BC Business
Arcteryx
The outdoor retailer's latest outlet will stock the largest selection of apparel and equipment globally.
Arc’teryx has been a household name in B.C. for some time. Unlike a lot of retail brands, though, that reputation was built mostly through wholesale deals. These days, that’s changing.
Nowhere is that more evident than in Kitsilano, where the outdoor clothing retailer just opened the doors to its largest selection of apparel and equipment globally. The new outpost on West 4th Avenue (which replaces an old Arc’teryx shop on the same street) is also playing host to Vancouver’s first ReBIRD Service Centre. This is the company’s sixth ReBIRD Centre and follows openings in New York, Toronto, Boulder, Tokyo and Beijing.
“It’s sort of like getting your tires changed,” says Delaney Schweitzer, chief commercial officer at Arc’teryx. “It’s that type of service centre—to help keep these beautiful jackets and products even more sustainable.”
Customers are welcome to bring in their jackets to the service centre and receive an assessment and service free of charge. On-site, experts will perform light-touch repairs, technical washing and re-waterproofing right before your eyes, while bigger fixes get sent off with a maximum wait of three days.
“How to wash Arc’teryx jacket is one of our most popular Google searches,” says Schweitzer with a laugh. “Come on in and do your laundry, we want to educate people on how to take care of these products.”
The store opened last weekend and has, unsurprisingly, been packed since.
“When we started our transformation from a wholesale company, we knew we wanted to create a new expression for Arc’teryx,” says Schweitzer. “This is the best expression of our brand. I tell our team—no joke we had 36 meetings on this store. And most of them weren’t for just an hour.”
Kornelia Kulbacki