The Wenatchee Valley is a hub of year-round outdoor recreation and pursuits such as Nordic and alpine skiing, mountain biking, trail running, rock climbing, and white-water kayaking to name a few. The range of participants is almost as varied as the activities, from weekend warriors to pastime enthusiasts to the purest and pro. Now to help serve their equipment needs, smack in the middle of the Valley on Sunset Highway in Cashmere, is Colchuck Consignment. The store’s bent is markedly toward the higher-end user looking for a good deal, which is reflected in their motto: Quality Gear Lives Here.
The age-old concept behind consignment stores is when one person, the consignor, gives permission to another party, the consignee, to take possession, but not ownership, of her property until the item is sold. A percentage of the purchase price then goes to the consignee (the store) for facilitating the sale.
As consignee, Colchuck accepts “clean, high quality, gently used (and new) outdoor gear and clothing” that is made by “reputable brands,” is less than ten-years-old, and “is free from defects or damage that is unrepaired.” Moreover, the shop “tr[ies] to stock things that are applicable to recreation in greater North Central Washington,” based on the season. The store accepts, stocks, and sells “winter gear from approximately October to March, and summer gear from April to October.”
The wife and husband team of Laura Patton and Brian Buckley co-founded Colchuck Consignment to fill what Patton felt was a gap in the outdoor equipment market in the greater Valley. Despite some initial skepticism from Buckley, the two began the venture during the Pandemic, in December of 2020, by first making use of a business model based on “no-contact.” The couple picked up gear from seller’s porches and doorsteps, listed the items on their website and, once sold, dropped off the equipment on the porches and doorsteps of the buyers. As pandemic restrictions eased, they leased the storefront in Cashmere. Now, both work at the store full-time and employ four others.
Patton and Buckley chose consignment because, as their website states, the method of sales is “good for sellers,” “good for buyers,” and “good for the Earth.” In other words, consignment, for consignors, “takes all the work out of selling used gear;” buyers “can find used gear from the community all in one place, at great prices;” and “keeping gear in use and out of the landfill is good for everyone, including the planet.” In addition, Buckley noted that the consignment approach “involves little overhead” and, “while it’s hard to predict what is going to come in the door, that’s also the best part of this job.” He continued that “consignment allows us to cater and curate more closely to the outdoor set, while also providing a place for that same group of likeminded to connect with each other.”
“We’re trying to be a community-minded business,” Buckley explained. The store offers a “community space, with ample seating, free wi-fi, books, maps, and local art on display.” Members of the community are welcome to “use our community space to plan a trip, host a group meeting, or browse through our library.” Other services offered at Colchuck include boot fitting, a gear library (aka, rental gear for hiking, backpacking, and camping trips), and in-house repairs of things like zippers, buckles, snags, and tears. For now, the company also has a donation program, that allows “consignors to donate any part of their earnings to local non-profits that protect the environments that we love to play in, help others get outdoors, and support our community.” Colchuck compiles donations quarterly and, at the end of the year, matches the donations “to up to 5% of [their] after-tax profits.”
That litany of offerings makes Colchuck Consignment more than just a consignment store. As Buckley said: “We are aiming to be a one stop shop for the community of outdoor people.” He and Patton have been mulling over a new motto that just might better suit them: “More than a gear store.”
If you are in search of that new puffy, kayak, set of ski poles, or anything in-between, Colchuck Consignment might just be the place for you – particularly if you are a budget-minded CHS student.
For more information, including the store’s precise address, check out:
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