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Woodland Cash Store now has ATVs

by Andrew Kirk, OF THE RECORD STAFF

Outdoor adventure guides Recreation Ventures recently moved operations from Francis to Woodland, taking over the historic Woodland Cash Store on S.R. 35.

Recreation Ventures opened in 2003 in the old Silver Spur Restaurant and was one of Francis’ largest businesses, explained owner Bradley Giebel.

Originally from Colorado, Giebel moved to Utah for college and made Summit County his home.

When he started the business, the old restaurant was the only commercial lot available in town. It was important to be located in South Summit to be close to trailheads, he said.

The firm rents snowmobiles and ATVs and offers guided and unguided tours of the Uintas.

Location and access is what prompted him to take over the Woodland Cash Store.

"ATVs can ride out right from the storefront and onto the trails. It’s more accessible for the snowmobiles as well," he said.

Almost all of Giebel’s clients are Utahns. Over half are locals who want to play in the mountains, and the rest are people from the Salt Lake Valley staying in the Wasatch Back for several days. To attract and please his clientele, he’s got to be easy to reach and close to the mountains, he explained.

"They need to come to a place where they can cool down and enjoy the outdoors and be on machines that are efficient and clean," he said.

The Woodland Cash Store has been vacant for several years, and Giebel said it serves his customers perfectly. The brick keeps the interior cool in the summer and the lot has ample space for his machines.

Recreation Ventures does most of its business in the winter, but as summer activities in Summit County gain popularity, ATV usage is picking up, he said. To attract a broader clientele, the company will soon have electric motorcycles for rent.

"With everything we can provide in Summit County now, there’s almost more to do in summer than winter," he said.

Also helping business is his relationship with the U.S. Forest Service and the Division of Natural Resources (DNR). Recreation Ventures has special permits to access the trails along S.R. 35 and S.R. 150 and the DNR keeps the most popular trails groomed.

The present Woodland Cash Store building was erected in 1929 but there was a general store for South Summit residents much earlier. The building was built by the Winterton family and run by the Walker family for decades.

According to longtime resident Tom Clyde, as more Woodland residents began commuting to jobs, the need for a grocery or convenience store diminished. A few different families have had a go at it in recent years, but the most recent effort was a few years ago.

To learn more about the building, visit http://utahlinks.org/places/place.cfm?utp=160 . To learn more about Recreation Ventures, visit http://www.recreationventures.com.

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