Then and now: For many, it will always be the Outdoorsman
The dirt lot in 1965 is where Motel 6 is today. Photos/Bill Kingman
Grocery Outlet is where the Outdoorsman was.
The Outdoorsman in South Lake Tahoe is still talked about by locals with a certain fondness.
It was here in the 1960s and at least through the late 1980s. It had a bit everything — from sporting goods to a decent selection of clothing to being the place to buy a gift.
Today it is home of Grocery Outlet.
Notice how signage has changed through the years.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
i love the grocery outlet, but I thought the Outdoorsman should have been an ice-ink with a xc ski shop/center with access to barton meadow & beyond for winter activities.
Don’t forget the days it lived as a Long’s Drug Store.
The Outdoorsman, Al’s Chevron Way, and Harvey’s. Three locally owned and expertly managed South Shore entities that offered the best in customer service and satisfaction that are still remembered with pride as being a part of America’s All-Year Playground. They were a draw by themselves.
Yep, the Outdoorsman was THE place back then. Rahbeck the owner,Bill Tisher, Jackie Martin, Stan Pomin and all the others that worked there.That place had just about everything. Fishing, Hunting Camping, clothing, Gifts.If you wanted it they had it.I bought a 17 foot Grumman canoe there. Being a rather broke lift attendant at the time they let me make payments until it was paid off then I loaded it atop my old truck and hauled it home. I’ve still got that old canoe and and it still floats 37 years later. The dirt lot that was across the street, where Motel 6 is now, was where we had our annual homecoming bonfire in the late 60’s and early 70’s for the mighty STHS Vikings football team.That lot was also the home to a traveling carnival that came to town every summer for a couple of weeks. Corndogs, rides that didn’t look safe and the carnys with missing teeth. Ahh yes, fond memories indeed
Thank you Bill! Take Care, Old Long Skiis.
I enjoy “Then and Now” articles and pics, and the comments other long-timers post. Do more of them!
My longtime friend Bill Kingman sends these great photos to Kae. I believe that Bill actually has some photos of the Lake before it was filled!
Hi Bill! Thanks for all of the great photos you’ve been sharing – keep them coming. @ Paul: Thanks for the chuckle this am! Sure do miss the Outdoorsman. That store was a lifesaver when we moved to Tahoe in the early part of a hard winter.
I still have things that I bought at the Outdoorsman, too — it was a great store, quality goods & not overpriced.
Paul, I’d not be surprised at any photos Bill has! I was first visiting Tahoe in the early fifties (that Winter was far worse for short term snowfall than any I have seen here since); and moved permanently here in ’72. I remember the Outdoorsman quite well, including many of the employees…Stan, etc. I still have the last two pairs of skis I purchased there; and many other things. Remember Lawrence’s down the highway? Ink’s market (crazy clerk there…remember?)….?…..
many fond memories…including the snowfall in January of 1952…and years later when we had an electric power failure at the same time the natural gas line got cut under the Truckee River in Reno…cutting the gas to South Shore.
When I moved here I got around initially, in the Winter of 72, on a motorcycle, with outrigger skis I put on, freebies from, I think, the Attic shop. The Trib did an article on me, Biker Invades Tahoe. Must have been a slow news day;….complete with a photo of me on the bike, braving the snowfall. That article jump-started my electronics repair business, been here ever since!
And where is the sportsman located now? Not far from where they started.
correction the Outdoorsman
Thank you Bill Kingman!! (and Kae too!) Bill, you will always be “The Voice of Tahoe” for me!! Congratulations, and thanks for the memories! Keep those pictures coming!!
Thank you Bill and Kae,
What fond memories. The Outdoorsman was a fabulous store even for tourists from LA (like me at the time). It was a fun place to shop, even if you were not a shopper!
Bill, you are top notch.
Wow, I’m touched (and entertained!) by the response. Thank you so much.
BTW, left-click on the photos to enlarge.
The Outdoorsman was a ‘destination’ in & of itself; in addition to that mentioned above, ladies’ going to the South Shore Room that night could actually get a dress – and shoes to match ! . . . Skis, Meggi sweaters, canoes, fishing gear, camping stuff, on & on. . . I bought the very first pair of Lange (poured) plastic ski boots there, at a time when “long thongs” were then in vogue, so they were considered almost Space Age. . . Always the latest & greatest- – – A great asset for Tahoe . . . The female visitor often told the male, you go ahead and hit the crap table, I’m going to the Outdoorsman !! . . .
