SALT LAKE CITY — Nick Rau and other Moosejaw executives immediately fell in love with the historic building they toured two years ago in the outdoor gear retail chain’s search for its first Utah location.
The building, located almost a block south of the 900 East TRAX station in Salt Lake City’s Central City neighborhood, has stood in the area for about a century. But they believed it was the perfect place for their newest home.
“When we first saw it, we fell in love — beautiful brick, beautiful barrel-vaulted ceiling,” said Rau, director of marketing for the Michigan-based company. “(We) got excited.”
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So much has happened since then, making this location a little more unique.
Dick’s Sporting Goods acquired the company earlier this year. Then, last month, it decided it would shutter most of Moosejaw’s nationwide locations, Retail Dive reported. The outlet reported that Moosejaw’s Salt Lake City location, which officially opened on Thursday, is one of three that will remain open in the future, joining a store in Bentonville, Arkansas, and another in Birmingham, Michigan.
Despite the major shakeups, Rau said everyone wanted to move forward with an expansion out to Utah. Having visited enough times, especially for the Outdoor Retailer trade show, which returned to Salt Lake City earlier this year, they wanted to have a physical location for the major outdoor-loving state.
The nearly 8,200-square-foot facility offers all sorts of clothing, shoes, mountain bikes and other outdoor gear from leading brands.
“We knew Salt Lake was a place we had to be. (It’s) a major mecca for outdoors — everything is so close to reach,” Rau said, moments after employees and Salt Lake City leaders cut a ribbon to open the new store. “It (took) time to build the kind of momentum we needed to have a space here.”
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The interior of Moosejaw’s new store at 470 S. 900 East in Salt Lake City on Thursday. It’s the outdoor retail chain’s first location in Utah. (Photo: Carter Williams, KSL.com)
Conversely, Salt Lake leaders say they are thrilled with Moosejaw’s arrival, arguing that it shows the strength of the region’s outdoor passion. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said she’s happy that the company also chose a location in a part of the city that hasn’t had as much business “activation” in a while, especially as the last of the nearby box stores close on 900 East.
She calls the company a “natural fit” for the city and said it may help jumpstart new business in the area, a few blocks north of the city’s 9th & 9th district.
“This is a new toehold for what could be a rejuvenation of small businesses coming into this northern part of the 9th & 9th neighborhood,” she told KSL.com. “And we love this old building that has been … (used) for different uses. It’s a really beautiful space.”
Meanwhile, the company is celebrating its Utah arrival with a vendor fair on Saturday, which will include food, drinks, music, sales and giveaways. The all-day event begins at 9 a.m.
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Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com.
OLJATO, Utah – A Colorado man wanted for the murder of a minor on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation was arrested Tuesday, according to the Navajo Police Department.
In a Facebook post from the NPD, Jeremiah Hight, 23, of the Ute Mountain Tribe was taken into federal custody after police had been looking for him in the Oljato area since Saturday.
Hight was a suspect in the murder of a minor during a shooting on the Ute Mountain Reservation in Towaoc, CO., according to the NPD.
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The post said that a federal arrest warrant for murder was issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigations-Durango Office.
Police said the investigation was joined by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, NPD K-9 Unit, and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations-Kayenta District.
A man rescued his brother from a “large avalanche” he triggered while the pair were snowmobiling in Utah on Wednesday, authorities said.
The brothers were in the Franklin Basin area of Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest when one of them triggered the avalanche while “side-hilling in a bowl beneath a cliff band in Steep Hollow,” an initial accident report from the Utah Avalanche Center read.
He saw the slope “ripple below and around him” and was able to escape by riding off the north flank of the avalanche, according to the report.
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But his brother, who was farther down the slope standing next to his sled, was swept up by the avalanche, carried about 150 yards by the heavy snow and fully buried, the avalanche center said.
Using a transceiver, the man was able to locate his brother underneath the snow, seeing only “a couple fingers of a gloved hand sticking out,” the report said.
The buried brother was dug out and sustained minor injuries, according to the avalanche center. The two were able to ride back to safety.
The Utah Avalanche Center warned that similar avalanche conditions will be common in the area and are expected to rise across the mountains in North Utah and Southeast Idaho ahead of the weekend.
SALT LAKE CITY — According to forecasters, several parts of Utah will receive snow Thursday morning and evening.
On Wednesday, the Utah Department of Transportation issued a road weather alert, warning drivers of slick roads caused by a storm that will arrive in two different waves.
UDOT said the first wave should arrive along the Wasatch Front after 8 to 9 a.m. and will move southward across the state until around noon. By 10 to 11 a.m., most roads are expected to be wet.
“This wave of snow only lasts for a few hours before dissipating around noon or shortly after for many routes,” UDOT stated on its weather alert.
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Road Weather Alert: Two rounds of snow expected on Thursday. The 1st comes 8/9am thru noon & the 2nd 4/5pm thru midnight. Both of which bring minor valley road snow & a few inches to the mtns. For more information visit: https://t.co/QrWh3RKePZ……@UtahTrucking#UTWX#UTSNOWpic.twitter.com/NatnzofugZ
UDOT said an inch or two of snow could be seen in Davis and Weber counties due to cold captures temperatures in the morning.
The Wasatch Back and mountain routes are expected to receive a few inches of snow through noon, with some heavy road snow over the upper Cottonwoods, Logan Summit, Sardine Summit, and Daniels Summit, according to UDOT.
Travelers in central Utah should prepare for a light layer of snow, with an inch or two predicted in the mountains.
Second wave of snow in Utah
According to UDOT, there will be a lull in snow early to mid-Thursday afternoon. But there should be another wave of snow from 4 to 6 p.m.
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“With temperatures a bit warmer at this point, the Wasatch Front will likely see more of a rain/snow mix,” UDOT said. “However, some showers may be briefly heavy for short periods of time and be enough to slush up the roads late afternoon/evening with bench routes seeing the higher concern.”
UDOT predicted the Wasatch Back and northern mountain routes to receive another couple of inches during the second wave.
The storm is expected to end around 9 p.m. for the Wasatch Front and valleys, while the mountains will continue to receive snow until about midnight.
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