MBiz

16 mbiz | may 2015 f or 20 years, Wilderness Supply has been outfitting loyal clients for outdoor pursuits ranging from hiking, camping and canoeing to climbing the world's tallest peaks. Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce executive director Ernie Nairn says it's quite a feat that the store's clientele includes mountaineers who have attempted to climb Mount Everest among other major adventures. "For a Winnipeg company to have outfitted people who have gone to the Arctic Circle and Everest Base Camp is pretty amazing," he says. When Frank and Jan Sjoberg opened the flagship store on Ferry Road in 1995, it was a small labour of love. The couple had spent their formative years camping, paddling and enjoying other outdoor activities in Manitoba and Ontario. Current owner Rick Shone says the original location was affordable and had space for both the new venture and for Frank to continue plying his trade as a carpenter. "He was using the back room as a carpentry shop, but they both transitioned to working full-time in the store and business a couple years later," Shone says. The Sjobergs retired a few years back, but by a stroke of fate, Wilderness Supply remains a family business. Shone joined the company in 2001, working on the assumption he might be able to buy the store when Frank and Jan were ready to bow out. "I didn't know them at all, but through them and working here I met their daughter, Elysia, and we ended up getting married," he says with a laugh. "So it ended up becoming a family business where it wasn't supposed to." The business and the original store have seen steady growth over the years. "We basically started selling canoes, kayaks and related items, then over the years we expanded this store," Shone says. "The guy behind us left so we expanded, opened up to the space we've got today on Ferry, and in the same year expanded into Thunder Bay." C cmyk b&w c a p i ta l happy trailS Wilderness supply marks 20th anniversary By Jon Waldman

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