My mother-in-law, Betsy, is one tough traveler. She’s hiked in Iceland, surfed in Hawaii, photographed wildlife in the Galapagos and is at this moment in China, probably risking life and limb and being hit on by eligible 70-year-old guys, whom she’ll turn down because they cramp her style.
When visiting Colorado from sea level, she strolls around our mountainous neighborhood three times a day to blow off steam. Naturally, she’s my role model of how to live life at 70, and how do I pay her back? I head north to the Sierra Trading Post to buy her a little something.
Unless you live near Reno, Nev., or Cody or Cheyenne, it’s not exactly a place you can pop by. And unless you drive a hybrid, expect to spend at least $20 in gas. You won’t regret the expense.
The Sierra Trading Post story is one of those business blockbusters. The outdoor clothes discounter used to send out newsprint booklets illustrated by line drawings, but now it publishes six glossy catalogs and has expanded far beyond Gore-Tex into such genteel items as Ralph Lauren ties and women’s career separates. Sierra brings 300 jobs to Cheyenne alone and just finished building a new store in Cody. Things have been looking up for some time.
Divine inspiration
Keith Richardson, who founded the company in 1986, credits his success to no less a silent partner than Jesus Christ, who runs his life to the extent that there are Bible quotes on every order blank in every catalog. The son of God also drove him to seek out overstocks and closeouts from big labels – perhaps it’s no accident that the shoe department, in particular, seems divinely inspired.
The highway signs also have worked out rather well.
“We have a strong billboard presence,” says Sierra’s advertising coordinator, Vena Hartman. “They’re as far away as Ogallala, Nebraska. So many of our customers just get off the highway on their way through to somewhere. We have great proximity to I-25 and I-80.”
In general, I distrust billboards of the Burma Shave persuasion. Wall Drug, in Wall, S.D., has signs all over the universe. You think they’re funny, then ironic, then, God help you, intriguing. What else can you think about driving through all that empty space?
So, that’s it?
But despite Wall Drug calling itself an “attraction,” it’s nothing but an overpriced tchotchke shop. After all that buildup, it’s as depressing as a dusty wax museum. As Peggy Lee would say: Is that all there is?
(Actually, no. It’s only 12 miles from downtown Denver to Foss Drug in Golden, and haven’t you been meaning to buy an autographed baseball, a reproduction of an Esso gas station sign or some good, old fashioned liquor?)
Sierra Trading Post avoided the Wall Drug pitfall by simply being a great place to snag bargains; less a Western roadside pit-stop than the cowboy cousin of Loehmann’s, an East Coast shopaholic mecca since 1921. Everything is marked down 30 to 70 percent, and prices are even better in the Bargain Barn. Here’s what I found for Betsy: a stylish brown oilcloth crushable hat, impervious to rain, snow and sun – slashed from $44 to $9.99. I’ll make sure to rip off the price tag.
I don’t even like shopping, but suddenly I turned into a Filene’s Basement hanger – snatcher – stocking up on hiking boots, snow boots, red patent-leather clogs, cashmere sweaters and Eddie Bauer shirts, after which I stopped cold turkey. I had to. Unfortunately, the cutoff point came before I spotted the collapsible camouflage doghouse.
I’ve mulled it over and decided I made a mistake. If my mother-in-law can roam the earth in the perfect travel hat, what’s to stop her toy poodle from doing the same?
Look for me on the road to Cheyenne. I’ll be the one with the credit card.
Robin Chotzinoff is a freelance writer who lives in Evergreen.
The details
Sierra Trading Post locations:
Cheyenne. 5025 Campstool Road, 307-775-8090. Open 9 a.m. 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday; noon 6 p.m. Sunday.
Cody, Wyo. 1402 Eighth St., 307-578-5802. Open 9 a.m. 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday; noon 6 p.m. Sunday.
Reno, Nev. 6865 Sierra Center Parkway, Suite 200, 775-828-8050. Open 9 a.m. 7 p.m. Monday Saturday; 11 a.m. 5 p.m. Sunday.
