Find adventure with SlimPickins
Haley Barnett– Associate Producer
SlimPickins Outfitters (SPO) is owned by Jahmicah Dawes and his wife Heather and is the only outdoor store in Stephenville. When you walk in SPO, you are likely to hear music playing, see a toddler running around and see their dog, Bill Murray, taking a nap in the store.
Dawes opened SPO in 2007 because he felt that it was what God was calling him to do. He believes that SPO is God’s business, not his own.
“God told us to open a shop in Stephenville. We believe it was definitely God because we didn’t want to stay in Stephenville,” Dawes said.
After Dawes knew he was supposed to open a shop, he started looking around town for places to open one. He remembers seeing the building they now run SPO out of, the old Rexall Drug Store on the Stephenville square, and thinking how cool it would be to have that building.
“We passed this building looking for places that were open for rent and I said, ‘Man, if we could have that building.’ It was the dopest building on the square,” he said.
When reflecting back over their time at the store, Dawes had no idea of what it would become. They trusted that God had a plan when he was called to open this business.
“God is able to do abundantly more than we can think or imagine, and he has done that with this shop,” he said.
SPO is an outdoor shop that sells products unique to the area. Dawes believe in local businesses supporting local businesses. Some of the products they sell include backpacks, fly fishing rods, coolers and other kinds of outdoor gear.
“We sell outdoor apparel and footwear, gear and camping equipment,” Dawes said. “We sell adventure.”
Dawes wants to use SPO as a way to be active in the community of Stephenville. The focus of SPO is to build relationships and encourage people to go out and enjoy the outdoors.
“We opened because God wanted us to be a place that we could focus on community,” Dawes said. “We are active in our community…through fly fishing, community yoga and The Sessions.”
The Sessions are usually on the fourth Saturday of the month and include live and local music. SPO does many other events that invite the community to get to know them and adventure out.
“We want to be a relevant spot for our community,” Dawes said.
Every Wednesday is Vinyl Wednesday, where customers can bring their own vinyl record to play or listen to the one SPO has playing in the store. On the first Saturday of the month, SPO has the Slim Saturday Pedal, a community bike ride. They have Community Yoga every second or third Thursday of the month. In addition, they have recently started doing Coffee and Missions on Tuesdays. SPO also has fly fishing classes that are every three or so months.
Dawes is very passionate about living his life as a mission and going where God has called. He has outfitted people to go to Cambodia, Africa, Ukraine, Peru, Ecuador and many other places. They want to hear peoples’ stories and partner with them when they go on their own adventure to which God has called them.
“We are doing this new initiative called Outfitting the Saints,” Dawes explained. “We are an outfitter for missionaries, so anyone going on a mission trip can come here and get outfitted. We would get to know them and…their stories and see how we could partner with them to provide them with the best gear.”
In the future, Dawes wants to continue to encourage people to go outdoors and remind them that they can do that here, locally. He wants to keep the business in Stephenville and see how it can impact the community.
“I would like to provide a source for education about the outdoors for this area. There are a lot of resources here, a beautiful park. This area is known for the hardworking people that farm and ranch. There are a lot of people that love the outdoors that don’t stay here to do that,” Dawes said.
Dawes believes that there is innovation, creativity and potential in Stephenville and that it is growing and changing. He wants to continue to meet the needs of those locally and provide for them.
“I want this place to be a place that can provide a need however and whatever that looks like,” Dawes said.
Dawes loves hearing the stories of others adventuring out and hearing what they are doing. He believes that this business and life has been their adventure. They welcome others to come see and be a part of their adventure.
“This has been our adventure: marriage, running a store, having a kid. When you come in, you kind of see the adventure we are in,” Dawes said.
While SlimPickins Outfitters is the Dawes’ adventure, they encourage you to go out and explore the world and to always, “Act Justly, Love Kindly, Serve Humbly.”
SlimPickins Outfitters is located at 200 W. Washington St. For more information about SlimPickins Outfitters, you can check out slimpickinsoutfitters.com.
