Sarah Schuster

Freelance small business consultant with expertise in Retail, Marketing, Social Media, Merchandising, Store Design, Buying. Passionate about the Outdoor Industry, Wellness, and the Environment. Contact me for any job large or small. Work remote, travel, trade shows, retail makeovers, pop up shops, store flips, social media, photo shoots, strategic planning, research, ideation, brand management, design, event planning and more.

Dared to write a business plan, 3 months later the door was open for business. Started with one store and paddle sports rental. Now includes 2 brick and mortar locations + 3 Rental kiosks (Kayak/SUP) + online sales. CWO is an adventure, sports, and outdoor lifestyle boutique. "Not your ordinary outdoor store". Daily responsibilities include marketing, social media, image content, creative vision for branding, buying, inventory control, merchandising, store design, seasonal flips, team management, collaboration, communications, event promotions, non-profit relationships, vendor partnerships, corporate tours. Store build out, design, layout, fixtures, and coordination with construction teams. Buying at Outdoor Retailer & regional shows (20+ years of OR) Regular meetings include quarterly EOS Traction system for meetings, brainstorming and idea pooling. Dust bunny monitor, midnight merchandiser, SUP instructor, boat chucker, rescue paddler, truck/trailer driver & shuttle bunny. Previous role CEO As CEO and Founder... built Clear Water Outdoor into Omni Channel retail sales operation. Growth took us from 6 employees to over 40 in summer with rental operations. Persistent, patient, successful.

Re-organized layout and merchandising of store, fitting rooms, flyfishing and kayaking departments. Opened up front display windows to create view into store and bring natural light into space. Increased sales significantly through merchandising and buying expertise.

Specialist in clothing department. Worked here off and on between Flagstaff/Tempe moves and raising first child. Focused on stocking product and re-merchandising with plan-o-grams from corporate, while keeping a sharp eye on customers and staying up with sales in the department.

Manager and Buyer of specialty cycling shop in Tempe, AZ. Worked with both Road and Mountain Bikes and back to school University shoppers. Re-merchandised clothing department, coordinated buying improvements with fresh looks and new brands. Worked with staff to maintain enthusiasm and motivation to increase sales. Increased sales consistently over time of employment.

While working in REI, I perfectly pitched some Patagonia capeline base layers to the owner of Mountains & Streams. I was hired on the spot. Assisted in opening his new store specializing in Patagonia clothing and Flyfishing gear in Scottsdale, Az. Quickly became the store Manager and lead Buyer with Tom, the owner. Completed the store layout of product and seasonal flips. Assisted with rapid expansion of existing location and store re-design.

I worked here off/on for this time frame, but all together it was about an 8 year gig. Sales through college. Management and buying thereafter. Merchandising, store flips, window displays, and store layout and design were my specialty here, along with Managing staff and maintaining top sales on the sales floor. Assistance with buying clothing and footwear became a key roll in store, which pulled into merchandising expertise. Began buying Patagonia products in 1988. Great experiences with the Lamberson Family and dedication to the Patagonia brand. Where my roots began to dig into the Outdoor Industry. Mountain Sports was the premier store for outfitting for the Grand Canyon, hiking, mountain biking, skiing and back country adventures in Northern Arizona.