BaseCamp Closing for Good on June 30

BaseCamp Adventure Outfitters, part of the Bernardsville and Basking Ridge community for almost 10 years, will be closing its doors on June 30.

The store with outdoors clothing and gear was located for most of its existence in the center of Basking Ridge, but moved in July 2011 to 30 Olcott Square in Bernardsville, near the parking lot for the Bernardsville Public Library.

Before then, the store will be offering sales on its merchandise, with details to be posted on the BaseCamp website, according to the website and General Manager, Eleni Caravanos.

Caravanos said in a news release about the store's closing, "With the online market booming and the downturn on the economy a small business such as, BaseCamp Adventure Outfitters simply cannot compete."

"BaseCamp has offered adventures and gear for a long time to this community, it has left it’s mark on the town and will be remembered by the gear used and clothing worn," Caravanos said of the store, which has been part of many community activities, including the scheduling of hikes and being a sponsor of Liberty Cycle's annual International Bike Race in Basking Ridge.

"We could not have asked for a better staff over the past 10 years — they have shaped what BaseCamp is and why we love the outdoors.” 

"In November of 2003 BaseCamp Adventure Outfitters opened our doors to the Basking Ridge [and] Bernardsville community," Caravanos said. The idea was to provide an outdoor store that supplied gear and clothing, a friendly staff, and a community built around enjoying the outdoors, she said.

Jimmy Hanson and Jeff Hanson, two outdoor enthusiasts who loved the latest and greatest gear the industry offered, started BaseCamp Adventure Outfitters and made it into a staple fo the Basking Ridge and Bernardsville community, she said.

'With the love of the outdoors these two had, BaseCamp was able to be successful within the town and became a well-known outfitter store, with a knowledgeable staff and a great selection of apparel,' she said.

She said that since the earliest days of BaseCamp, the store has been dedicated to providing customer service to a variety of explorers within the community.

The store owners have had a notion that "You always give back to the planet and your own community, the release said.

BaseCamp has organized or participated in many non-profit community based events such as the Field and Fashion Show for the Delbarton School and the NJ Conservation Foundation, The Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival benefitting the Schiff Nature Preserve of Medham and most recently the Bernardsville Clean-up Day to name just a few, Caravanos said.

Harold Imperatore, Director of Hampshire Destination Properties saidm “We would like to thank all of the loyal customers who have patronized BaseCamp over these last ten years. It has been a memorable journey.” The outfitter store, filled with explorers and adventurers, has enjoyed being a part of the community and will be surely missed, he said.