My parents came to Tahoe over Washington’s Birthday every year through the late 60s, 70s and 80s. They always made it part of their weekend to go to the Outdoorsman to hit their holiday sale.
What turned out to be my dad’s last trip to Tahoe over that weekend he bought a beautiful grey silk suit. Since he wore a suit and tie to work every day he showed it off often!
After he passed away that is the one thing from his closet I wanted to keep so now when I see it I remember my parents and their happy times at the Outdoorsman!
I still have a Northface tent I bought during the closing sale. No one could believe it was shutting down or what might take its place. Great memories as a kid going in a looking at all the stuff.
I still smile when I remember Liberace’s commercial for them. He said in that nasal tone of his “whenever I’m at Lake Tahoe, I always visit the Outdoors Man.” As a former KTHO DJ, it brings back memories when local radio was live and fun.
Mr.Bowen and Local Yokle
When I was a kid I skied on leather Nordica leather lace up boots. Double boots at first,that was a boot within a boot, then buckle boots when they came on the scene. Then Lange came out with the first plastic boot.I Had to have a pair of those! Unfortunately the inner plastic liner broke and leaked the bubble gum like liquid onto my socks. To this day I miss those old leather Nordicas…they smelled so good in my bedroom, kinda like like an old saddle.
Local Yokle, I’ve still got my old Northface tent from the Outdoorsman as well , A VE 24. Has held up all these years. You get what you pay for.
Take Care, Old Long Skiis
How about the old Jewelry Factory next door to the Outdoorsman? It was more like an entertainment museum than just a jewelry store!
Yeah, the Lindner’s were something…I still have a piece of jewelry that Bob made for me.
I think of the Outdoorsman from time to time. There were a number of very cool people who worked there. One of my first jobs was at the old Lampson’s Market where McDonalds is today. Thank for bringing some of the old timers out, Bill.
What a killer place to shop! When my adult kids were in grammar school they insisted on going there when we vacationed at SLT. That’s how good The Outdoorsman was. Now that I live here I really miss the place.
Too bad we couldn’t get a similar place to move into the old Mikasa building at the “Y”. Great location and something for visitors and locals, would make “Y” a jumping place, maybe draw some business back to the factory stores.
Oh, well,
I got my very first pair of Ninja Turtle Skis at the Outdoorsman, and got to model for all of our newspaper ads. I really miss that place…
Oh…my favorite store for Christmas cards,bathing suits, ski clothes and jewlery. Like Alice’s restaurant “You can get anything you want…” BTW to be a REAL local….for me….The Horizon will ALWAYS be the Sahara…Burger King will always be “Girls After Dark” Cave Rock Manny’s…remember the Gorilla? Good old Cecil’s, Mr. Shelley for just being Rudy, the first Red Hut, $10.00 all day lift tickets at Heavenly, great showrooms..Loggins and Messina closing on Sunday locals night…oh…I could go on and on and…
I worked in the warehouse for the Outdoorsman on Eloise, just a few short blocks from the store. The owner, William Ledbetter, his wife (daughter of Harvey Gross, Harvey’s Casino) & his partners also owned the Equinox in the downstairs mall at Harrah’s, a ski shop accros (same side) from Harvey’s, a ski shop at Heavenly Valley Lodge, and a new Outdoorsman in Carson City, NV on the north end of town. 1979-1980
Best part of The Outdoorsman was the fact that none other than Liberace – of all people – did the radio commercials for them and were broadcast on KTHO…even as a kid I remember thinking “I don’t think this guy gets outdoors much”.
Liberace? Seriously? That is amazing.
The commercial that Liberace did was for The Jewelry Factory. At the end of his taped radio ad he would say
“The Jewelry Factory is located next to the OutdoorsMAN”, with heavy emphasis on the MAN,and the way he pronounced it was hilarious. I know it wasn’t meant to be funny but many of my friends and me always called it the OutdoorsMAN after that commercial aired.
Janice Shaw, do you remember the Burger Bar at Ski Run and 50 or years later when the Orange Julius was across the street?
Living in the past, Old Long Skiis