Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities

EP# 225: An Affordable Outdoor Gear Revolution: Breaking Down Barriers with Hellbender Outfitters

• Skip Mauney & Matthew Moore • Episode 225

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What makes Matthew Moore with Hellbender Outfitters a good neighbor?

Ready to experience the great outdoors without breaking the bank? Meet Matthew Moore, owner of Hellbender Outfitters, who's challenging everything you thought you knew about outdoor gear accessibility.

Drawing from his experience as a US Forest Service wilderness technician, Matthew recognized a crucial gap in the market. His colleagues—who as he puts it, "get paid in sunrises and sunsets"—struggled to afford quality equipment that could withstand demanding conditions. This inspired him to create Hellbenders Outfitters, a unique consignment-style outdoor shop in Elizabethton that's been serving the Tri-Cities community for two years.

What sets Hellbender apart isn't just their comprehensive selection of fishing gear, kayaking equipment, camping supplies, and even disc golf items—it's their unwavering commitment to local partnerships and affordability. The shop showcases hand-tied bass flies from Abingdon artisans, features Johnson City Soap Company products, and carries disc golf discs hand-dyed in Elizabethton. Matthew passionately challenges the misconception that fly fishing requires substantial investment or years of practice, offering guided trips on local waters like the Watauga, Doe, and South Fork rivers at accessible price points between $350-$550.

The heart of Matthew's message resonates beyond commerce: "Remember who's in your backyard." As Elizabethton's downtown continues to flourish, Hellbender Outfitters stands as a testament to the value of shopping local and exploring our region's natural treasures. Whether you're an experienced angler or a curious newcomer, stop by 547 East Elk Avenue, meet the shop dog, and discover how quality outdoor experiences can be accessible to everyone. Follow their journey on Instagram and Facebook, or better yet, visit during First Fridays for a true taste of community connection.

To learn more about Hellbender Outfitters go to:

https://www.hellbenderoutfitterstn.com/

Hellbender Outfitters

(423) 518-1025



Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Monty.

Speaker 2:

Well, everyone, and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast of the Tri-Cities. I am super excited today because we've got a very special guest in the studio with us today and, if you're like me, you love nothing more than to be out in the water fishing and in the outdoors. So, if so, you'll be just as excited as I am because today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, mr Matthew Moore, who is the owner operator of Hellbenders Outfitters. Matthew, welcome to the show.

Speaker 3:

Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2:

Well, like I said, we're thrilled to have you. I am an avid fisherman. I fish my whole life, but I've been a fly fisherman for about 20 some years, so I am super excited to hear all about you and your business. So if you don't mind, why don't you kick us off by telling us what you do?

Speaker 3:

Yeah. So we kind of got our starts doing outdoor consignment gear. We realized that not everybody in the area you know has a desire to want to go to REI or some other big brand stores and drop hundreds and hundreds of dollars on quality gear. Amen, brother, uh, to our community at a better price. You know not sacrificing on quality, but really, you know hitting that price point that's comfortable for folks.

Speaker 2:

I can't tell you how excited I am about that, because I'm a, I'm a, I'm a, I'm a fisherman, I'm an avid fisherman, outdoorsman, loved to kayak, uh, backpack camp Uh, but man, it is not cheap. I mean it is not cheap, and so I am super psyched. So how did you get into this business?

Speaker 3:

So I previously worked for the US Forest Service as a wilderness technician and I noticed a lot of my colleagues. You know there's a saying in the Forest Service you get paid in sunrises and sunsets. So I noticed a lot of my colleagues. You know we didn't make much. We're having to buy cheaper gear that just did not last and I thought to myself there has to be a better way. There just has to. And here came Hellbenders.

Speaker 2:

Very good, how long have you guys been in business? Came hellbenders. Very good, how long have you guys been in business? About two years, two years, awesome. Well, tell me what you know. Um, what, what? Tell me some stuff you got.

