I know it’s not dead, merely sold, but it will no longer be a co-op, so I’ll stick with the title of this thread. (Actually, according to the Globe and Mail, it is legally a coporation, so I guess the co-op angle was unofficial).
Anyway, I have a long personal history with MEC. I don’t know when I joined, maybe back around 1985, and over those long decades I bought a lot of gear at the Vancouver store in its various locations. I remember a time when the MEC and Serratus brands were top-notch. I loved the tents especially — great quality for the price. I still have a Wanderer 2 and a Tarn 2 that have life left in them. I remember once hanging around the tent section and asking a question of one of their product specialists. Turns out he was one of their main tent designers, so I spent a happy half hour picking his brains on design features and listening to him wax poetic about tunnel tents vs. freestanding models (he loved the former).
The paddling department used to be awesome, staffed by really knowledgeable people and stocked with cool gear. They stocked cool boats (I remember when they brought the Delphin over) and they had their own line of Serratus PFDs and MEC splash tops that fit the bill. I still have two of their FJ wetsuits and an old steamer suit.
Things changed, of course, as they always do. You could see it in lots of ways: for example, I really resented when they started bringing in beautiful people to model for their catalogue, as in the old days they just used regular-looking staff members. And lifestyle clothing took off, along with products for the Kitsilano yoga-and-glamping crowd. The paddling section shrank to a shadow, the tent line collapsed, and the cool staff members who had been there forever and had personally tested tons of the gear slowly disappeared.
Sigh. It was once a cool store. Who knows what the new investors will do with it? I’m sure it won’t involve selling high end boats or niche climbing gear.
Cheers,
Andrew
Anyway, I have a long personal history with MEC. I don’t know when I joined, maybe back around 1985, and over those long decades I bought a lot of gear at the Vancouver store in its various locations. I remember a time when the MEC and Serratus brands were top-notch. I loved the tents especially — great quality for the price. I still have a Wanderer 2 and a Tarn 2 that have life left in them. I remember once hanging around the tent section and asking a question of one of their product specialists. Turns out he was one of their main tent designers, so I spent a happy half hour picking his brains on design features and listening to him wax poetic about tunnel tents vs. freestanding models (he loved the former).
The paddling department used to be awesome, staffed by really knowledgeable people and stocked with cool gear. They stocked cool boats (I remember when they brought the Delphin over) and they had their own line of Serratus PFDs and MEC splash tops that fit the bill. I still have two of their FJ wetsuits and an old steamer suit.
Things changed, of course, as they always do. You could see it in lots of ways: for example, I really resented when they started bringing in beautiful people to model for their catalogue, as in the old days they just used regular-looking staff members. And lifestyle clothing took off, along with products for the Kitsilano yoga-and-glamping crowd. The paddling section shrank to a shadow, the tent line collapsed, and the cool staff members who had been there forever and had personally tested tons of the gear slowly disappeared.
Sigh. It was once a cool store. Who knows what the new investors will do with it? I’m sure it won’t involve selling high end boats or niche climbing gear.
Cheers,
Andrew