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MyspaceThe most truly local of all Santa Barbara’s characteristics must be the physical land and its many opportunities. For generations, local retailers have actively helped promote access for wonderful excursions, offering a plethora of both supplies and trail knowledge. Looking for a trail map? The Travel store, founded in 1984 as Pacific Travelers Supply, carries not only detailed topo maps and all other terrain maps mentioned, but it also a great supply of hiking gear, insect repellant, trekking poles and, yes, water purification!
Yet the Independent’s well-intended effort to highlight our outdoors does not include us by any mention, and makes scant or no reference to most local outdoor stores. Instead, it seems to promote websites where hikers can shop online - that is, spend their money out of town!
This complete mis-match between our extremely local knowledge of our front- and back-country, and sending potential customers elsewhere, is not in the spirit of a hometown newspaper. Shame on the Independent for publishing a great look at our outdoors without paying tribute to the many local stores who do this 365 days a year.
What could have been a truly benevolent, “feel-good” article about Santa Barbara and its trails now is just another example how our town is losing its local character.
Jan Koch is president of Nations! Inc., doing business as The Travel Store of Santa Barbara.
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Comments
Thank you Jan Koch for Illuminating what the Author failed to do in the article when they wrote "Well Intended Effort", as the article stated, is was a well intended effort but lacked the facts of a local outlet that has also a website: www.sbtravelstore.com/
It was not a hard method to find your on-line store and even yourself should have posted the address for the public in your letter. So I did it for you and the Independent.
dou4now (anonymous profile)
June 20, 2012 at 8:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe the stores hostile sales person rubbed someone the wrong way. I agree that the store has great selection, but I always feel nervous going in there (in a soup-nazi kind of way).
Driftwood (anonymous profile)
June 20, 2012 at 11:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I belive what Jan Koch is really referring to is this vendor list that was a part of the "Blue & Green 2012" article:
http://www.independent.com/news/2012/...
Before my last trip to Death Valley, I picked up a great guidebook from Koch's store (I still think of it as "Pac Traveler's"). I will admit, he does sometimes exude a bit of the Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" aura but I think he does it indiscriminately and unconsciously.
EastBeach (anonymous profile)
June 20, 2012 at 12:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sorry to miss the Travel Store, but the Blue & Green Guide did feature a list of more than 35 local businesses offering services, gear, etc., including most outdoor stores.
Here's the update listing: http://www.independent.com/news/2012/...
If others want to be added, all they have to do is ask.
Matt (Matt Kettmann)
June 20, 2012 at 5:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)