Retailer Highlight: Ozark Mountain Trading Company, Arkansas
5-minute read
Ozark Mountain Trading Company (OMTC) is a family-owned paddlesports retailer based in northern Arkansas that’s celebrating its 20th year in business in 2024.
OMTC’s two locations (Garfield and Cotter) are an easy distance from some of the country’s best kayaking, canoeing and fishing waters.
We reached out to them to find out more about their store, their customer base and the ways they’ve been serving the paddlesports world in the US. Co-owner with her husband Bruce and brother-in-law Larry, Diane Jenkins was able to take a few minutes from their busy season to fill us in:
BENDING BRANCHES: What is paddling like in your part of the US?
DIANE: We are home to the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and the Buffalo National River. We have more navigable waterways than anywhere else in the country—all ideal for recreation (Class I and II predominantly) and fishing. We also have a lot of beautiful lakes.
Because of this, the Ozarks has a strong paddling and fishing culture. People get on the water to get away from things, relax and be deep in nature. They stop along the way and take beautiful hikes, see beautiful waterfalls or explore caves. Some do overnight trips and camp on the bank. And yes, some float to party.
We got into this business because we love getting out in nature, paddling down beautiful scenic rivers, navigating tricky water, all while fishing or watching bald eagles fly above us. It's awful hard to beat.
Because of all the scenic rivers and lakes, our two biggest customer segments are recreation and fishing paddlers. When we started our business, it was all rec. Then fishing kayaks came along, kayak fishing tournaments began and our fishing segment continued to grow. Today, I'd say we’re 50/50 between the two segments.
About half of OMTC’s customers fish or hunt from a kayak
BRANCHES: Is there whitewater kayaking near you?
DIANE: We have an active and enthusiastic community of whitewater paddlers, but it is relatively small. We do not have consistent whitewater in our area, so we are limited to those who chase the water.
We are blessed, however, to have three whitewater parks in our area. These include Riversport OKC, located in Oklahoma City. It will host the Canoe Slolam events for the 2028 Olympics. Next is WOKA, a really nice whitewater park carved out of the Illinois River right on the border between Arkansas and Oklahoma. And the Tulsa Wave, which is a whitewater flume created on the Arkansas River. All three are located in Oklahoma, but very accessible to our customer base.
We also have a very active paddlesports club, the Arkansas Canoe Club, which has over 1,000 members representing ten chapters in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
Each spring the ACC hosts the (1) School of Whitewater Paddling on the Mulberry River and (2) School of River Paddling on the Illinois River. For over ten years, OMTC has donated a new whitewater kayak that is raffled off at the School of Whitewater Paddling.
BRANCHES: Tell us about your new online store.
DIANE: Last year (2023) we opened our first online store. We are shipping everything except hardshell kayaks at the moment. Most of what we ship are accessories and inflatables. We have been surprised by the locations we are shipping to—basically, everywhere across the US. Sometimes I wonder how in the world they find us!
It doesn’t seem that our online store has decreased our in-store sales at all. What we have found is even our most loyal customers will purchase their kayak from us, but then later purchase their accessories online. Now they can have that convenience and still support their local specialty shop.
With our online chat feature, we find we can help guide customers to the right hardshell kayak for their needs just as we would in-store. Then they can buy online to reserve their kayak (or finance it with Affirm if they wish) and pick it up at one of our stores.
An OMTC demo day
BRANCHES: How else does OMTP support the paddlesports industry?
DIANE: Recently I joined the board of the newly formed Paddlesports Trade Coalition. The PTC's goal is to serve the unique needs of the brands and retailers of the paddlesports industry, with the ultimate goal of supporting the growth and health of the industry.
We just wrapped up our first big initiative—the PTC Colab, held at Riversport OKC Whitewater Park in Oklahoma. The PTC Colab was a three-day event for paddlesports retailers and brands. It included mornings of speakers, discussions and break-out groups followed by afternoons of previews, discussions and demos of amazing products of the participating brands.
BRANCHES: Why do you carry Bending Branches paddles?
DIANE: When we first started, we tried a few different paddle manufacturers, but always seemed to run into quality issues. And then we were introduced to Bending Branches. We found your quality and service to be second to none.
We also had the opportunity to get to know [previous owner] Ed Vater and found him to be the salt of the earth. After that, we couldn't imagine moving any business away from Ed!
With 50% of our business coming from customers who fish (or hunt) from kayaks, Bending Branches has passed the test of time. Yours are beautiful paddles that perform extremely well and hold up to the rigorous use of our customers. Today, Bending Branches is the only kayak paddle brand we sell for our fishing and hunting kayakers.
Learn More about Ozark Mountain Trading Company
OMTC offers some nice customer benefits like their price match guarantee and free lifetime hull repair. Learn more about those and see their inventory by visiting their website at OzarkMTC.com. You can also follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
We’re proud to partner with OMTC and retailers like them that work so hard to make the paddling world a better place!
All photos courtesy of Ozark Mountain Trading Company.
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us by phone (715-755-3405) or email: [email protected]
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