New business gears up Whidbey residents for the great outdoors

Bringing outdoor apparel and accessories to Oak Harbor is, as it turns out, a family affair.

Shannon and Levi Woods officially opened Camp Kid last Friday, the mother-son duo’s first business venture together and the latest product of the Oak Harbor Main Street Association’s incubator program. The nonprofit, founded in 2016, works with business owners to cultivate a flourishing downtown economy.

The Woods moved from Seattle to Oak Harbor in 2022 to pursue a slower pace of life and a enjoy a little room to spread out. While embracing an island known for its scenery and capacity for outdoor activities, they could not help but notice a deficiency in the city’s commerce.

According to a competitive analysis conducted by Camp Kid, “there are currently no direct competitors dedicated to outdoor apparel and accessories” within “immediate reach” of Oak Harbor residents. At least, none offering the “localized” selection and “personalized customer service” the Woods prioritize. Browsing an REI requires a trek up to Bellingham or down to Lynnwood, and the nearest Cabela’s is located in Marysville — two of the competitors identified in the report.

“(Shannon) needed some outdoor clothes and figured out there’s not really any good places on the island to get them,” Levi Woods explained. “And there’s not really a lot of men’s stores, so there’s kind of a need for that.”

Shannon Woods, with over two decades of experience as a product designer in the outdoor industry, and Levi Woods, with his own background in retail and sales, took it upon themselves to supply that demand. From the light-bulb moment to the ribbon-cutting, Levi Woods estimates starting Camp Kid — which sells clothes and gear for the great outdoors — took about five to six months.

“We kind of just buckled down and got it going,” he added.

On display inside Camp Kid is a colorful array of hats, jackets, sleeping bags and other essentials from 12 different brands carefully curated according to the Woods’ own gear preference — they have used some of the products available on their own adventures.

Deciding what to sell was easy for the Woods, establishing connections with brands less so. Many of Camp Kid’s cold email inquiries were ignored. Not until meeting sales representatives in person at a trade show did they get the ball rolling on those crucial business relationships.

“It’s challenging as a new store,” Shannon Woods said. “I think people are skeptical and don’t necessarily want to sign up with something that isn’t really proven.”

Understanding of these and other challenges uniquely faced by new businesses, the Oak Harbor Main Street Association provides some assistance with their incubator program.

New businesses with a solid business plan can operate out of a space downtown for up to six months at a reduced price, Executive Director Cheryl Grehan explained. It’s long enough to judge whether the business can and should continue. If the owners decide that is the case, they can relocate to their own brick-and-mortar anywhere in Oak Harbor, just like the first incubator store, Wild Ophelia’s, was able to do. Camp Kid is the third.

Affordable initial overhead costs like these allow money to be spent “as an allocator elsewhere” Levi Woods pointed out, relieving the pressure for small businesses to be immediately profitable.

The incubator program is the jurisdiction of the Oak Harbor Main Street Association’s economic vitality committee. Along with those focused on organization and outreach, promotions and design, the committees represent a four-point approach to improving and maintaining Oak Harbor’s Historic Downtown to the city’s economic benefit — and the fulfillment of its potential.

“It’s such a unique place, Historic Downtown. There’s so much opportunity here,” Shannon Woods said. “And we are in this amazing, beautiful location with hundreds of miles of hiking trails and public access to our lands and water sports, and so (we’re) hoping that we can provide our community with the gear they need to do that.”