About The Outfitter:

Bruce and Karen Hoch opened The Outfitter in 2006, in the old Pizza Hut building at the top of Putt Hill, just west of downtown Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

“Bruce was working construction that year, and simply couldn’t find good work clothes in Pagosa Springs. We’d been thinking about a retail business ever since we moved to Pagosa five years ago, and when we heard that the Gem Village Carhartt store was closing, we realized a store offering quality men’s work clothes was just what Pagosa needed.”

The well-respected Carhartt brand formed the core of The Outfitter’s product selection right from the beginning, with other brands like Outback, Leatherman, Bates, and Redwing filling in as needed. Last May, the Hochs added the Women’s Carhartt line, marking the first time these quality ladies work clothes and sportswear were available in the area. They also added swimwear during their first year.

The Outfitter is truly a family business, Karen notes, with husband Bruce and sons Charlie and Bruce, Jr. all participating. “Whenever we would discuss the idea of starting a retail business, the boys would bring up the idea of a skate shop. I was really tired of mail-ordering their shoes and shirts and skateboards, so when we converted the old Pizza Hut building, we all realized that the former video arcade room would make a perfect skate shop.” Bruce Jr., who will be a senior at Pagosa Springs High School this year, handles all aspects of the Skate Shop, including ordering, pricing and stocking. The Skate Shop carries skateboards, skate shoes, shirts, hats, along with “necessary” skate accessories like iPod cases.

The Hoch family has played a major role in the annual skateboarding competitions sponsored by the Coalition for Concrete, a grassroots group working to build a safe, durable skate park in the Pagosa area. Son Charlie, a student at Fort Lewis, helped spearhead the competition last year, and Bruce Jr. played that role for this year’s event. Both are avid skateboarders, of course.

The Outfitter has also been active in supporting non-profits with donations of products for numerous fund raising events. The family participated in last May’s Fashion Show benefit for the Humane Society, with Karen and both Bruces taking their turns on the runway, showing off work clothes as a fascinating contrast to the more high-fashion and Western style clothes shown by the other clothing stores. “That was about the hardest thing we have done this year,” Karen admitted. “None of us were used to being on stage!”