Back in 1990, Stephen Reid decided to take the plunge by opening his very own climbing equipment shop, Needle Sports, in Keswick.
Named after the Lake District rock pinnacle Napes Needle, which sits below Great Gable, the shop – located on Main Street – sells everything you need to go climbing and hill-walking all over the world from boots to ice axes.
Stephen has been an avid climber for much of his life, and it was while out on one of his adventures the idea to set up the business was formed, with a family tragedy further prompting him to make a career change.
“I had been out climbing a lot with a chap called Rick Graham, who founded a shop called Rock + Run in Ambleside with his brother-in-law Andy Hyslop,” Stephen explained. “Rick was telling me in the 80s about setting up a climbing shop, and I’d been a keen climber since around 1978.
“But my ex-wife and I had a disaster when our oldest son, who was four years old, got cancer and died about six months later.
“I’d joined Cumbria Constabulary and had been there for seven years at that stage, and I found it very difficult dealing with the public, it really knocks you back something like that.
“So I decided to leave the police force and set up this shop.”
From wandering the streets of Carlisle as a police officer to running his own shop, Stephen had quite the career switch.
But as customers began to funnel in when Needle Sports opened its doors 34 years ago, he noticed some similarities between the police force and working behind a counter selling climbing gear.
“The good thing that working in the police teaches you is to talk to members of the public from all walks of life, so you can’t be shy,” he said. “I suppose in some respects there’s a lot in common.
“The nice thing about it being a climbing shop and something I was interested in anyway is it was quite easy.”
Spanning over two floors, you can’t help but stand in awe as you look at everything Needle Sports has to offer.
But it isn’t just an array of equipment you can find packing every inch of the building, all the staff are committed climbers themselves – something Stephen prides himself on to offer the best possible customer service.
“I think when taking on staff we never take people on who aren’t experienced climbers. The grade they climb at isn’t that important, what’s important is they’re keen to get out and about because you can’t teach them that,” he explained.
“They’ve got to have that real enthusiasm for climbing. It would be the same if you ran a shop that sold fishing tackle or any sort of outdoor hobby. You need people in there who know what they’re talking about because the customers expect that when they come.
“It’s difficult because you need to twig whether the person you’re talking to is a complete beginner or an expert, and it’s not easy,” he added. “But if you’ve got that knowledge just by small things they say while talking, you can figure out what level they’re at.”
Now 70 years old, Stephen retired from working in the shop in 2019, but he still pops in from time to time and continues to own the business.
But with more free time on his hands, he enjoys spending time on the small farm he owns at Sebergham along with his wife Sal, while continuing to climb regularly of course.
