“A hard decision to make.” The reason behind Back Country closing

A sad day for Beaverdale when it was announced that Back Country, an anchor in the Beaverdale business district, is going to close.

Back Country has been in business for 51 years, with its floor-to-ceiling windows displaying clothing, camping supplies and outdoor gear of all kinds.

Owner Jay Cox-Kozel says, “It was a hard decision to make but not a hard conclusion to come to.” With sales volume flat, and not showing any signs of growing, and costs for labor, interest rates and credit card fees climbing, Cox-Kozel says profit was shrinking too much to stay in business and service debt. 

“The risk-reward calculation is out of whack,” he says.

Cox-Kozel says brick and mortar retail stores have turned into a Christmas business. He says customers spend money freely at Christmas time, but trying to spread that out over the other ten months of the year is hard for nearly all stores, particularly with so much retail purchasing having moved online.

Cox-Kozel is 38 years old and has spent 20 years of his life working at Back Country. He bought it nine years ago from original owners Jamie and Diana Kiel-Wornson. He credits the Wornsons for setting the culture at Back Country – always give back to the Beaverdale community. Cox-Kozel has been loyal to that culture, sponsoring Beaverdale events and having just rotated off the board of the Beaverdale Neighborhood Association, where he volunteered as board treasurer.

He says he’s been amazed at reaction to the news of the store’s closing. “I knew it meant a lot to people, but it’s been like Christmas season the past few weeks,” he says. “I’ve been floored by the response.” Cox-Kozel says he’s been wearing his “therapy hat”, helping customers with their emotions.

There’s no end date for the store. When he first announced the closing, he figured he’d shut things down in late April or May. But he says sales have been so strong of late, that he may run out of merchandise to sell before the end of March.

As for his own future, Cox-Kozel has no immediate plans. He says he looks forward to not working every Saturday of his life going forward. He’s confident a new business will be found for the prominent location at 2702 Beaver Avenue.

“The coziness of that location comes from the neighborhood – from Beaverdale. I have a lot of gratitude for the Beaverdale community.”

(More: "A Love Letter to Back Country", written by Beaverdale resident Adam Plagge)