And of course it helps to have the right gear if you're gonna be connecting with nature, right?

Well, for more than 50 years, the Great Outdoor Provision Company has been outfitting campers, kayakers, even rock climbers and more.

So we sent Rick Sullivan to go learn more about their story and their mission.

[bright music] - I think a place like this is really unique because retail seems to be shrinking with big box stores and internet commerce.

So it's really cool to be in a shop that feels homegrown and feels family-like.

- I just really like the vibe of the store and I really like the people.

- Well, I think it's really important for us to find people who love the outdoors, number one, and that people are good communicators and able to share their love of the outdoor gear with customers.

- Got a nice keel on it, so it does track pretty good for a 10 foot boat.

- [Rick] Great Outdoor Provision Company got its start in the back of a bike shop in Carrboro back in 1972.

Today there are nine stores, seven of them in North Carolina, including this one in Chapel Hill.

It's been slow and careful growth and that goes for the hiring of staff, many of the employees having 10 or more years of experience in the company and even more than that in the great outdoors.

- So I've been here since 1998.

I was a college student at NC State when I started here 'cause I like backpacking and I wanted good deals on lots of equipment.

- I've been here almost 14 years.

I was really introduced to the outdoors working at the summer camp that I went to in the White Mountains of New Hampshire growing up.

So I've been backpacking since I was pretty young.

- My dad had been working for the company since '80, '83?

- [Rick] John Millsaps is the son of company co-owner, Chuck Millsaps.

- Growing up with my dad, I was immediately interested in the outdoors from camping, paddling.

But I would say in addition to the outdoor interest, it's mainly just the opportunity to see my dad every day and get to work with him.

- [Rick] The family and friendly feel of Great Outdoor Provision Company employees is one they hope is shared with their customers, who enter their stores in search of high caliber outdoor equipment or even just expert advice.

- The people that come in here aren't just coming here because they like the stuff that we sell and they think we have a beautiful store, even though they do.

They like to have a real one-on-one experience with staff and it's great to work with people who have experience in the outdoor industry and are excited to share it.

- We wanna be a shop that's the public library of the outdoors where you can come in, you can find answers to questions and you're not gonna feel a high pressure environment.

We employ some people who've been to the top of the seven summits, who've been to Everest, who've hiked the Pacific Coast Trail, the Appalachian Trail, but we also employ people who are just passionate, local hikers.

- [Rick] One of the folks on staff on the morning I filmed this story, had expertise in hiking but also dog training.

And Great Outdoor Provision Company very prominently welcomes friendly pups.

After all, they are often camping and hiking companions themselves.

- I like camping with my dog.

So I've gone camping by myself numerous times but having my dog with me, just really adds another level of complexity and fun to the whole experience.

- [Rick] With natural features, including everything from fields to streams and mountains to coast, the outdoor business in North Carolina is super competitive and Great Outdoor Provision Company likes it that way.

- We're really not trying to make our slice of the pie grow, we just want the whole pie to grow.

There's been kind of an evolution of the outdoor marketplace and I think part of the reason that we've experienced success over the years is because we are geographically bound in this North Carolina, Virginia area.

It makes it easy for us to identify the products that our customers in this region would like.

We can really put together a special menu for people that are gonna be here in this area and find them the right things for the climate that we're in.

- The Great Outdoor Provision Company has several locations in our state.

Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Greenville, Wilmington and Winston-Salem and they're all open daily.

For more information, visit their website at greatoutdoorprovision.com.