Wilson’s Outdoor Equipment closing after 53 years in business in downtown Raleigh
After more than five decades in business, Wilson’s Outdoor Equipment is closing up shop this spring, as the downtown Raleigh property it’s called home since 1968 gets demolished to make way for a high-rise apartment building.
“It seems like 53 years is a long, long time and it is, but it sure did pass quickly,” founder Joe Wilson told The News & Observer.
Wilson has seen downtown Raleigh transform before his eyes.
“There’s so many high-rise residential (buildings) here now. It’s unrecognizable compared to even 10 years ago. That’s not a bad thing, but I’m just saying the small merchants that were here either have been pushed out by this residential growth or the internet sales have killed that retail traffic,” Wilson said.
A developer is planning an eight-story mixed-use building on properties encompassing over an acre of the city block bounded by Hillsborough and West Morgan streets, east of Glenwood Avenue.
Wilson’s Outdoor Equipment sits on the southeast corner of that block, and the clock is ticking for a handful of other longstanding local businesses.
“After July 31, there will be nobody in this block. They’re already doing drilling and testing soil samples now,” Wilson said, citing the deadline tenants were given by developers. “We’re going to probably close up in a week.”
Montgomery Violins, which has been on Hillsborough Street since 1987, is relocating. They’re in the midst of renovating a space at 410 Morson St.
FLEX Nightclub, an LGBTQ bar on the corner of Hillsborough and West streets, has been open for 23 years. They didn’t respond to an inquiry about their plans.
The company behind the project is Dalian Development, based in Washington, D.C. They didn’t respond to questions from The News & Observer.
The city approved a site plan earlier this month, which shows they plan to add 221 apartments, 8,550-square-feet of commercial space and a parking deck with 222 spaces. Building permits must be secured within three years.
Wilson’s started as tool sharpening company before getting into chainsaws
Wilson, who grew up in Raleigh, started his company when he was a teenager enrolled in classes at Durham Technical Community College.
“I contacted the realty company that owned this building and at 18 years old, started this business, which is crazy, I know,” Wilson said. “We started out in in the very beginning sharpening tools, because people didn’t throw away stuff like they do now.”
It was just Wilson and a mechanic, boosted by the part-time help of Wilson’s mom. After about a year, they moved into the chainsaw business.
“In the early ‘70s, people were buying wood stoves and building homes with fireplaces, et cetera, so chainsaws were a big deal,” he reflected.
They eventually transitioned to specializing in all sorts of handheld power equipment, from chainsaws to hedge trimmers. Big clients like the Department of Transportation, fire departments and other government contracts accounted for about half of the business.
In their late-1990s heyday, they had about eight employees, who were coached to treat customers like family.
Wilson stayed at the business until 1995, when he signed the business over to his brother, though he’d come back part-time in 2017. When Wilson’s brother died in 2020, Wilson’s niece Heather Barlow took the reins.
“I’m not really sad because it’s been a long, long journey in this business. I am sad because of the amount of customers that have been trading here for 40 and 50 years that are my age that have called me and said, ‘Now where am I gonna go?’” he said.
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 9:14 AM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated where Montgomery Violins is moving. It is 410 Morson St.
