LITTLE CURRENT—Mike and Megan Varey are the co-owners of Outback 40 Outfitters, a new outdoor equipment store located on Vankoughnet Street East in Little Current that promises to be a huge asset to lovers of the outdoors on Manitoulin and beyond.
“We are outdoor enthusiasts, my husband and I, boating, fishing, snowmobiling and hunting,” said Ms. Varey when asked what prompted the couple to take on the challenge of operating the new store. “We had an opportunity through somebody that we met up North, when we were bird hunting actually, to take on a whole bunch of inventory and open an outdoor-inspired store. So, here we are. We’re just going to give it a whirl.” Ms. Varey noted the couple have a few silent partners in the endeavour.
“I think it’s something that this area of the Island could definitely use” she said.
The store encompasses about 5,000 square feet. “We needed it for all of the inventory storage at the back,” said Ms. Varey, indicating a back storage area filled to the brim with boxes of inventory. “We definitely needed the space.”
Not surprising, given the wide and eclectic mix of product available, mostly outdoors-oriented, but also including items such as slippers and moccasins. “We have a little bit of everything,” said Ms. Varey. “There’s winter stuff. There’s hunting stuff. There’s summer stuff. The stock will be ever changing.”
Every time the transport shows up, Ms. Varey and her crew are excited. “Every time the truck shows up, we don’t necessarily know what will be in it, it’s kind of like Christmas,” she said. “We don’t always know what we’re getting, which is fun, and hopefully that will keep people coming back as well.”
The store is offering a door prize to early visitors. “Any customer that comes into the store and spends $50 before the end of July can enter into the draw for a free stand-up paddle board kit. The kit comes with the pump, the fin, the tether and the paddle.,” said Ms. Varey. “We’ll be drawing that the first couple days of August and we’ll announce the lucky winner online.”
The contest ends JJuly 30, that is today’s edition of The Expositor, so early readers get on down to check the store out and enter in the draw. The paddleboards are impressive and come in three styles.
“All of our shipments came from Quebec,” said Ms. Varey, adding that many of the brands they offer are popular in that province, but just arriving here in Ontario. “That was another reason why the people that we made contact with were kind of hopeful that maybe some of these brands could take off here.”
“We are kind of off the beaten path, which is a bit of a challenge,” admitted Ms. Varey, “but hopefully with the signage and the social media that can kind of bring people in. We’re hoping to, with the sort of inventory, keep people coming back and checking in what’s new.”
Store hours are Monday to Saturday, from 10 am to 5 pm. Outback 40 Outfitters is located at 86 Vankoughnet St. East in Little Current.
