Adventurers, campers and outdoor enthusiasts have a spot in Columbia County to pick up their style and gear, except it’s not exactly new.
Escape Outdoors opened its current flagship location in Martinez on Sept. 11. The location is across from the Publix Supermarket shopping center on Furys Ferry Road. It has since enjoyed a surge in traffic from its clientele seeking everything from running shoes to disc golf accessories.
MORE: Escape Outdoors Expanding to New Location
The previous location for the locally owned sports’ shop was 4275 Washington Rd., once known as the location of Brown Feed and Seed.
“Where we were before, there was a dirt road; you kind of have four-wheel drive to get where we were at,” said sales associate Carson Wiley, who has been working with the store for about a year. “When you got to our store, it didn’t really have air-conditioning, so in the winter, it was really cold; in the summer, it was really hot. So, this is a lot nicer.”
The new building marks a substantial shift for the store, its customers, the locale and the building itself. Owner Rafy Bassali spent the last year making a complete renovation of the building, which used to be a Rite-Aid, and has left the structure unrecognizable. The store now boasts its own turn-in lane and parking lot. Visibility and foot traffic have proven key advantages to the change.
“I think a large decision for this property is that this one of the busiest intersections in Martinez,” said manager Ryan Hemann, who has been working with the store for six years. “Just how many cars are driving by a day and also the accessibility of it.”
The dramatic move has come with an expansion of the brand and the products along with its burst of new patrons and newly satisfied old ones.
“We’ve gotten a lot of first-time customers who have come in, who had no idea that we had a store for 10 years over there,” said Hemann. “But we’ve also had a lot of return customers that have been waiting for us to open up for a long time.”
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The store is mainly known for specializing in outdoor gear, such as kayaks, tents, bikes and accompanying equipment and clothing. The store has also shifted some of its focus to lifestyle clothing brands. T-shirts and other apparel from local and state brands like Kings Creek, Augusta Golf Collective and Peach State Pride are popular items.
Cloud, a model of shoes from the brand On Running, has been one of the store’s top selling pieces since it’s opened at the new location.
Location, convenience and range are proving rewarding for the shop so far.
“We’re staying open an extra hour on Sundays,” said Hemann. “Just because it’s busier.”
MORE: Area Home To More Than One Kind of Golf
Escape Outdoors is located at 377 Furys Ferry Rd. in Martinez. For more information visit its website at https://shopescapeoutdoors.com/.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering Columbia County with The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
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