Moab Gear Trader’s first glimpse of life came in a midnight vision to co-owner Marshall Dvorscak in 2012. The idea was the culmination of years of an enthusiasm for adventure, an established love for the Moab area and a desire to be active in the Moab community.
The business has since thrived, establishing itself as a family-friendly resource for both local residents and tourists who engage in any number of outdoor activities, ranging from camping to extreme sports to even live music at Swanny City Park. Dvorscak says a diverse team of outdoor enthusiasts staffs the two-story outdoor gear consignment shop at 300 S. Main St. – most of whom sought out Moab Gear Trader for their ideal employment opportunity.
After several months of remodeling work, the business expanded last May, and today, it offers an enlarged selection of the outdoor gear for which it was already known.
“Our street-level space has definitely increased our foot traffic,” Dvorscak said.
Ilona Carlson, 26, has been with Moab Gear Trader from the beginning. Carlson first came to Moab to climb and ended up staying for the cultural history of the area.
“I really enjoy looking for pictographs and petroglyphs,” she said. “I also got into boating and am now learning how to ski.”
Carlson works with customers on both ends of consignment.
“It’s amazing. I feel like I know so many people in Moab just from them coming in,” Carlson said. “I always try to learn people’s names because I know I’ll see them again.”
Carlson said her favorite part of the job is getting to learn about the community and hearing a variety of fascinating experiences.
“(It) seems like almost every river guide in Moab has done the Grand Canyon in the last year,” she said. “And I hear a lot about different people’s climbing projects.”
Carlson said she sees more locals at Moab Gear Trader than at her previous jobs in gear trading, but that the business sees high numbers of tourists as well.
“A lot of tourists come in and basically have us plan their vacation for them,” she said. “We have creative advice on where to go … Then they come back and we get to hear about their vacation.”
Zoe Brickel has worked for Moab Gear Trader for almost one year. When she is not camping, backpacking, hiking or canyoneering, Brickel is swapping adventure stories with co-workers at the shop.
“Everybody here has their own sport that they’re involved with,” she said. “With all of us combined, we have some amazing adventures … We can share beta with each other and with customers. If I don’t know the answer, I know someone who does. With our combined knowledge, we have a lot to offer people who come in.”
Brickel said she also believes in consignment as a key way to reduce, reuse, and recycle in the Moab community.
“I think it’s valuable to be able to say ‘Hey – I treated (this gear) nicely, and now someone else can enjoy it. I can get a return on that and enjoy something else,’” she said.
Carlson also values other impacts Moab Gear Trader has on the community.
“(Dvorscak) is really compassionate and interested in supporting the community as much as possible,” Carlson said. “I also work for Moab’s afterschool program, BEACON, and he’s made contributions to them.”
Moab Gear Trader began sponsoring live music at the Moab Farmers Market several years ago.
“I was looking for places that we could have free music that you could wander in and out of and don’t have to worry about tickets,” Dvorscak said. “We wanted people to be able to talk and lay in the grass, but not be interrupting. I want the kids to see music and hear it and feel it and see people being happy around it. The farmers market had music sometimes, so we figured that even just (donating) $100 (each week) could make it more consistent.”
Dvorscak and his wife Nicole juggle Moab Gear Trader endeavors with engaging their 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old twins in cross-country skiing, running the river, backpacking, hiking, hunting and camping.
Moab Gear Trader serves as resource for locals, visitors
For more information, call 435-355-0333, or go to: moabgeartrader.com.
