Black Creek Outfitters, a specialty outdoor retailer for nearly 40 years, is closing its doors after concluding a family sale of its lakeside retail property.
The decision to shutter the business concludes one of the historic runs in outdoor retail, starting with embracing key outdoor trends in the 1980s and 1990s, continuing with a reinvention as a watersports leader and innovator in the 2000s and 2010s, and wrapping up over the last two years with unprecedented growth in all categories.
“Our family is incredibly thankful to our staff, our customers and the entire North Florida community for their support the past 38 years,” said Joe Butler III, owner and operator of Black Creek Outfitters. “We chose to sell the building and property last September but were unable to find a new spot in Jacksonville that would allow us to continue with the same level of service we have provided for the past 25 years.”
Black Creek Outfitters was born in 1983 as Windsurfing Orange Park by Helen and Joe Butler Jr. While the business started amid the early windsurfing boom, the store also tapped into subsequent trends of skateboarding and rollerblading. But it was the ability to connect with the local community that cemented the store as a fixture in specialty outdoor retail.
“My parents always believed that if you treat people the way you want to be treated, things would go right. Between my father’s business acumen and my mom’s emotional intellect, Black Creek was able to go from just riding each trend to becoming a true Florida outdoor store,” said Butler.
Originally, Black Creek Outfitters was an add-on storefront to its board shop and reflected the Butler family’s time spent exploring in the western North Carolina mountains. The entire business was renamed Black Creek Outfitters after the Butler family purchased the lakeside location in 1996.
“Moving to a location on a 22-acre lake gave our staff the opportunity to truly educate our community about the Florida outdoor lifestyle. Nothing matches the ability of an on-water experience to connect consumers to a product, and over the years we’ve put thousands of people out on Skinner Lake to demo kayaks, paddleboards and foilboards,” said Butler. “Fortune smiled on our family when we were able to purchase this place, and it definitely smiled on us again with this opportunity to sell right now. The experiences and connections we have made with our staff, customers and industry colleagues over the past 39 years are special.”
Black Creek Outfitters will host a going out of business sale beginning Thursday (Feb. 3). For more information, go to www.blackcreekoufitters.com.
