The History of Trailhead Kingston - 25 Years in the Making

 The Influence:

 Growing up, it was camping in the summer, hiking the "Daks" in  the fall, skating the creeks and lakes in winter and white water paddling in spring all from my hometown of Cornwall. I was lucky to be introduced to the outdoors as a wee lad. In it I found joy, challenge, physical suffering and mental therapy.

The Decades between then and now:

Fast forward through the late 80’s and 90’s, after diplomas, marriage, couple of kids, 2 years at Trailhead Toronto and 12 years in Victoria in a similar store (Ocean River) it was time to return to Ontario. I bought Trailhead from the original owners in 2004 from Chris Harris and Wally Schaber who opened Trailhead Ottawa in 1972.

We spent 10 years at 272 Princess after some time across the street in the location where Whit now resides, some of our customers will remember the Summit Loft. It was time to secure more floor space so I purchased 262 Princess which was home to Modern Furniture for 60 years.

The new building provided so much floor space we now had an ability to show more product and treat ourselves to an office with windows!

We have always been thankful to our customers who have supported us through the years. We have evolved over the years and remain your dedicated to the outdoors, locally owned outdoor shop.
A photo of the interior of Modern Furniture in 1947

The future:

2020 marks our 25th anniversary in Kingston ……thank-you ……thank-you……. thank-you

In 2019 I took on a partner, Chris Ellis with the intention of retiring in 2022.

Now looking in the review mirror that’s a lot of Goretex jackets, merino socks, headlamps, super fun customer outings with a whole lot of adventure attached to each sale over these 25 years. As Chris takes over the shop he and his team will respond to your ever changing outdoor needs.

The future looks bright!