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Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Nicholas Tong relaxes in a portable camping chair at the new Any Mountain in Cupertino.

Any Mountain returns to the area for a third time

By Steve Enders

Any Mountain has returned to Cupertino, opening a new shop in the area for the third time since 1972.

"We knew we were coming back," said a confident Michael Orphanos, Any Mountain's area service manager.

And they're back with a bang, filling the Homestead Road space left vacant by another Cupertino mainstay, Recreational Equipment Inc.--more commonly known as REI.

"Business is brisk," Orphanos said. "We get a lot of, 'Oh, what happened to REI?' "

Any Mountain closed its Cupertino store in October 1997, when it moved to the renovated Westgate Mall in San Jose.

Then REI left the city as well, moving across the street from the new Any Mountain at the also-renovated El Paseo shopping center in Saratoga.

According to Julie Lochner, manager of REI in Saratoga, they moved simply to get more space. She said at El Paseo they were able to expand by about 12,000 square feet, which wasn't an option at the Cupertino location.

Lochner said REI has no plans to return to Cupertino, a city the store resided in for 14 years.

"We feel like we never left Cupertino," she said. "We're only about four miles away."

Packeteer, a high-tech company, quickly moved into the old Any Mountain shop in Cupertino, and the old REI store was left vacant for some time until the banners went up a few weeks ago announcing Any Mountain's return.

Any Mountain started business with its first store in Cupertino in 1972, Orphanos said. The company had its corporate offices in the store, which was in the building that now houses an Outback Steakhouse. Today Any Mountain has 10 stores throughout the Bay Area and it is headquartered in Corte Madera.

When the store opened, the surrounding area was still full of orchards. Now, Apple Computer and other high-tech firms occupy the land.

The company and its corporate offices then moved to its prominent and easily accessible location on the corner of Mariani Drive and De Anza Boulevard, near Interstate 280.

On the corner, Any Mountain, with its chalet-style windows and A-frame structure, resembled a mountain cabin more than an outdoors store.

"The old one felt like a ski lodge," Orphanos said, adding that the store's fireplace and spread-out floor plan were what customers liked most.

"I don't want to give away any secrets," he said of the new Cupertino store, "but it could look like that soon."

According to Scott Paul, assistant manager of the Any Mountain store in Saratoga, although the feel of the building was good, the Cupertino location didn't fit in with Any Mountain's future plans.

"The Westgate store is part of a new direction, a new look for Any Mountain," he said, adding that he thinks management wants to be near other retail shops as well--not isolated in the midst of the high-tech industry.

"It's distinct, it's state of the art," he said. "That building in Cupertino, it was set up like a chalet ... and as beautiful as it was, it didn't suit us as a retail store."

Paul said that the layout of the store was cumbersome to employees, and although it was significantly larger than the Westgate store, it felt smaller because of the layout and limited floor space for sales.

The new store consists of 17,000 square feet of camping, biking, in-line skating and hiking gear, and has a growing staff of 25 employees.

Orphanos said there are some plans to spruce up the store, perhaps by building a climbing wall and by holding special events where the staff can interact with the customers.

Cupertino's community development director, Bob Cowan, is happy to see the store back in the city as well.

"I think it's fantastic," he said. "It's a good store that fills the void that REI left us."

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 8, 1998.
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