Hooking a Big One

Outfitter Center, The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch, Boerne, Texas

The fishing-focused pro shop at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch’s new Outfitter Center suits member needs in both style and function.

For the past 10½ years, Shane Reynolds, Director of Recreation for The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch in Boerne, Texas, has worked out of a 175-year-old homestead. While the building had a lot of history, serving in its previous lives as a residence, headquarters for a charcoal company, post office, and general store, it was only 1,100 sq. ft., and located in a residential portion of the Cordillera Ranch property.

So in August 2016, Cordillera Ranch (“Rounding Up Success,” C&RB, April 2014) began work on a $450,000 Outfitter Center on the east end of the property, adjacent to the Guadalupe River. Once Cordillera Ranch’s full build-out is complete in about 15 years, the facility will be located “in the heart of the ranch,” Reynolds says.

In May, Cordillera Ranch held a grand opening for its new Outfitter Center, which now serves as a 3,600-sq. ft. hub for river equipment rentals and storage; a starting point for river-based programming such as guided kayak and fishing trips; and a shop where Reynolds repairs guns, fishing rods and boats. The space also includes a 550-sq. ft., air-conditioned pro shop that sells equipment, apparel, amenities and more for serious anglers and members looking to enjoy the river.

“I didn’t have a display area in the previous space,” Reynolds says. And while the pro shop’s inventory isn’t large, Cordillera Ranch does offer a special-order program, so the staff can quickly order items online by member request.

“The Outfitter Center is a barn, but a barn with a lot of lipstick on it,” Reynolds says, describing the overall look of the building as “Texas rustic elegance.” The exterior is brown (so it “blends into the environment,” Reynolds says) and incorporates steel that has been allowed to rust in spots, with Oklahoma stone on the pillars’ wainscoting, and cedar fashioned into trellises.

The pro shop’s interior features dark stained concrete flooring topped with two geometric-patterned rugs, and beige textured walls. Cedar, which Reynolds notes is a commonly used wood in the region, is incorporated along shelving and display areas, as well as the front and back sales counters.

The Outfitter Center is “a barn with a lot of lipstick on it,” says Director of Recreation Shane Reynolds.

“From inside to outside, we tried to keep everything neutral and use earth tones,” Reynolds says.

Slotted shelving is used throughout the pro shop for a sleek, streamlined look. For decor, Director of Membership Debbie Pepper found used wooden paddles to add as an accent on one wall, hung fishing-themed photography on stretched canvases, and added artificial grasses, similar to those that line the river, to the tops of one shelving unit.

“We used a lot of what we already had from the previous Outfitter Center, and made it feel homey,” Pepper says.

Products on display are spotlighted with track lighting, and two styles of rustic chandeliers are positioned over a display table and the sales counter.

Neutral earth tones were used to decorate the pro shop, which features a stained concrete floor, textured beige walls and cedar incorporated into shelving.

Members have responded positively to the updates, Reynolds says. When the club hosted the facility’s grand opening, 17 members RSVP’d, but 60 showed up.

“Most of our members have been with the club for awhile, so they saw the old facility I operated out of, and they appreciate the investment,” Reynolds adds.

In the future, Reynolds plans to offer storage solutions for members’ kayaks, utilizing the vertical space available in the building by hoisting and hanging them from the rafters. The property already provides shuttle services for members with their own equipment.

“We like doing a lot of special little things,” Reynolds says. “One of the first things we do when someone comes to the Outfitter Center is clean their sunglasses, and as soon as they come off the river, we offer them a popsicle.”

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