Moosejaw.com is a defunct online and

brick and mortar Brick and mortar (or B&M) is an organization or business with a physical presence in a building or other structure. The term ''brick-and-mortar business'' is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases retail shops, factory produc ...

retailer that specialized in

outdoor recreation Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activitie ...

apparel and gear for

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralym ...

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

, and

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

. The company was founded in 1992 by Robert Wolfe and David Jaffe, two longtime friends who chose to sell camping equipment instead of becoming wilderness guides. In August 2024, the remaining three stores announced their closure and the Moosejaw website was shut down. Moosejaw.com now redirects to Publiclands.com, another subsidiary of Dick's Sporting Goods launched in 2021.

History

Moosejaw.com was named a Top 50 retailer by Internet Retailer (2007), Top 50 retailer by

Bizrate Connexity Inc. is a privately held Los Angeles operator of shopping web sites, including Shopzilla.com. Originally started as comparison shopping website Bizrate.com, the company changed its name to Shopzilla in 2004, and changed again to Con ...

(2006), Best of the Web by ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine, and a Top 500 Retailer by Internet Retailer. Moosejaw has been recognized as a leader in online marketing by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''Outside'' magazine, and ''Chain Store Age'' magazine. Moosejaw was known for its nonsensical marketing called "Moosejaw Madness". Moosejaw's official name, as it appears on their corporate charter, is Moosejaw Mountaineering and Backcountry Travel, Inc. In 2021, the store had twelve locations which include eight in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, one in Arkansas, one in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, one in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, one in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, and one in

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. According to its website history, the first store opened in 1992 in Keego Harbor, Michigan. In November 2011, Moosejaw released an

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR), also known as mixed reality (MR), is a technology that overlays real-time 3D computer graphics, 3D-rendered computer graphics onto a portion of the real world through a display, such as a handheld device or head-mounted ...

app designed by Marxent Labs which allows shoppers to hold their mobile device over the Moosejaw catalog and view images of the models in their underwear. On September 1, 2012, Moosejaw Mountaineering opened a store in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

. The new store is located in the

Country Club Plaza The Country Club Plaza (often called The Plaza) is a privately owned regional shopping center in the Country Club District of Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1923, it is considered to be the first planned large outdoor su ...

; an upscale retail/dining district located south of downtown Kansas City. Moosejaw's annual revenue neared $100 million in 2014 and was growing roughly 25% per year at that time. A new store opened in 2020 in

Olathe, Kansas Olathe ( ) is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the List of cities in Kansas#Highest population listing, fourth-most populous city in both the Kansas City metropolitan area and the state of Kansas, with a 2020 Uni ...

, and was associated with local rock-climbing gym ROKC, however, the store closed in 2024. In 2021, they opened a new store in Bentonville, Arkansas. As of 2023, only three stores remain; one in Birmingham, one in Salt Lake City, and one in Bentonville, Arkansas. Parallel Investment Partners, a

private equity firm A private equity firm or private equity company (often described as a financial sponsor) is an investment management company that provides financial backing and makes investments in the private equity of a Startup company, startup or of an existin ...

based in Dallas, acquired a majority stake in Moosejaw in 2007 on undisclosed terms. Glencoe Capital, a private equity firm, acquired a stake in Moosejaw in 2009 on undisclosed terms. W Capital Partners, a private equity firm, acquired a stake in Moosejaw in 2013 on undisclosed terms. On February 15, 2017, retailer

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

acquired Moosejaw for $51 million to enhance its e-commerce presence. In February 2023, Dick's Sporting Goods agreed to buy Moosejaw from Walmart for an undisclosed amount, aiming to integrate Moosejaw's operations with its own outdoor-focused subsidiary. In September 2023, Dick's announced that it will be closing down all but 3 Moosejaw stores along with the headquarters in Madison Heights, MI. All operations will be moved to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

effective February 2024. In August 2024, all remaining stores were closed and the Moosejaw website was shut down.

References

External links

* {{Walmart Companies based in Oakland County, Michigan Online retailers of the United States Sporting goods retailers of the United States Clothing retailers of the United States Retail companies established in 1992 Internet properties established in 1992 Madison Heights, Michigan 1992 establishments in Michigan Walmart 2017 mergers and acquisitions 2023 mergers and acquisitions Camping equipment manufacturers Climbing and mountaineering equipment companies Outdoor clothing brands Outdoor retailers

History

See also

References

External links