Speaker 3:

I looked at your website and you do have rods, right and real, yeah, yeah uh, so we carry everything from fly rods to spinning rods, to kayaking gear, to paddle boarding gear, to clothing, to camping gear.

Speaker 3:

Um, we even have a set of disc golf, or we have disc golf stuff in this shop uh and you know it's kind of our motto, at least my internal motto I want to support local in any way that we can. So if we have a look like, for example, we have a local gentleman who, uh, we're excited to have, we'll have him in the shop at the end of the week but he specializes in bass, uh, bass, smallmouth, largemouth and striper and hybrid on the fly. So he hand ties uh fly lures and rods specifically oriented towards bass and he's up in abingdon, um, we're getting his stuff in there. We got a couple other local bait manufacturers we're bringing in there. Uh, we got you know Johnson City Soap Company, which my wife absolutely loves. Uh, we got you know some disc golf discs that are dyed locally, uh, by a gentleman in Elizabethton, and we're just, we're all the time looking for local gear to stock our stuff very cool.

Speaker 2:

Now I have been known to to fish, fly fish for bass with trout flies and and and and kill it with a woolly booger man. Uh, do you offer trout flies as well?

Speaker 3:

Yep, we absolutely do so. We're very fortunate we have an in-house fly tire. Who has probably forgotten more about fly fishing than I'll ever learn in my lifetime?

Speaker 2:

Wow, wow. Now that's pretty affordable too, because flies can be super expensive.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, absolutely so. Once again, we're trying our hardest to meet that price point that best serves our community.

Speaker 2:

Awesome, awesome. Well, I am, I for one. I'm going to check you out, please, for sure, for sure, because I've, you know, even gear bags. I've had for 25 years, you know, and the handles are rotten and falling off of them and you know I really need to upgrade. I'm sure there's a lot of folks like me, because it's a, it's a, it's a wonderful, uh, uh experience to fly fish, but, man, it can get expensive. I mean, even just with leaders. Do you, do you have supplies like leaders and taper, uh, oh, gosh, tip it, and that sort of thing yeah, so we're a one-stop shop.

Speaker 3:

Uh, if we can get you set up with waders, boots, fly rod, fly rod, fly line, strike indicators, flies anything you may need for a day out on the water and be successful.

Speaker 2:

Very nice, Very nice. Well, Matthew, what are some myths or misconceptions in your industry? I know it's, you know there's not a lot of you guys running around here, Uh, so uh, are there any myths about outfitters?

Speaker 3:

Yeah. So I think the biggest myth, especially in the fly fishing industry, is you have to have a lot of money to go do it or it takes years and years to develop this technique where you can actually catch fish, and that's just simply not true. Um, you know, and and we're trying really hard to break that stigma For example, we, uh, we offer a guided trip or guided trips with local guides who know the area very, very well, and most people think that, you know, guided trips cost thousands of dollars. They don't. They're extremely affordable. You know, and I think that stigma comes a lot from the saltwater community, where it's the elite of the elite paying for big boats and really high-end gear, and that's just simply not true.

Speaker 2:

Now, where do they guide the Watauga?

Speaker 3:

So we do. Watauga Doe, south Fork, we're starting to get into a little bit of the lake stuff. We're researching that and figuring out our market there, um, but yeah, so pretty much any local tailwater that's around here we can do very cool, very, very cool price range. If you don't mind me asking for a so we're looking at about $350 to about $550, depending on what you're doing, where you're going, if you're waiting or if you're floating. There's some variables in there.

Speaker 2:

That's not bad. Is that for one person, or is that if you had two guys or three?

Speaker 3:

That's per person. Yeah, with a guide.

Speaker 2:

With a guide guide gotcha very cool, very cool. Like I said, I've been at. I was at the doe river a couple of weekends ago but I was right at the gorge where that uh camp is and uh, they've been doing a lot of construction, busting up rocks and stuff around the river, so I didn't see a lot of fish but I didn't get to fish. So you know, if I saw some I probably would have have made, made some time. But anyway, well, we know marketing is key to any business success. How do you market your Outfitters business?

