Alpine Shop

Alpine Shop | St. Louis, MO
Category: Outdoor Apparel

In 1973, a climber, outdoor author and Army Map Agency employee in St. Louis by the name of Bob Mooers, convinced Chouinard Equipment - the predecessor to outdoor industry giant Patagonia - to open him as a dealer. Mooers started a climbing shop in a small room upstairs from the home-winemaking shop he was moonlighting on the side. Within a month, climbing was outselling winemaking, which was soon abandoned, in a move to a new larger space.

Current owner Russell “Holly” Hollenbeck came on the scene in 1978. Business was booming, but Mooers was looking to relocate to the Northwest. Holly, also an avid outdoorsman and regular customer of Mooers Alpine, was looking for a change away from corporate life. He purchased the store, changing the name to Alpine Shop. His wife and co-owner, Lisa Hollenbeck, transitioned from a legal career to focus full-time on serving St. Louis's outdoor community shortly after.

While climbing is still core to Alpine Shop's business, we now serve almost every type of outdoor enthusiast from backpackers, hikers, campers, paddlers, and cyclists, to snowboarders and skiers at two locations in Missouri.

After 50 years in the business, it is Alpine Shop's Vision to see: Generations Transformed by Discovery Outdoors.