Outdoor Gear Biz Finds Short Supply But Set To Open In Royersford

ROYERSFORD, PA — Sometimes a business is just business, but often it's an extension of what its owner loves, and so it is with Keystone Land and Sea in Royersford, an outdoor goods and gear retail shop whose owner is determined to open amid pandemic-driven inventory shortages.

Tim Swavely is planning a "Grand Hopening" on Memorial Day weekend. He's setting up shop in what was once an enamel stove factory along the Schuylkill River, with a boat launch and proximity to the Schuylkill River Trail. The endeavor looks promising and has attracted networkers and other support, including from the borough president.

But Swavely said COVID-19 supply backlogs are making it hard to get kayaks, canoes, camping gear, and even hiking footwear into the store. "Right now people are waiting five months for a canoe," he said.

As the pandemic began raging a year ago, Swavely was working as a buyer for Kimberton Whole Foods. "I was scrambling to buy toilet paper. I realized then I had to do what I loved. I've loved outdoor life my whole life," he explained.

Outdoor retail prospects looked gloomy, then disastrous, as the pandemic wore on. He had another site in the works, but he said banks stopped talking to him after COVID-19 hit.

Swavely had help when he decided to launch his dream but said it's been stressful getting the dream into a building. "Getting a loan ... it's one of the most challenging things I've ever put myself through." Stressed out, getting migraines, an old surfing injury acting up, he said, "It's unbelievable what it's taken to get to this point."

He signed the papers this week.

Keystone Land and Sea will open in the lower level of the Lewis Environmental building, at 155 Railroad Plaza. The shop will be a co-tenant with an aeronautics business and a neighbor to the Pink Moose Cafe, 50 feet from the Schuylkill River with a boat launch right outside the door.

Royersford Borough garnered $428,00 in state grant funds late last year to rehab the Trestle Bridge and connect to the Schuylkill River Trail. The borough recently announced a PECO grant will help with lighting for the trail. That will be good for outdoor gear sales, Swavely hopes.

He has to get the goods on the shelves of Keystone Land and Sea (KLS) as outdoorsy types begin hitting the trails and rivers soon.

"I'm hoping to open by Memorial Day. It's been hard to get product; the outdoor industry is turned inside out right now. It's trickle-down right now to get inventory."

"First we were shut down, but then there was an increase in people outdoors, which has made demand unbelievable," he explained. Everything outdoor-related, from canoes to bikes to campers and hiking shoes, is in short supply because of pandemic-driven outdoor recreation.

"My bike-store-owner friend says there's a 400-day wait for bike parts, so, it's hard to say when I can open."

Swavely is excited about the vendors he has lined up, though. He said many he has known a long time, in recreation and business life. Among the vendors will be Wenonah Canoes, Current Designs Kayaks, Matador Surfboards, Northwest River Supply, Aqua-Bound Paddles, Bending Branches Paddles, Puffin, Outdoor Research, Kuhl, Superfeet, and Farm to Feet socks.

He said footwear and specialty socks are some of the toughest to find right now. But he added, "It's crazy how everyone is trying to help each other."

Royersford Borough Council President Anil Dham directed Swavely to the riverside property owner. Swavely said both Dham and his landlord "were willing to bend over backward" to get him into the riverfront spot and get the business launched.

Facing the river, and with the backdrop of Riverfront Plaza and the Soul Joel Comedy dome, the borough council president said the borough hopes KLS will become "a new hotspot for your recreational needs."

Dham said, "On his quest for adventure and following his passion Tim has found an undeniable love for the water. Yes, born in Pennsylvania, his family traveled to the mountains where they would camp, hike, hunt, canoe, and fish but the beach trips were always the ones he looked forward to the most."

Swavely eventually became an accomplished surfer, and so, Keystone Land and Sea will sell surfboards. He said customers are contacting him from all around the Philadelphia area, and he knows there are people like him who are drawn to the not-so-far-away beaches.

He rattled off a few quick numbers: There 83,000 miles of waterways in Pennsylvania, making it second only to Alaska.

"I'm blown away by the response," he said. Wherever he goes, Swavely said, people are asking where to buy a kayak.

And the person who matters most is also behind the business endeavor. "My wife supports me," Swavely added. "Our first date was on a kayak."