Peoria has a storied history rooted in manufacturing and trade, and yet it is also a community filled with natural beauty with more than 9,000 acres of parks as well as the beloved Peoria Zoo and Luthy Botanical Garden. The Peoria Park District, the city’s first and the largest in the state, provides the perfect backdrop for outdoor enthusiasts such as Rich Pestien, Owner of Bushwhacker, a specialty outdoor store in Peoria in business more than half a century.

“We’re the biggest, locally owned outdoor shop in Central Illinois,” Rich noted with pride. “We specialize in skis, camping gear, bikes, and pretty much everything for the great outdoors.”

Whether you are a seasoned adventurer or a family wanting to explore Illinois on a day hike, Bushwhacker has a wide range of equipment to make outdoor experiences unforgettable. The store has a half century of history under its belt and a brand that is synonymous with quality, expertise, and a genuine passion for nature.

“I’m proud of Bushwhacker,” Rich added. “I’d like to think that people live better lives by getting outside and enjoying the great outdoors.”

That philosophy is at the core of the mission at Bushwhacker and aligned with its selection of gear and apparel and its premium placed on helping customers find great destinations for adventure getaways across Illinois.

Discovering a new passion

The evolution of Bushwhacker started for Rich when he was sophomore at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“I was a math major and computer science major, and I had never been camping in my life,” Rich recalled. “But for some reason, I got into a rock climbing club that was a whole lot more fun than math and computer science.”

Around the same time, Rich started to work part-time at an outfitter in Champaign by the name of Bushwhacker. After a year of work, Rich said the partners of the store saw potential in him and offered him a chance to invest and become a partner.

“I thought, ‘Oh, that sounds like fun.’ Way more fun than the computer lab,” Rich said with a laugh. “I thought, yeah, I’ll do this for a while, like most people do at the start of their careers. And then it turned into seven years and ten years and twenty years, and now it’s fifty years.”

In the early days, Rich and his partners dreamed of expanding Bushwhacker nationwide. In addition to the flagship store in Champaign, they opened additional Bushwhackers in Springfield and Peoria, but Rich said the market then shifted unexpectedly.

“We thought we’d have Bushwhackers all over the country,” recalled Rich. “But the backpacking hippies grew up, got married, and stopped backpacking. We lost a lot of money. Snow was a problem, and our cross-country ski market was bad, too. All the partners basically jumped off a sunken ship because we were losing all kinds of money. I had a net worth negative $70,000. The bank couldn’t call in the note because they would have lost more money than me! I didn’t have two nickels to rub together.”

Despite those challenges, Rich said he was able to ride out the financial storm, because of the fortuitous advice of a consultant who urged Rich to reconsider the identity of the store.

“What changed the fortunes for us was listening to a consultant who suggested we do something different,” said Rich. “Not just think of ourselves as backpackers or skiers, but as retailers who needed to figure out something to sell.

“I think we’ve been able to stick around for 50 years because we’ve stayed with the times,” said Rich. “Whether it’s backpacking, skiing, windsurfing, or biking, we’re staying with the times. Staying agile for the store is crucial for us in staying in business,” emphasized Rich.

A zen for adventure

Step into Bushwhacker and customers can find a team of experts who genuinely live and breathe adventure in Central Illinois. Whether you are on the trail, driving off-road, or in the middle of a downhill ski slope, the staff at Bushwhacker has probably been there, done that, and can talk about it. Rich says every piece of equipment on his shelves has been tested and is trusted by the team, ensuring customers get the best advice and gear for an adventure.

“We’re outdoors people, and there’s a lot of outdoor things that we didn’t think about 40 years ago. But now, things like bikes, even e-bikes, are big for us,” stated Rich who noted that his store caters to two types of people: customers who don’t know where to start and seasoned adventurers who never know when to stop.

“We do exactly whatever it takes to keep the doors open and make a living,” Rich said with a smile. It’s this dedication to serving the community has kept the store thriving for decades. The current location of Bushwhacker is 15,000 square feet and the third building that the retailer has had in Peoria.

For beginners, Bushwhacker is a welcomed starting point where advice is free and questions are encouraged. For the avid adventurer, the store is a connecting point and a place to share their passion for outdoor sports and find the gear that keeps them going. This sense of community and collective exploration is what has kept Rich invested in the business for 50 years.

“Staying agile for the store is crucial for us in staying in business,” Rich emphasized. “In a lot of cases, the manufacturers are dumping their product on the internet or right on their own websites, and it’s very hard for us to compete with all that.”

Despite the challenges of competing with online retailers, Bushwhacker continues to thrive by offering something the internet cannot. Rich says his team offers personalized expertise, equipment repairs, and guidance to the best destinations for just about any outdoor activity.

The love of being here

Rich’s deep connection to Illinois seems to be as enduring as his passion for the outdoors.

“I’ve lived in Illinois my whole life,” Rich said with a warm smile. “And if I didn’t enjoy being here, I would have moved long ago.”

For Rich, the natural beauty of his home state and the vibrant, approachable lifestyle in his community makes Peoria an ideal place for living and for running a business.

“As far as retail goes, we have lots of greenery. We have seven parks within five minutes of the store. There’s all kinds of products people can get in Illinois. So, retailing seems to be good.”

When it comes to advice for aspiring retailers, Rich speaks from decades of experience, both the highs and lows.

“If someone is getting into retail, the advice I might give would be to think about it and look at what it takes to make it work,” Rich offered up with smile. “Maybe not too much, though, because you’re going to find some rough times, and you’ve got to get through those. There is no perfect job that’s roses all 40 hours or 60 hours a week.”

It was easy to see when we met with Rich, he would not trade this life for anything else.

“What I like about retail is showing people fun products,” Rich said with enthusiasm. “Getting outside, doing fun stuff and having fun being part of it. It’s more fun than any other job I could think of.

“I was actually 25, when I started the store here in Peoria,” Rich recalled. “A lot of kids my age came in and got skis and coats and fun stuff for the outdoors. And now I’m still seeing them 48 years later. They bring in their kids and grandkids, and they’re all decked out in tents and skis and sleeping bags.

“Retail is getting tougher and tougher,” Rich said. “But doing the right thing and having the products that people like to talk about, that’s what makes retail fun.”