JOSEPH — What promises to be a go-to place for outdoor gear and apparel for those interested in cycling, Nordic skiing and backpacking will hold its grand opening Saturday, April 29, at a new location in Joseph.

Quickhatch Provisions is the first venture into a business of her own, said Dany Clay, who is co-owner with husband J.D. Clay.

“It’s my first ownership of my own business,” she said.

Meeting a need

From Central Oregon, she currently is the chief operating officer of a software company. But she saw a need in Joseph for the type of merchandise she’ll be carrying.

“You have to go all the way to La Grande for a similar shop,” she said. “When I was out recreating with people, a lot of them brought up the need for it. Then this place came available — the owner’s wife is my running partner.”

Formerly The Friendly Canyon, the shop at 100 N. Main St. in the Jennings Building highlighted works by local artists.

But now instead of catering to the artsy, the location will cater to the outdoorsy, and Quickhatch Provisions doesn’t plan to be competing with other outdoor-related shops in Joseph.

“We’re trying to not carry things (Sports Corral) does,” Dany said. “They’re geared more to hunting, fishing and ranching. Also, we’re not carrying anything the Joseph Fly Shoppe is carrying. We’re trying to fit into what they don’t have.”

For example, she said, Quickhatch won’t carry hunting- or fishing- or water-sports-related equipment, but it will have apparel and footwear for other activities and will rent electric bicycles.

Interest in JosephAlthough Dany has lived much of her life in Central Oregon, she’s had a longtime interest in Wallowa County. Her mother lived in Joseph as a child and her grandfather lived in Enterprise.

“I’ve been familiar with the area all my life,” she said. “We’ve had the property for five years and lived here full time for a little over two years.”

Dany and J.D. have two children, ages 20 and 27, both of whom are in college and have yet to start families.

“I’m not ready to be a grandmother yet,” she laughed.

Equally excited in the shop is Dany’s co-worker and manager, Amanda Anderson.

“Dany needed someone to help her run the shop,” she said. “I moved here about two years ago and we met through a mutual friend and it worked out.”

‘

1% to the planet’

Dany said one of her main interests is to leave as small an environmental footprint as possible while catering to those who use the environment.

“We’re pretty conscious about what brands we’re carrying in the store,” she said. “We’re ‘1% to the planet,’ which means 1% of all of our proceeds goes to the Greater Hells Canyon Council, supporting them. We try to carry brands that are 1% for the planet — 1% of your proceeds go organizations that are using that funding for some sort of environmental purposes. Our partner, the Greater Hells Canyon Council, they do the Blue Mountain trails. We also buy from B Corps.”

B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply-chain practices and input materials.

“We try to be conscious of where we get our stuff and not just buy stuff that’s the cheapest,” she said.

“We’re really excited for this,” Anderson said. “We think we have a lot of good brands.”

Dany said they’ll also be trying to organize community events out of the shop, such as for the Hells Canyon Trail Association and some running groups. The business also will “help facilitate community involvement in volunteer efforts,” she said.

Work to be doneDany said there’s still much to be done to get ready for the grand opening.

“We’ve got a big push ahead,” she said. “My husband helped by building these shelves. We’re getting them and now we have to get the inventory out.”

During the grand opening, which will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Quickhatch will offer free hors d’oeuvres and samples of some of its products, as well as beer by Terminal Gravity in Enterprise.

What: Outdoor gear

Who: J.D. and Dany Clay

Phone: 208-559-7645

Where: 100 N. Main St., Joseph, Jennings Building

Email: quickhatchpro@protonmail.com

Online: quickhatchprovisions.com

Hours: Normal summer hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. seven days a week