the beloved Asheville gearmaker will SOON RE-open their Fletcher headquarters for “Factory FridayS” TOURS, SHOPPING & MORE
June 2024 — Diamond Brand Gear is excited to announce the re-opening of their historic factory outlet store this summer. “Factory Fridays” will give the local community and visitors access to hand-crafted merchandise and a unique insider’s view into the heritage-brand’s modern manufacturing process.
Diamond Brand has been a leader in the outdoor industry for nearly 150 years, crafting high-quality, hand-sewn gear for adventures of all types. As they gear up for several major new product launches this fall, Diamond Brand is excited to open up their 60,000-square-foot Fletcher factory and retail space to the public for a one of a kind adventure shopping experience.
Beginning July 12, the Diamond Brand headquarters will be open on Friday afternoons from 1-4pm. During this time, guests can shop exclusive discounts and deals on Diamond Brand’s hand-sewn outdoor products– from retired tents and bag styles, to overstock gear, accessories and maker and repairs parts. Customers will get last-chance access to closeout inventory and factory seconds, but also get the opportunity to tour Diamond Brand’s factory, ask questions of staff and sewers, and learn more about Diamond Brand’s products, curated components and their industrial gearmaking process.
The 20-min factory tour will depart from the retail space at 2pm on Fridays, with backup/overflow tour occurring as needed at 2:30pm.
John Delaloye, CEO of Diamond Brand, shared his enthusiasm for the event, stating, “Factory Fridays is more than just a showcase of our products. it’s an opportunity to tell our story and welcome in the next era of our brand. We have a great deal of older inventory to sell, but we’re also really excited to talk about our new collections and give customers a hands-on experience.”
Delaloye hopes that in the future Factory Fridays will evolve and expand to more traditional business hours and include gear giveaways, gear clinics, demos and presentations, glamping and camping consultations, and other interactive, educational activities.
A THROWBACK To BRICK-AND-MORTAR Outdoor Retail
Diamond Brand has been making handcrafted, durable and reliable outdoor gear in Western North Carolina since 1942. In 1964 they opened the area’s first outdoor gear shop under the name, ‘Diamond Brand Camping Center‘. What began as a factory seconds store in a 900-square foot garage next to the original factory in Henderson County grew to what is now known as the specialty outdoor shop, Diamond Brand Outdoors.
“All of the products in our Factory Outlet have been 100% designed, made and tested in-house, just as was the case in 1964. We are proud of our roots here in the outdoor recreation mecca of Western North Carolina. It’s truly an inspirational backdrop for craft gearmaking,” says Delaloye.
“We’re also proud of our commitment to innovation and transparency in gear manufacturing,” he continues. “We make our products with creativity, care, passion and pride and Factory Fridays will allow us to highlight that.”
“This will be more interactive and educational than your typical outdoor gear shopping experience because it’ll share the process behind our production in an up-close-and-personal way. Each week, we’ll be able to connect directly with our customers, which is pretty rare for a gear manufacturer,” he says.
“The Factory Friday experience will almost be like a time travel, a story unfolding,” Delaloye explains, “Our guests will get a glimpse into the past by seeing all of our retired products and old partnerships, but they’ll also get a view into the future – what we’re working on and what’s to come in this next chapter. We’re excited that our space can be a portal in this way.”
Learn more about the rich history and heritage of Diamond Brand here.
WElcoming A New Era
The re-opening of the Factory Store is a timely and important milestone for Diamond Brand Gear. This is because in the coming year the company will begin to formally transition their product line and move towards sustainably-made canvas wall tents, and the byproduct of retired tents – unique upcycled scrap-fabric bags for travel and lifestyle.
Delaloye shares, “While we have built a strong reputation for our compact tents and luxury travel bags, we are renewing our focus on our roots in canvas tentmaking. We want to highlight our expertise in creating durable, innovative, and eco-forward tents that are made for scouting, glamping, and the growing outdoor hospitality and outdoor education industry.“
“Our primary customer is no longer the traditional outdoor consumer, although our wall tents do make nice additions to backyards. Over these past few years our target customer has evolved more towards fellow business owners: glamping site operators, eco-tourism hosts, vacation rental property managers, and directors of outdoor schools and summer camps.”
A Commitment to Sustainability
The company follows a unique Triple Bottom Line framework, emphasizing both people and planet in their mission to support the greater good. Unlike their competitors, Diamond Brand designs and produces its tents entirely in the U.S., which reflects their values of intentionality, sustainability and responsibility as they work towards zero fabric-waste manufacturing, and the creation of local green jobs.
To date, the company employs just over 40 people at their factory in South Asheville, as well as a handful of remote employees nationwide. Across their centuries-long history they’ve partnered with renowned organizations such as the U.S. Military and the Boy Scouts of America, local universities like Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, and NC State and in more recent years, fellow like-minded businesses like Biltmore, Smartwool and Shibumi Shade.
Delaloye concludes, “Based on our diligent work over the last few years, we believe that we are the most sustainable tentmaker on the planet, and we want to show that to our community and customers,” he says. “Factory Fridays will once again merge the old with the new, which Diamond Brand has really always done. We are excited for the next 100 years and can’t wait to see what’s to come.”
JOIN US FOR OUR GRAND OPENING of “Factory Fridays”
On July 12 Diamond Brand Gear will be officially ringing in ‘Hot Gear Summer’ by opening our Fletcher factory store and show room to the public for the very first time.
‘Factory Fridays’ will be held from 1-4pm EVERY Friday with the opportunity for customers to…
- SHOP discounted (25-70% off), discontinued or overstock merchandise and factory closeouts
- SEE our canvas wall tents up close in our tent yard
- SHARE your information with us to be entered into our monthly gear giveaway
- ASK questions about outfitting your glamping, eco-tourism site, summer camp, or year-round or outdoor school
- TOUR* our factory and get a behind the scenes look at our craft gearmaking process
Factory Friday Tours
*Please note the following guidelines apply for our weekly factory tours:
- Tours are offered on a first come, first serve basis. Reservations are not required.
- Groups of 12 will depart from the Diamond Brand Factory Store at 1:30 pm and 2pm.
- No more than 12 people per tour group.
- Each tour takes approximately 25 minutes.
- No children under 12 years of age, please.
Remember, we will continue to offer factory tours EVERY Friday afternoon, so if for some reason one week is full, there are plenty of other opportunities to join us.
DOING IT OUTDOORS SINCE 1881
Diamond Brand is an American-heritage brand dedicated to crafting premium-quality outdoor gear since 1881. With a century-old legacy of hand-sewn craftsmanship in the Carolina mountains, Diamond Brand creates durable, reliable, and sustainable products to enjoy the great outdoors for generations to come. Their mission is to ensure that every adventurer is equipped with gear that is designed to withstand the elements of nature and inspire a lifelong love of the environment.
Diamond Brand headquarters is located outside of Asheville, North Carolina at 145 Cane Creek Industrial Park Road, Suite 100, in Fletcher. For those who can’t make it to the store in person, you can shop the outlet online at diamondbrandgear.com.
Media Contact: For more information, please contact: Erin Ratliff, Head of Communications, at media@diamondbrandgear.com or 828.209.0322.