Speaker 3:

So we're learning that the fishing community is evolving, just like every other community in the world, and we're increasing our digital presence and our brand awareness. So follow us on Instagram, follow us on Facebook. We're working on our TikTok that's hopefully going to launch here in the next week or two, and I think that's the biggest way you know.

Speaker 2:

Do social media and you do have a website right.

Speaker 3:

Correct, yes, hellbender Outfitters Tennessee or TNcom.

Speaker 2:

Very cool. Well, outside of work, I probably know what do you do for fun.

Speaker 3:

So I mean, that's one of the reasons I do what I do. Right is you do what you love. You'll never work a day in your life, um, just like you skip. I'm an avid fisherman. Uh, fly, spin all that good stuff. Uh, I love taking our dog on hikes. We've got a australian shepherd who is just a ball of energy that never ceases to end.

Speaker 2:

I'm sure that'll keep you busy.

Speaker 3:

It does yeah absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Well, let's switch gears. Can you describe a hardship or a life challenge that you've overcome and how it's made you stronger in the end? Anything come to mind.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so right before we got into Hellbender, I was working with American Conservation Experience, which is an AmeriCorps program that takes young adults and places them in conservation-minded projects. An insane hardship to leave, because it was such a incredible program to witness from the sidelines, especially watching these young adults who have may never been to a national park or a national forest and watching them complete conservation minded projects in these areas. It was nothing short of transformative. Um, but yeah, that was definitely a recent hardship that I had to, uh, leave behind to focus on ACE or focus on hellbenders.

Speaker 2:

Well, I know what's totally understandable, but it sounds like you're doing well with hellbenders. Uh, so in the end you're you're doing what you love, man.

Speaker 3:

There we go, there we go.

Speaker 2:

There we go. Well, if, uh, Matthew, if you could think of one thing you would like our listeners to remember about Hellbenders Outfitters, what would that be?

Speaker 3:

You know it's not necessarily just about Hellbender Outfitters, it's about remembering who's in your backyard. A lot of folks, especially since the bridge has been out in Elizabethton, a lot of folks are getting to discover our downtown area more and more and more and I just hope folks remember that image once the bridge gets fixed. And you know, shop local. There's so many things downtown that are constantly being added, that is constantly growing and, you know, oftentimes for a better price in big box stores.

Speaker 2:

Well, and especially in your case, good stuff for a good price, man. I love it A fishing consignment store. I love it. Well, if any of our listeners are interested in learning more, come and check out a guide or some waiters, whatever. How can they learn more?

Speaker 3:

So you can follow us on Facebook or Instagram. We're always welcome to you stopping by. We'll sit and talk as long as you want. Come say hey to the shop dog and just come talk with us. You, we're we're very social people. Our ideas, you know. We want you to obviously get set up with best gear, but we also want you to be set up with best local knowledge and what's that address of your brick and mortar? So it's 547 east elk avenue east elk avenue.

Speaker 2:

Very cool, all right. Well, I will definitely check you guys out. Uh, no doubt, because I'm heading back to the dough, so I will. Uh, I'll definitely be coming your way, and you know your watauga. I love fishing on the watauga. That's's great. Some good fishing can be. Well, matthew, I really appreciate you being on the show. Can't tell you how much I I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with with me and with our listeners and moving forward, wish you and your family, and including your dog and hellbenders outfitters, all the best thank you thank you, and maybe we can have you back on the show sometime in the future when you got some event going on I'd love that.

Speaker 3:

So another selfless plug to throw out for the city. So first fridays, come check us out. There's music, there's food, um musicians on every corner playing it. It's just a great family-friendly, fun atmosphere.

Speaker 2:

We will check that out. All right, okay, man. Thank you so much, matthew, and we'll see you on the next one.

Speaker 3:

Sounds good. Thank you so much.

Speaker 2:

All right, thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnptry-citiescom. That's gnptry-citiescom, or call 423-719-5873. Thank you.