasons.
Response to the new store has been favorable, Rouse said, with almost 60 people coming through the doors on a recent Saturday.
Rouse is setting up a website at Nocogro.com which will feature an inventory list and the ability for customers to set up an online account to track the sale of their consignments.
The store is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Rouse plans for the store to be open from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Christmas Eve for that last-minute shopping spree.
