HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you.
Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for as little as $5 a month.
(Image: Windthrow)
“NOT VERY FLEXIBLE but enjoying this beautiful planet we get to live on. Happy Earth Day,” Windthrow says
By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero
This summer, trails around the PNW will be crowded with Capitol Hill hikers — if new ventures like Windthrow have anything to do with it. The new gear shop just opened its doors at 15th and Harrison, aiming to build a community hub for outdoor lovers at the top of Capitol Hill.
Windthrow owner Nate Hoe is setting out to merge retail with community building by selling high quality outdoor apparel and accessories and create a fun, safe, space for people to hang out and exchange ideas. Growing up in the outdoors and with a background in outdoor fashion, he is starting the hike with gear he knows well, curating a selection of brands from across the globe to provide gear that mixes style and fashion with performance and functionality.
“Almost everything I carried was stuff I already loved before,” Hoe said.
Windthrow is part of another club — new outdoor ventures on Capitol Hill. The neighborhood’s REI history seems to be repeating. Just off Broadway, Seattle outdoor gear rental and community company Gearhouse is preparing for an opening this month in founder Evan Maynard’s home neighborhood. Gearhouse has grown as “Seattle’s only social club for outdoorsy people” with a unique mix of hiking, camping, and adventure gear rental, events and education, and community. Gearhouse is planning a May 18th grand opening on E Thomas near Braodway.
Building community has also been the driving force behind Hoe’s vision of creating an outdoor gear shop. The most rewarding part about his experience has been seeing people’s excitement when they walk into the store and the support he’s received from the community.
“The community support has been honestly, a little unexpected,” Hoe said. “It’s been really heartwarming, tons of effort and care went into doing this place, and to see it filled with people who are excited about it and really believe in it, it’s been really, really awesome.”
REI grew for decades from its start on Capitol Hill
As an outdoor enthusiast himself, Hoe noticed there weren’t a lot of outdoor gear retailers available near Capitol Hill, so he decided to start his own business to bring outdoors gear closer to people living here.
According to Hoe, the selection of high performance but functional and approachable gear is what sets him apart.
Opening the store took a large community effort between Hoe and his friends.
“Everybody helped out, there’s a lot of friends who generously donated their time and energy to help make this place a reality,” Hoe said.
The inspiration behind the name Windthrow came from a glossary of forestry terms Hoe dug through to land on a name. A windthrow is a tree that got knocked over by the wind and usually its roots systems are exposed. When they fall, new things grow on top of it.
“It’s this possibly destructive event, but new stuff grows from it, and I thought it just sounded cool,” Hoe said.
Despite the store being only a few weeks old, Hoe has a large vision he hopes to slowly grow out over time as he continues to settle in.
He hopes to be a community hub to teach practices and give back to the larger outdoor Western Washington community by raising awareness about the human impact on the Earth through activities such as trail cleanups, propane canister recycling programs, talks and clinics for wilderness practices and backpacking, hiking etiquette 101.
The store features quirky and funky accents from across the Pacific Northwest. Every fixture in the store was built from scratch by Hoe and his friends.
“It kind of feels like a clubhouse here, it doesn’t feel overly produced and also I hope it doesn’t feel like a singular vision, everybody [that worked on this] had input.” Hoe said.
Windthrow is now open at 345 15th Ave E. Visit windthrow.store to learn more.
HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you.
Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for as little as $5 a month.
