The Woodsman Company

What The Woodsman Company does

The Woodsman Company is a privately held, family-owned outdoor specialty retailer founded in October 1985 by Bob Dobbins in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It operates a single brick-and-mortar storefront at 5609 Rogers Ave, Suite D, supplemented by a WooCommerce/WordPress e-commerce site with in-store pickup, a seasonal print and digital catalog, and active blog and social channels. The product assortment is organized around activity categories — kayaking, fishing, cycling, camping/trail, climbing, footwear, and apparel — sourced from a broad bench of brand partners including Jackson Kayak, Hobie, Cannondale, Giant, Rocky Mountain, Brooks, Orvis, Simms, Hoka, Patagonia, and The North Face. In September 2021 the company expanded into a dedicated full-service bike shop with four service bays offering sales of e-bikes, mountain bikes, gravel bikes, comfort riders, and kids' bikes plus maintenance and repair.

The company employs approximately 10 people across merchandising, floor sales, bike service, and digital/content functions, and is operated by second-generation family members alongside long-tenured staff. There is no proprietary technology stack, no disclosed revenue or funding, and no enterprise or institutional customers; demand is generated from individual outdoor enthusiasts in Fort Smith and the surrounding Arkansas region, with a modest radius of phone-fulfilled and shipped online orders. The competitive stance is built on local authenticity, personalized outfitting, expert guidance, and community engagement (group hikes, demo events, local guide partnerships) rather than price or scale, positioning the store against Amazon and big-box outdoor retailers on service and curation rather than assortment breadth.

The revenue model combines one-time retail product sales (apparel, gear, bikes, kayaks) with a small professional-services stream from bike maintenance and repair, both priced on a standard unit/transaction basis with no subscription, licensing, or contracted recurring components. Pricing is conventional retail with category-specific return windows (30 days for most items, 10 days for boats and bikes). Marketing is largely organic — blog content, social media customer service, email newsletter, and trade-show sourcing — with no documented paid acquisition or institutional sales motion.

Name

The Woodsman Company

Legal name

The Woodsman Company

Website

https://thewoodsmancompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Woodsman Company is a family-owned outdoor specialty retailer founded in 1985 in Fort Smith, Arkansas, serving regional outdoor enthusiasts with kayaks, bikes, fishing gear, apparel, and footwear across a single storefront, e-commerce site, and a four-bay bike repair shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Recreation Retail

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor Clothing & Footwear Retail (Camping/Hiking/Climbing) (CRAMAMAK)

Keywords

• Outdoor recreation retail
• Outdoor gear and apparel
• Kayaking equipment retail
• Cycling products retail
• Fly fishing equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Smith

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Retail sales of outdoor gear, apparel, footwear, kayaks, bikes, and accessories through physical storefront and online store with in-store pickup option.
2. Bike Service and Repair: Bike maintenance and repair services offered through four fully-loaded service bays. Services all makes and models of bicycles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Woodsman Company is a brick-and-mortar and online outdoor recreation retailer selling kayaks, fishing gear, bicycles, camping and trail equipment, climbing gear, footwear, and apparel from authentic outdoor brands. It also operates The Woodsman Bike Shop, a full-service bike shop with four service bays offering bike maintenance, repair, and bike sales. The company serves Fort Smith, Arkansas and surrounding areas with in-store pickup and shipping options.

Product overview

The Woodsman Company is a brick-and-mortar and e-commerce outdoor recreation retailer founded in 1985, offering a diverse portfolio of outdoor gear and equipment organized around activity categories: kayaking, fishing, cycling, camping/trail, climbing, footwear, and apparel. The company operates a full-service bike shop (The Woodsman Bike Shop) with repair bays alongside its retail operations. Products are sourced from numerous brand partners including Jackson Kayak, Hobie, Cannondale, Giant, Brooks, Orvis, Simms, Hoka, Teva, Sorel, Chaco, Keen, Oboz, PrAna, Kuhl, Patagonia, and The North Face. The business also provides curated recreational activity guidance for Arkansas outdoor destinations including hiking trails, mountain biking routes, climbing spots, camping sites, and river systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kayaking Equipment Kayaks and kayaking gear from brands including Jackson Kayak, Hobie, Crescent Kayaks, and FeelFree, offering recreational and fishing kayaks for outdoor enthusiasts.
• Fishing Gear Fishing equipment and fly fishing gear for anglers, including products from brands such as Orvis and Simms, with guides and curated recommendations for Arkansas waters.
• Cycling Products Bicycles and cycling accessories from brands including Cannondale, Giant, and Brooks, plus cycling apparel and gear for road, mountain, and recreational cycling.
• The Woodsman Bike Shop Full-service bike shop with four service bays offering bike maintenance and repair for all makes and models, and selling e-bikes, mountain bikes, gravel grinders, comfort riders, and kids bikes from Giant, Cannondale, GT, Rocky Mountain, and Haro.
• Camp & Trail Gear Camping and travel gear for outdoor adventures, including equipment for backpacking and hiking.
• Men's Footwear Outdoor and athletic footwear for men, with local inventory availability powered by Locally.
• Women's Clothing Outdoor apparel and sportswear for women.
• Men's Clothing Outdoor apparel and outerwear for men.
• Climbing Gear Climbing equipment and gear for various climbing activities.

