Rick Gunn/Nevada Appeal Two of the new owners of The Sporting Rage, Dave Goodwin, left, and Kevin Wagner, stand in the store Friday afternoon. Goodwin, Wagner and Ryan Frost (not shown), all employees of the Carson City shop, recently bought the shop from founder Kevin Gallegos.
In the world of outdoor gear retail, The Sporting Rage is a "small mountain shop," surrounded by the towering bluffs of the discount retailers.
It's specialized, carries high-end products and now is employee owned.
Dave Goodwin, one of the new owners, believes buying the Carson City shop was meant to be. He grew up in South Lake Tahoe and never really had an idea about what he wanted to do with his life. But the teenage ski racer thought it would be fun to own a ski shop.
Since then, the 36-year-old Carson City man has worked on the San Francisco stock exchange, Alaskan fishing boats and as a chimney sweep.
"To come full circle after all those different ventures, to own a ski shop now, I feel like it is fate," he said.
The Sporting Rage, 4338 S. Carson St., specializes in supplies for backpacking, mountaineering, climbing, kayaking and skiing. Business founder Kevin Gallegos, of Dayton, is proud of the legacy he built in Carson City.
"We're for the people who want to come in and get the best gear for the sports that they're doing," he said. "That's what we're selling. In all the fields, we carry the best you can get."
That includes "upper echelon" sleeping bags such as The North Face and Mountain Hardware. These bags sell for $100 to $600.
This all-around sporting Renaissance man sold The Sporting Rage on Dec. 31 to his three employees.
"I was just at a point in time that the business needed to grow more, to have new energy distilled into it, energy that I'd given it for the last 16 years," Gallegos said.
He said The Sporting Rage has always been about change, and now he needs a change, too. Gallegos said he is going to take a step back and re-evaluate his life. He may open another business in Carson City in the future, but right now he needs "time for some reflection."
Kevin Wagner, a former employee and now a partner in the business, said this was the perfect opportunity offered by the former owner. Ryan Frost, 28, is the third partner in the business.
Wagner was a customer for 10 years before becoming an employee. The 36-year-old Gardnerville man wants to continue the reputation established by Gallegos.
"I like to see people pursue hobbies that they'll continue for the rest of their lifetime," Wagner said.
The Sporting Rage is open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.
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