Coontail: A Wisconsin Independent Paddling Retailer
7-minute read
Coontail is an independent outdoor retailer in northern Wisconsin surrounded by thousands of lakes. Their robust paddling department has helped get people on the lakes and rivers near them since 1993.
Coontail has a retail location in Boulder Junction, another in Arbor Vitae (Minocqua area) and a rental/adventure shop in Boulder Junction.
Jason Schultz is the Assistant Manager and Buyer of the Arbor Vitae location. With over 23 years of experience in outdoor retail, he’ll celebrate 7 years with Coontail soon. Stephen Coon, the son of founders Steve and Lisa Coon, is the Manager. Jason said, “Between the two of us, we have decades of experience that help guide us in our buying and business decisions.”
We pulled them out of their busy summer season for a few minutes for an interview about Coontail and paddling in their area. Here’s our conversation with Jason and Stephen:
AQUA BOUND: What types of paddling customers do you serve?
JASON: Coontail serves a cross-section of paddlers, ranging from locals who live up here for the outdoors, vacationers who spend weekends/weeks up here and vacation-home owners, many of whom spend their entire warmers months up here (where snowbirds go during the Summer!).
We do really well with several genres of paddling:
- Recreational customers who want something budget-friendly and good quality.
- Stand-up paddleboarding is still doing really well in our area.
- With kayak fishing so popular and the fact that we're surrounded by thousands of lakes, we've embraced this genre. We carry a large selection of fishing kayaks and accessories.
- This area offers abundant river and lake camping and with our relative proximity to Minnesota's Boundary Waters, we also offer an array of solo and tandem canoes.
AQUA BOUND: What about your rental market? Is your part of Wisconsin a tourist area?
JASON: We have locations in Boulder Junction and Minocqua (technically Arbor Vitae, but more people know Minocqua) so that puts us smack dab in the middle of Wisconsin's cabin country. This means we have a very busy tourist season.
Many folks visit from metro areas of Wisconsin like Green Bay/Fox Valley, Milwaukee and Madison. Visitors from Illinois and Minnesota are very common, along with Missouri, Iowa and Indiana as well. We've also seen an uptick from more distant locations like Texas and Arizona, likely looking for a reprieve from the summer heat.
Our rental business is robust and includes every genre of paddlesports we sell—everything from day users to week-long vacationers.
Regardless of where they’re visiting from, we're happy to do our part to make their time here enjoyable and memorable. We always offer basic instruction and advice on where to go.
AQUA BOUND: What's the paddling culture like in your area?
JASON: With the abundant lakes and rivers around here, folks up here enjoy every facet of paddlesports. We also have many lakes that are completely undeveloped, much to the delight of paddlesports enthusiasts.
The majority of them I would classify as recreational day trippers. We're surrounded by hundreds of water-accessible campsites, so many people are up here to spend their nights under the stars. As I look at car-tops while driving, there's a fairly even mix of canoes, kayaks and SUPs.
AQUA BOUND: What's your personal favorite paddling destination near you?
JASON: Loaded question! We sell a book at the store by John Bates, who's a local naturalist. It's called Wisconsin's Wild Lakes. It has in-depth reviews of our state's undeveloped lakes, the majority of which are within 30 minutes of our shop.
I've been slowly paddling my way through those lakes. Besides being fun for myself (and my wife and dogs), it's also been great to be able to suggest these lakes to our customers with the personal knowledge I've gained from being there.
STEPHEN: This is a tough one. We’re so lucky to have such an abundance of lakes and rivers within a 30-mile radius of us. My go-to paddle would probably be the Trout River from Trout Lake to Highway H. My parents started taking me down the Trout River when I was about 4 years old so I have a lot of great memories there. And I live on Trout Lake so I can paddle right from my house. It's quiet, peaceful and loaded with wildlife.
With that said, my favorite paddling destination would be "the next one" as there are so many destinations I haven't checked off my list yet, even though I grew up here.
AQUA BOUND: How has your work in the outdoor and paddling industry shaped you?
JASON: Half of my life has been spent working at shops and getting folks outside and enjoying themselves (many on the water). Besides helping them choose the right gear, it's also very rewarding to help teach them the proper use of the gear, often show them places to go and share experiences. It's not uncommon to suggest a local lake or river to a customer and have them share their excitement and gratitude afterward.
Working in my field of passion has been extremely rewarding, so often opening doors to new and exciting experiences: meeting other adventurous people, learning of new places to visit, etc. I really enjoy being the person who others come to to talk about their love for paddling.
STEPHEN: As cliché as it sounds, Coontail has truly shaped my life. My parents started the business in 1991 (a year before I was born) so naturally, I grew up in the stores. My mom still recalls me hanging out in the back room in my Johnny Jump-up for hours, happy as could be.
As I got older, I became more and more involved in the operations of the business. After moving away for about five years, I moved back home in 2020 and took over management of the stores.
We have an incredible staff that goes the extra mile to guarantee excellent customer service. However, what makes it all work is that we're not only coworkers, we’re a group of friends who enjoy the products we sell in our free time. When people come into any of our stores, they can tell pretty quickly we're not salespeople—we’re lifestyle people excited to share our passions and sports with anyone who walks through the front door.
AQUA BOUND: Why do you sell Aqua Bound paddles?
JASON: I’ve been selling Aqua Bound/Bending Branches paddles for many, many years. They represent our main paddle offerings in the shop. I've sold just about every major brand over the years and these folks are second to none.
On the business end, having a manufacturing company in our state means really quick turn-around on orders and reasonable shipping. I’m friends with our local reps which puts a personal spin on the company as well.
We sell Northstar canoes, located north of the Twin Cities (in Minnesota) and it's a treat to tell folks who buy a canoe and a paddle that they're both produced within four hours of the shop. Customers love it as well!
We also carry Aqua Bound in our rental fleet.
AQUA BOUND: Anything else you'd like our readers to know about Coontail?
JASON: We thrive on getting people out on the water, regardless of their discipline and ability level. With the increase in purchasing things online, Coontail is proud to offer folks a place to have a personal, hands-on experience that they'll appreciate each time they dip their paddle!
You can learn more on Coontail’s website and follow then on their Facebook page and Instagram page. All photos courtesy of Coontail, Jason and Stephen.
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us here: 715-755-3405 or [email protected]
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