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jackson KayakcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJackson Kayak is featured as a key brand sold at The Woodsman Company, specializing in recreational and fishing kayaks. The store has purchased Jackson kayaks for resale and staff have positive relationships with Jackson Kayak athletes.
• Rocky MountaincoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRocky Mountain is a key mountain bike brand sold at The Woodsman Company. The company hosted Rocky Mountain bike demos during their bike shop grand opening.
• Giant BicyclescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGiant is a major bike brand stocked by The Woodsman Bike Shop, including models like Trance X Advanced.
• CannondalecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCannondale bicycles are among the brands stocked at The Woodsman Bike Shop.
• The North FaceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe North Face outdoor apparel and gear is sold at the store.
• PatagoniaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPatagonia outdoor apparel and gear is sold at the store.
• HobieminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHobie kayaks are among the brands featured at the store.
• OrvisminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrvis fishing gear is sold at the store.
• Ben and Gabe LevinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFly fishing guides who have been customers of The Woodsman Company since age 14, trained under Duane Hada. They are now two of the best guides on the White River system and area experts for smallmouth fly fishing.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bass Pro Shops: Large multi-category outdoor retailer carrying fishing, kayaking, camping, hiking, and outdoor apparel. Operates a destination-store concept with in-store experiences; broad incumbent that competes for the same customer wallet share.
• REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.): Largest U.S. outdoor specialty co-op with multi-category assortment (camping, hiking, climbing, cycling, paddling, fishing) and strong service/expertise reputation. Broad incumbent — far larger than The Woodsman but the most directly comparable model of specialty outdoor retailing with expert service.
• Backcountry: Online-first outdoor specialty retailer carrying premium brands (Patagonia, The North Face, etc.) across similar categories. Broad incumbent in outdoor specialty, competes head-to-head on e-commerce with The Woodsman's online channel.
• Scheels: Large sporting goods retailer carrying outdoor, cycling, fishing, hunting, and footwear categories with in-store experiences. Broad incumbent that competes with The Woodsman for outdoor enthusiast spend in overlapping markets.

Regional players

• Appalachian Outfitters: Independently-owned outdoor specialty store serving the Arkansas/Mid-South region with paddling, hiking, camping, and apparel categories. Regional peer — same model and partially overlapping geography with The Woodsman.

Direct peers

• Sun & Ski Sports: Multi-store outdoor and ski specialty retailer with apparel, footwear, cycling, kayaking, and camping categories. Direct peer — same multi-category specialty outdoor model as The Woodsman but at greater scale and regional footprint.
• Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS): Outdoor specialty retailer focused on hiking, climbing, camping, kayaking, and cycling with strong service and expertise positioning. Direct peer — same independent-store heritage and category mix as The Woodsman.
• Outdoor Gear Exchange: Independent outdoor specialty retailer combining new and consigned gear across climbing, camping, paddling, and cycling categories. Direct peer — independent specialty-store model with multi-category outdoor assortment and strong expertise positioning.
• Mountain Gear: Independent outdoor specialty retailer with climbing, hiking, paddling, and camping categories and strong service/expertise positioning. Direct peer — same independent specialty-store model with multi-category outdoor assortment.

Emerging players

• Public Lands: REI-owned outdoor specialty concept focused on public-lands enthusiasts — multichannel (store + online) with apparel, hiking, camping, fishing, and cycling categories. Emerging player with very similar model and brand assortment to The Woodsman.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-woodsman-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Woodsman Company