How this outdoor sporting goods store became a SLO institution for 50 years
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Owners flourished for 50 years with specialized gear, rentals, expert service and more.
- Firm stocks for skiing, snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, climbing and outdoor adventure.
- Owners expanded access with The Switchback for lower prices, used equipment and buybacks.
Early-rising, ambitious Central Coast athletes with the right skills and some luck could conceivably go snow skiing in the morning, climb a mountain in midday and surf in the Pacific that night.
Unlikely? Probably.
But possible? Yes, according to Josh Haring, who co-owns The Mountain Air outdoor sporting goods shop with his wife Lindsey. The San Luis Obispo institution that has been providing equipment and supplies for two of those outdoor adventure sports, among many others, for 50 years.
“We call it the Triple Crown: Ski China Peak in the morning, climb Bishop Peak in the afternoon and surf Morro Rock or Pismo in the evening,” he said with a laugh.
The locally owned retailer — formerly named Mountain Sports and then just Mountain Air — has persevered since 1975, despite competition from big sporting goods chains, megastores and so many online sources.
It’s the knowledgeable, personal touch that makes the difference, Haring said.
That’s always been the case and is a substantial part of why the shop has survived for five decades, former owner Wayne Patterson told The Tribune.
“I always liked to hire ‘users’ who know the sports personally,” a chuckling 75-year-old Patterson said. “They know what the equipment and needed skills are,” he said, and are eager to share that knowledge with The Mountain Air’s customers.
The Harings have continued that practice.
These days, thanks to the recent storms bringing snow to the Sierra Nevada, The Mountain Air’s winter sports business is ramping up.
“With all the snow in the mountains, finally, there’s a lot of activity with skis and snowboards here now, and we’re in full-on rental mode,” Haring told The Tribune Friday.
And when there’s no snow? It’s not the worst news.
It’s true, for example, that drought decreases customers’ yen to buy snow gear, Patterson told The Tribune in 2015.
“The good news is, when there’s no snow in the mountains, backpacking is doing really good,” he said. “It’s kind of a trade-off.”
How The Mountain Air got its start
The shop was known as Mountain Sports when then-Cal Poly student Patterson was hired by manager Lon Lundberg in either 1973 or 1974, the former said. He wasn’t sure of the year anymore.
“I was looking for a job to put myself through school, and suddenly I was a partner in the business,” Patterson said.
In 1975, he and his four partners took over and incorporated the business as The Mountain Air.
By 1983, “we were able to purchase the store,” Patterson said of himself and Lundberg.
In the mid-1980s, they moved it from 858 Higuera St. to its current location at 667 Marsh St.
Patterson changed the SLO store’s name to The Mountain Air and continued its laser focus on equipment, attire, repairs and expert advice.
He embraced that focus for more than 45 years, before selling the store to longtime employee Josh Haring and his wife.
“It was a great ride,” Patterson said wistfully. “Sometimes, I miss it, especially the customers I served for so long, sometimes for four generations.”
The pandemic provided opportunity and motivation
The Harings had so much faith in the business, they bought the store at what otherwise would not have been a great time for such a major transition: in 2020 near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was ‘cutting-your-teeth time’ for us, our first real hurdle. It required our full attention, all the time,” Josh Haring said.
The couple’s decision to buy the store was an informed one, based on their experience with The Mountain Air, its products and its ethics.
Josh Haring had been an employee at The Mountain Air since 2002, or for nearly half the time the store’s been open.
Patterson said he’d been grooming Haring from the start to eventually buy the business.
“In any business, succession is always an issue. You either have family, or you sell it to somebody,” Patterson said.
“A few years after Josh started working for the company, we talked about it. He was young enough and had the experience. I gave him some shares in the company in 2013. Kept him interested. Eventually he was groomed to take over the company, and it was basically turnkey because he already knew it so well,” the former boss said.
Like Patterson, Haring had grown up as an active sportsman in the Pacific Northwest, which, for the latter, meant Sisters, Oregon, near Bend.
That background gave both a deep love for the outdoors and its sports.
Now, Haring takes his family up there for vacations.
“I didn’t grow up skiing … didn’t get into that until I moved to San Luis Obispo in 2002 to start working at The Mountain Air,” Haring said of his childhood spent fishing and camping.
Now he loves to ski and planned to spend one day between Christmas and New Year’s Day on the slopes.
Haring met his future wife in 2005 when she briefly joined the sales staff at the SLO store before leaving for a job in the office of the Cal Poly president. They married in 2008, and they have three sons: Jack is 14, Luke is 12 and Dean is 8.
Lindsey Haring kept working at the university until 2021, when she rejoined The Mountain Air staff, right after she and her husband bought it.
“We were always talking about the business anyway, so it just made more sense to work together,” her husband said. “I do think it’s special for us to work together.”
How the store navigated the COVID-19 downturn
During the pandemic, when some other businesses were cutting way back or closing up shop, the Harings’ business gamble paid off.
That was in part at first because of the pandemic shutdown.
With all the restrictions on gathering indoors, people couldn’t recreate together inside.
But outdoors? That was fair game.
Some who’d been battling cabin fever took the athletic plunge, even if they’d never before hiked or skied, slept in a tent, shimmied up the face of a mountain or slid down one on a snowboard.
The Mountain Air was there to help them then, as it had been for more than 40 years, and still is doing that more than a decade later.
And the fun has just begun for them and their customers, the Harings say.
What you can find at The Mountain Air
The Mountain Air’s focus is on outdoor adventure sports like skiing, snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, climbing, outdoor exploring, mountain activities and athletics for travelers.
Their stock and services include gear, clothing, footwear, supplies, repairs and rentals, plus expert advice from experienced athletes.
What The Mountain Air doesn’t supply is team-sport equipment, such as basketball, baseball or soccer.
Among other sports not represented at The Mountain Air are guns and archery, bicycling and skating, and ocean sports such as surfing, fishing, kayaking and canoeing.
“Other stores are doing a really good job with those sports, and we didn’t want or need to compete,” Josh Haring said, and Patterson said he agrees 100%.
They also have a relatively new sister resale shop next door.
The Switchback fills a gap for those on a stricter budget or for those wanting to dip a toe into a sport without spending as much.
The shop opened in late August 2023, selling used sports gear and offering buyback opportunities.
The Switchback provides more affordable access to outdoor gear, such as for climbing, hiking and snow sports.
Party and sale mark store’s anniversary
To celebrate the shop’s 50th year, the Harings held a blockbuster, store-wide “balloon sale,” their 39th, that’s always a hoot, Haring said. “We had hundreds of helium balloons, each holding a discount certificate of up to 50%. Two customers got that 50%-off benefit, for combined savings of about $900 on sales totaling $1,700.
“One winner was so visibly excited that she screamed,” he said.
They also threw a big celebration party at The Penny, he said of the vintage-fashioned event space with an industrial look, indoor and outdoor areas.
“Tons of alumnae and customers came, and nearly all of our reps,” he said.
The Harings also launched a new logo and some new merch, including T-shirts and additions to their popular collectible trucker hats.
“We sell more than 1,000 of those hats a year,” Haring said. “I think more people own our hats than any other.”
The Harings say they and their store are super busy, and as they say on their website, they’re dedicated to it.
“We are committed to being more than a retail store,” the website says. “We are committed to providing an exceptional customer experience, getting more people outside, supporting community and protecting the outdoor spaces we love.”
Learn more about The Mountain Air
The Mountain Air is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays at 667 Marsh St., Suite D, or online at themountainair.com, on Instagram and TikTok. Call 805-543-1676, text to 805-242-2687 or email to customerservice@themountainair.com.
