Exploring Life & Business with Becky Philipp-Kranig of Bearcub Outfitters

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Becky Philipp-Kranig.

Hi Becky, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
What I am doing today is not what I imagined my career would be. I imagined working in a corporate setting, using my business degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. After college, I moved to Colorado with my boyfriend (now husband) and started on that corporate ladder. While I was doing this, my mom, B.J. Shawn, had a vision to open an outdoor store in Petoskey with a partner. We talked daily about everything she was doing, and I helped her make decisions.

When Bearcub Kid-fitters opened in May of 1998, my mom’s partner did not share her passion for retail at the time and decided to move on. Brad and I came to visit Labor Day weekend in 1998, and my mom asked me to join her as her partner. It was a tough decision to leave our Colorado family and friends, but we fell in love with Petoskey and agreed this would be a great place to live, work, and raise a family someday. Plus, I would get to work with my mom!

Working together was not always easy, but it was overall an amazing decision. Soon after joining, we changed the name from Bearcub Kid-Fitters to Bearcub Outfitters because we saw a need in the area for not just kid’s outdoor gear and clothing but also for adults. We truly wanted to ensure families could hike, camp, and even play outside comfortably.

After seven years, we were busting at the seams in our current space, and an opportunity two doors down to double our space came up. We jumped on it, and in September of 2005, we officially moved and have never looked back. It allowed us to not only spread out but sell more brands and products that customers wanted us to carry. My mom eventually retired in 2015, and I have been running Bearcub as sole owner since.

I may be the sole owner on paper, but Bearcub Outfitters would not be where it is now, or me, without all the amazing people who have worked with me. Through the years, I have been extremely lucky to call many of these people not just co-workers but friends and family.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Working in retail has lots of challenges, and being located in a small tourist town creates even more. Our vision from the beginning was always to have the products our local customers wanted and needed, but locals in Petoskey often feel that “Downtown Petoskey” stores are just for tourists.

We worked hard to advertise and become a true member of the community. By joining local groups and organizations, such as Rotary and the Jaycees, and working with Camp Daggett and the Petoskey Schools, we slowly got the word out that we are more than just a place to bring visitors but that we are a great place to shop year-round.

Another challenge will always be staffing. We have been extremely lucky and have had many great employees, most staying for five years or more. However, eventually, people move on, and we wish them the best. Watching good people come and then go is tough, but it is amazing to see how someone can grow emotionally and professionally when starting to work for us at 15 and stay with us until they graduate college at 23.

Not all of our staff are younger, but it is more difficult to find adults who are willing to work a retail schedule of not only weekdays but weekends, too, and sometimes later nights. I don’t imagine the staff changeover will ever get easy, but I will always love getting to know new people by adding them to our Bearcub team!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My team and I call the store Bearcub Outfitters, the family outfitter. We specialize in selling clothing and gear for the whole family, from infants to adults and even family pets. We know we can’t be all things to all people, but our main goal is to sell good quality products that allow moms, dads, and kids to have fun adventuring outside.

That could be hiking in a national park, camping in the backyard, backpacking in the Upper Peninsula, or playing on playground equipment at the local park. Many outdoor stores do not sell as much clothing, gear, and shoes as we do for kids. We believe the youngest family members need to be comfortable so everyone can enjoy their day and not head home early because their rain jacket didn’t keep them dry, for example. After being in business for over 25 years, it has been a special experience to watch kids grow up and sometimes even come in with their own kids.

Besides selling kids’ products, we believe we are known for our great customer service. Our staff is trained to put the customer first and help them find whatever they are looking for even if it’s not in our store. We want everyone to walk away smiling, feeling welcomed, and hopefully excited to come back. We work hard on our product mix to offer good quality, fair prices and have some type of environmental/sustainable story to tell. Whether the product is made with recycled or organic materials, fair trade or made in the USA, or maybe the company contributes part of their profit to non-profit organizations is important to us.

We sell many great and popular brands, including Patagonia, Outdoor Research, North Face, Kuhl, Prana, Keen, Merrell, Chaco, Teva and Bogs for kid’s shoes, Osprey, Gregory, Kleen Kanteen, MSR, and so much more! Our newest brand, and one I never thought we would be able to sell, is L.L. Bean. We are one of the first stores in Michigan to have the brand in our product mix. It’s another great company that fits with our mission to get the whole family outside.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Petoskey is a great city in which to live. I love that we have access to so many outdoor adventures year-round! I love hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing, and ice skating, and I can keep going on and on. I also love that it is a great place to raise my kids.

The Petoskey school district has more programs to offer students than many bigger downstate cities. Our city is also recognized as one of the best small towns to live in, and I couldn’t agree more. Another reason I love Petoskey is its strong sense of community. It is very easy to get involved with charities, schools, and business organizations. It’s a great way to meet and get to know people.

What I least like about Petoskey is the lack of diversity. Whether it’s ethnicity, race, or religion, our community lacks a diverse population. For this reason, my husband and I felt that it was important to travel with our kids when possible and expose them to different experiences.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bearcuboutfitters.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bearcuboutfitters/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BearcubOutfitters/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bearcuboutfitters8895
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bearcuboutfitters