Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Deringer.
Hi Lindsey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My husband, Anthony, and I met at a summer camp in 2008. He was the adventure director and I was a girls counselor. He took campers on week-long adventures throughout summer. One counselor got to go with him each week to assist with the trip. I was asked to go with him on a weeklong trip to Colorado to climb Mt. Shavano with high school students. I had never climbed a mountain or camped much but I was excited. It was a great experience and a bonus that I got to hang out and get to know Anthony. I saw how he thrived in the outdoors. He has done so many trips and now teaches outdoor recreation at Texas State University as a professor. Together, we have rafted the grand canyon, canoed rivers with and without our kids, backpacked in several states, and hiked many trails all over the country. Anthony has a deep knowledge of outdoor gear and knows what clothing and gear is best for any adventure.
We bought The Budaful Hiker in March of 2023. The business was already an established shop in Wimberley but we were excited to see it grow. We had a lot of new ideas and an excitement of being new business owners. We had never owned a business before but we love Wimberley, hiking, and adventures so what more did we need? I was a teacher before we had kids but stayed home when we had our first child in 2013. Our youngest was 4 when we decided to buy The Budaful Hiker. I was really excited to get back to work! We purchased The Budaful Hiker on March 15, 2023 and started hiring some new employees. Over the last two and a half years, we have added some really great employees. One of my favorite parts of the job have been getting to know our employees. Most of them are high school and college age students. Our kids are younger so it has been fun to get to experience the older age kids and get to know them. We also have a few out of college and older employees that add a lot to our shop!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Overall, I would say it has been a pretty smooth road.
For the most part, we have had some great luck with employees which I think makes a huge difference. I am the one that hires for the shop so I have learned a few things about what questions to ask and how important it is to hire trustworthy staff. I haven’t always gotten it right but we have worked with our employees and try to make our shop a positive environment where people want to work and stay.
We have had some customer theft which is always frustrating. We are a very small business so each of those losses has made a difference for us. This doesn’t happen often and I think thats just part of the deal when you own a retail shop.
This last spring, we had a downpour of rain and the shop flooded. It was a pretty stressful situation but thankfully we had an employee there that alerted us pretty quickly. We were able to save most of our inventory and worked with our landlord to make adjustments that will prevent flooding from happening in the future.
We’ve been impressed with The Budaful Hiker, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Budaful Hiker started in the town of Buda, TX which is where it got it’s name. The previous owners opened the Wimberley location and it grew so they closed the Buda location down. People are often confused by the name so we have to explain a bit. 🙂
We specialize in hiking and outdoor gear. We sell brands like Patagonia, Roark, Topo Designs, Lems, Darn Tough, and Cotopaxi. We are a small shop but we thrive as a result of Wimberley’s small town charm. We work with our customers to get them the specific items they are looking for. We also ship all of our online items for free anywhere in the continental US.
I think we are most proud of our partnership with Patagonia. They are really amazing to work with and even though we are probably one of their smallest wholesalers, we don’t feel that way. Patagonia stands behind their products and they are always improving their items and looking towards how they can impact the environment for the better. Their products are made to last. The shop wasn’t selling Patagonia before we bought it. Anthony worked really hard to make it happen here in small town Wimberley.
We have a hiking group that meets 3 times a week. Tuesdays in Wimberley, Thursdays in Buda, and Saturdays around the Hill Country. The Saturday hikes are planned in advance and you can find them on our Facebook page. There is a consistent group that meets each week. Kids and friendly dogs are welcome!
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Our employees (our team!) are the real heros in our business! We are in the shop as much as we can be but they are there everyday making it work. They are always quick to help out in whatever way we ask.
Our hiking team, especially George, who has been leading hikes for years with The Budaful Hiker.
Anthony’s dad owned businesses for many years and we have turned to him several times when we were unsure of what to do. He was always happy to help and even came to work a few times when we were in a bind.
The City of Wimberley has always supported us as well. We have made a few changes to the outside of the building and they have always been quick to respond.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thebudafulhiker.com
- Instagram: @thebudafulhiker
- Facebook: @thebudafulhiker
- Other: info@thebudafulhiker.com
