River Rock Outfitter — Local services in Fredericksburg

I’ve visited a lot of family owned stores in my life, and I have to say river rock outfitters put me up for a surprise!

Story time my family was going to get pizza and I stopped by here while they were waiting to check out the store. I walked in they were busy, and I began surveying the store. The layout was very sleek and well put together, and as I progressed back I saw the store opened a secondary wing to the left and one further back. I explored the left first and saw the hiking gear they had and was thoroughly THOROUGHLY impressed with the selection of gear. They have my primary gear set on the wall that I replenish every season and left a really good impression on me with that section. Their clothing looks very well put together, packs were limited but varied in liters as expected, and they had a very healthy selection of boots. Proceeding to the back I saw more shoes ( everyone knows a hikers best friend is what’s on their feet ) and more bottles, clothing, and so forth. I saw they had a little deck of survivalist cards for not dying and I picked them up on my way and checked out. The two ladies scanned them up and were super friendly and offered me their rewards program, now I’m gonna be honest with you being that I have been shopping at REI my benefits there do outweigh what’s offered HOWEVER the difference between REI and river rock is that river rock is family owned, meaning you’re giving money to a tradition not a corporation. I will be shopping here more for advice on gear and will pick up more when I’m in the area. If I have to buy in bulk I’ll be favored towards REI, but if I’m buying something new river rock will be my go to.

In summary the store is a very well kept store, owned by good people! Prices are fair, and well listed for the public to see, they offer a select set of gear I haven’t seen anywhere else ( running lights ) and have given me a lot to think about. Thank you for letting me have a good experience river rock I’ll be shopping with you all more...

This store is awesome. Great selection of gear and clothing in a convenient location with phenomenal customer service. I've met both the owners; a husband and wife team who are just very down to earth and good people. They'll just be walking around the store helping customers out and you wouldn't even know that they are the owners. This business also happens to be veteran-owned and to me, a small veteran-owned American business with excellent customer service is exactly what I want to support. Support them, you won't regret it.

New Review Apr 02, 2016: Since the last review, I've been back to River Rock Outfitter at least 4 more times. And each time I go there, I'm absolutely amazed at the exceptional customer service provided by the employees. Last time I went there, it was two super-helpful dudes, and this time it was Julia and Migana (I hope I spelled that right). This is the kind of customer service that TRULY sets a business apart; especially in our day and age where it's all about "fast-food" customer service. The employees were just so awesome that I had to leave another review to show my sincere appreciation.

Anyways, I don't know where or how you guys find your AWESOME staff, or how you keep them so happy, but just keep up the great work!! Your staff are truly...

If you have not had your customer service expectations exceeded lately, then head on down to River Rock Outfitter's. April and Travis went above and beyond to help me secure my bulky canoe purchase to the top of my SUV in order to get it home (I live 1.5 hours from F'burg). While RRO deals in kayaks and not canoes, I thought we could cobble something together, so I stopped by the store to see what they had. As it turns out, I made no purchase (nowhere in F'burg could I find a canoe kit in stock) but the guidance and support they provided, after I left the store, was priceless. They helped me over the telephone and through texts. The below picture shows how I ultimately got it home, using two dense Styrofoam blocks cut in half to make four solid platforms on which the canoe rested. You don't get the kind of service that April and Travis gave me from "big box" stores. Support your locally owned businesses!!! Have a great Independence Day...