Outdoorsman Geoff Brugler goes all in

Geoff Brugler does what he sells.

He began to bike in college when he worked at Pedals, a State College bike store that has since closed. He skied before he opened his outdoor gear and equipment shop in downtown State College. He has done everything under the sun, rain and snow that he sells under his roof at Appalachian Outdoors.

It’s fun. It’s addicting. It’s an adventure.

“We understand science and the human genome more now, and there’s DNA strands for high-risk behavior,” Brugler said. “You could call those people thrill seekers, but it’s really a personal challenge. For me and a lot of my friends, we look for something on the edge when we are out of our comfort zone for minutes, hours or days where you’re pushing your own limits. There’s a real camaraderie that gets built.”

Brugler’s educational background is in engineering and veterinary science. He changed course in 1974 when he met a customer at the bike shop.

“He had experience, and I managed to get the financing together,” Brugler said. “My dad co-signed the loan for me. There were four or five stereo shops downtown, some camera stores, several bike shops and only one outdoor shop. We figured we could make an outdoor store work here.”

Q: Did you envision being here for 41 years?

A: No, not at all. I’m not sure I looked ahead when I was 24 years old. I remember walking in the store after we’d been open for two years and looked around. It hit me what I’d gotten into. A lot of people go into business and think they should be able to do it and that it’s not a big deal. That’s the naivete I kind of went into it with.

Q: Your business relies partly on people who want to get outdoors. Just look at the name. How much of an outdoorsman are you?

A: Through high school I was in (Boy) Scouts. We fished and camped, and I was more into traditional high school sports like wrestling. I got into bike riding when I worked at a bike shop. I started skiing my freshman year at Penn State, because the guys on my dorm floor were big skiers. The first trip they took me to Mad River, made one run with me and saw how miserable I was at skiing, and they left me. (laughs)

When we conceived the store I started rock climbing. I really got into that. I got into backpacking, canoeing, camping and cross-country skiing and racing. I was into mountaineering in Mexico, South America, Europe, Alaska, Canadian Rockies, so I had the opportunity to be with a lot of really good climbers that got me up some really good climbs. I’ve the opportunity to have amazing journeys and adventures around the world.

Q: Have you thought about retirement to get outdoors more?

A: I get outdoors a fair amount as it is. I finished a few really good trips the past few years. I have a few coming up. And, you know, you sort of have a knot in your stomach packing. It’s not the same as going to the beach. But I like what I do. I like the lifestyle in the industry and have gotten to be friends with a lot of people around the country. I like the customers. We’re in the dream fulfillment business, so they aren’t coming in here to buy a fixture for something at home.

Retirement, yeah, I’ll be here for at least five more years. I really look forward to getting up every morning and going to work. I’m going to do something with my life beyond the store. I want to move on to do more philanthropic work. I have enough stuff. I want something else on my tombstone besides, “He was a retailer.” (laughs)

Q: You did recently have something called the One Warm Coat Campaign, right?

A: Some of the fundraisers we’ve done recently have been done for local families, people who are dealing with illnesses that have impacted their finances. We did a sock drive for Hearts for the Homeless. We jumped into One Warm Coat to collect coats, jackets, scarves and mittens and all those things for homeless shelters or people that were incarcerated in warm weather and are being released in cold weather and don’t have clothing. There’s no shortage of philanthropic opportunities in this town or in this country or on the planet.

Q: Jumping into the industry side of things, how have trends changed over the past few decades?

A: It’s not even really the same business it was two or three years ago. If you look back to the early days, it’s like it happened in a different lifetime. It was the golden years of backpacking. There was no Internet or a computer system in the store. People always shopped pretty close to home, so there wasn’t a lot of competition. When we opened the other store in town sold clothing, so we were going to be an equipment store. Our slogan was, “For the serious backpacker and outdoorsman.” It was all gear.

You can see how things have changed dramatically. The industries are blending together. The outdoor industry has became more lifestyle. Fashion is a little more outdoor. They’re converging into a casual lifestyle. We’ve been selling on the Web since 1999. We’ve been selling on Amazon since 2001. So, don’t fight them. Join them. It’s really a different ballgame.

Q: We’ve had unseasonably warm weather in the past month. How has that impacted business and are you hoping for worse weather?

A: It depends on what you consider worse weather. I think the media needs some weather people who ski that will say, “The best thing is going to happen. We’re getting 12 inches of snow.” If you live in Pennsylvania, you might as well embrace it. I think this community is really under the radar as far as outdoor opportunities go for hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, mountain biking. It’s incredible.

To get back to your question, though, we are farmers. We’re weather dependent. The fall weather has an impact on us, and it has been a more challenging winter than in the past. We have a lot of local support. We have familiar faces in here all the time, but we would be busier if it were 20 degrees and we had 20 inches on the ground. The worse the weather, the busier we are. We almost can’t get too cold, too snowy, too icy or harsh.

Q: What are you most looking forward to when we get some snow on the ground?

A: Cross-country skiing. I ski out in Rothrock. You can park in the ski area or drive back a couple hundred yards. Every quarter of a mile you drive there is more snow. You may not see snow in town and then go to Tussey Mountain and have great skiing, because they make so much snow. I think it’s the Norwegians or Fins that said, “There’s no bad weather, just bad clothing.” If you live here, all you got to do is get bundled up, go outside and enjoy the weather. When I’m out cross-country skiing on one of those pretty days when we just got fresh snow and the sun is out, there’s no prettier place on the planet.

This story was originally published January 2, 2016 at 11:45 PM with the headline "Outdoorsman Geoff Brugler goes all in."