Our last post talked about the unseasonably warm weather we were experiencing in Grand Marais. Today we are wondering what happened to that weather. It was mighty cool last night for this time of year, but as we say, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad equipment. And we have lots of wonderful, functional equipment!

Our spring sales have been good, even though we don’t have all of our inventory in yet. In about two weeks, we should be well-stocked. We’ve received early orders of Marmot and RAB on the clothing side, and Oboz and Teva on the footwear side. Yesterday, the staff had a clinic on our new line of Adidas sunglasses, Yakima roof racks and Cascade Designs (MSR and Therma Rest) for 2012.

Feedback from the staff on these items has been great. The new sunglasses are fantastic. They are made in Austria and can accommodate prescriptions, so putting them on is like giving your eyes a vacation. Cascade Designs not only makes almost all of their equipment in the US, but they are on the cutting edge in terms of research and development. Their MSR tents and stoves are unsurpassed in terms of quality and warranties.  And their Therma Rest pads have been in the forefront for as long as I can remember (and that is a long time).

In addition to products, one of our most exciting developments has been the hiring of staff for the summer and beyond. We are beefing up our staff of kayak guides so we can accommodate more folks, along with adding more climbing and fishing guides. In the store itself we should not have any problems in terms of having knowledgeable folks to answer you questions and to tend to your needs. One of my top priorities as owner of Stone Harbor is to make sure all of our guests receive excellent customer service. This summer should be better than ever.

We’ll also be out in the community this summer, updating certifications and sponsoring events. Here are just a few of the places you’ll be able to stop by and say hi:

• Midwest Mountaineering Spring Expo in Minneapolis (April 27-29)
• Ham Run Half Marathon (Sunday, May 6)
• The Mother of Minnesota Hikes (Saturday, May 12)

Grand Marais is starting to awaken from its winter slumber, so stop up and help us celebrate. The donut shop should be opening soon (at least it better for our staff’s sake – we miss it), and other seasonal restaurants should be coming back on line soon. Some of the summer-only shops are starting to get cleaned up and stocked with merchandise. It is nice to see everyone coming back, ready for guests. We hope to see you soon!