This sucks... for me and my family, I'll miss MEC the most for the really useful niche they fit = good quality kids gear. They have (had?) so much simple, quality, well priced kids gear. From rain shells to backpacks, to well spec'd and priced kids bikes (and parts), to sunglasses, to ski gear, etc, etc. That stuff is so hard to find anywhere else. Luckily for me my kids are aging out of kids gear now, but from when they were basically newborns to very recently, MEC allowed us to keep living an outdoor wet-coast lifestyle on a budget in comfort. It will be sad to see that go away for young families.
I knew it was almost over when they started bringing in Fjallraven gear... wtf MEC... like how much further from your ethos can you get?? And at the same price as at the Fjallraven store across the street... like what's the point! They definitely lost their way... cramming the board full of MBA's with big corporate experience and zero grassroots representation to offset that was a HUGE mistake.
For those living in Victoria... a great local option for your outdoor gear is Robinsons Outdoor store, they have an 80-year history as a local, family-owned business. We also have some great LBS's like Marty's and Oak Bay. Lots of great local options.
Would be great to see NSMB do some profiles on local bike/outdoor stores... seem to remember that happening a couple times in the past??
Sept. 29, 2020, 8:49 a.m. - IslandLife
This sucks... for me and my family, I'll miss MEC the most for the really useful niche they fit = good quality kids gear. They have (had?) so much simple, quality, well priced kids gear. From rain shells to backpacks, to well spec'd and priced kids bikes (and parts), to sunglasses, to ski gear, etc, etc. That stuff is so hard to find anywhere else. Luckily for me my kids are aging out of kids gear now, but from when they were basically newborns to very recently, MEC allowed us to keep living an outdoor wet-coast lifestyle on a budget in comfort. It will be sad to see that go away for young families. I knew it was almost over when they started bringing in Fjallraven gear... wtf MEC... like how much further from your ethos can you get?? And at the same price as at the Fjallraven store across the street... like what's the point! They definitely lost their way... cramming the board full of MBA's with big corporate experience and zero grassroots representation to offset that was a HUGE mistake. For those living in Victoria... a great local option for your outdoor gear is Robinsons Outdoor store, they have an 80-year history as a local, family-owned business. We also have some great LBS's like Marty's and Oak Bay. Lots of great local options. Would be great to see NSMB do some profiles on local bike/outdoor stores... seem to remember that happening a couple times in the past??