History

Shank’s Mare opened it’s doors on July 31, 1978 at 46. S. Pershing Avenue in downtown York. Our modest 2000 square foot shop featured backpacking equipment and clothing, canoes and paddling gear, and cross country skis. Our signature wood stove totally heated the space, and resident dogs in those days were Abbie and Clark.

By 1988 we had outgrown our first home, so we relocated just two blocks away on West Market Street and the Codorus Creek. Our new shop was located in a renovated industrial building and featured brick walls, lots of space, and great windows. It was a unique new home with plenty of space to add windsurfing equipment and mountain bikes to our product offering.

In 1992 we made the difficult decision to leave downtown for the suburbs. Our South Queen Street shop put us closer to our customer base. We continued to offer all of the above equipment, and added touring kayaks. At the same time we were offering lots of outdoor programing at a small rental lot on the Susquehanna, and at Codorus State Park.

In 1997 we made our final move to our current home that we call “The Susquehanna House”. Our location offers immediate access to the River, fronts the Mason-Dixon Hiking Trail, gives us our meeting room space “The Rookery” where we hold lots of our own programming as well as outside functions, and adds the Lock 2 Cafe featuring light food, ice cream, coffees and refreshments. Our product focus is touring kayaking, day hiking, travel gear, cross country skis and snowshoes and all the clothing and equipment to support those activities. Our Outdoor Education Center provides a wealth of programming for all ages to enjoy. We have truly found our home, complete with that original woodstove and our current resident dog, Brita.

As we celebrate over 30 years in the outdoor industry, we invite you to visit us soon and GO PLAY OUTSIDE!

Above and right - Shank’s Mare ribbon cutting on July 31, 1978 at our first shop location in downtown York. Below - our current home in Shank’s Mare’s Susquehanna House located on the banks of the Susquehanna River south of Wrightsville, PA.