Meet Leigh & Carlos Lopez | Outdoor Retail/ Guided Services

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leigh & Carlos Lopez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leigh & Carlos, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We found an opportunity with outdoor recreation on the horizon that would need a shouldering industry to provide the retail and experiential services for the people coming to our community. We decided to pivot from our previous careers (medical and business management) to forge ahead in a niche that wasn’t provided by a similar business plan. We have found that through hard work, calculated risks, a healthy savings account and good credit we were able to leverage ourselves into a position of opportunity. We are living the dream and continue to strive for great customer service, quality goods and consistent hours of operation.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Fishers Peak Outfitters is like a mini R.E.I. with artistic flair. We are the only Orvis Authorized Dealer for quality fly fishing equipment/ apparel for at least an 80 distance. We also sell art by award winning artist/ co-owner Leigh Elliott-Lopez. This creates the “Unique way to prepare for the outdoors” environment.

We are so excited to inform and prepare our customers about the untouched region that is Southern Colorado. From the plains to the mountains, we have a variety of activities that can occur all year round.

Fishers Peak Outfitters was formed in the height of Covid when outdoor recreation was seeing growth in leaps and bounds in Colorado. Leigh and Carlos decided to take their passion as outdoor enthusiasts and maneuver to a business model that used outdoor experience to provide tried and tested products that they used and provide it to their community. This wasn’t easy to open a store in the middle of a summer season. Not only did the store have to be stocked for the current time, FPO also had to start planning for the next two seasons of product (fall and the next summer). The outdoor industry will make preseason orders approximately one year in advance so manufacturers can prepare for anticipated orders. This allows retailers to gain a maximum profit margin to ensure not only secured product, but ability to adjust prices at the end of seasons. This was not something anticipated and was a heavy learning curve for Carlos and Leigh. Through hard work at the shop and lots of duty delegation, Leigh and Carlos were able to divide and conquer tasks. Due to no other businesses being of this demographic, FPO had to listen to customers’ wants and order accordingly in a conservative yet thoughtful manner. The ordering process is always performed utilizing previous years’ sales data and some gut feelings when it comes to future trends of clothing styles.

Carlos and Leigh Elliott-Lopez are avid lovers of the outdoors. Together they have trekked mountains in two continents and camp, hike, hunt and fish together. In 2021, they merged their mutual passions for the outdoors with Leigh’s art career, resulting in Fishers Peak Outfitters: an artistic outdoor recreational store.

Now Carlos and Leigh are having new adventures right in their back yard while exposing others who never had outdoor opportunities in this beautiful part of the world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Food/Cafes:

Trinidad Tea Co.
Almacks Kitchen
Bella Luna Pizzaria
Nana and Nanos Italian Restaurant
The Market Place Food Court
Gagliardis 489
Tequilas
Mutiny Cafe
El Rancho Mexican Restaurant

Night Life:
The Well Hotel & Taproom
The Trinidad Lounge
Moose’s Martini and Social Club

Favorite Hiking Spots:
The Wormhole
Rilley Canyon at Trinidad Lake State Park
Fishers Peak State Park
West Spanish Peak off HWY 12
Purgatoire Trail in San Isabel National Forest off HWY 12

Skiing/ Snowboarding:
Cuchara Mountain Park, Cuchara, CO
Angel Fire Resort, NM
Monarch Ski Resort, Salida, CO
Wolf Creek, HWY 160, Colorado
Red River Ski Resort, Red River, NM

Fishing:
Trinidad Lake State Park
Monument Lake
North Lake State Wildlife Area
Bear & Blue Lakes, HWY 12

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, if it wasn’t for the support of our families, none of this would be possible. Next, the connections acquired from working in Breckenridge, CO under Steve and Susan Lapinsohn were where it all started. Pete and Jenny Meltzer at Mountain Goat Clothing and Tim West of Breckenridge Outfitters are owners of their own businesses. These individuals worked with Carlos for the Lapinsohns in the mid to late 2000’s and were gracious to give out vendor contact information and give mentoring for our fledgling business. This was crucial to starting off on the right foot. All of these individuals continue to give support in various ways.

Website: www.fisherspeakoutfitters.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fisherspeakoutfitters/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fisherspeakoutfitters/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZq2pFp9IcnuGj4CZ3rxDPg

Image Credits
Fishers Peak Outfitters