Zumiez

In 1978, Tom Campion and Gary Haakenson opened a clothing store called "Above the Belt" in a Seattle mall. Both had previously worked in management at J.C. Penney. The store initially focused on young men's and women's apparel. A pivotal shift occurred in the late 1980s when Campion noticed the rise of "extreme sports" like skateboarding and snowboarding. He steered the company to focus exclusively on this growing subculture, a move that paid off as the chain expanded. By 1994, the company officially changed its corporate name to Zumiez, a name meant to capture the energy of the sports its customers loved. This period marked significant growth, and by 1995, the chain had 25 stores. The business continued to scale, building a brand around the action sports lifestyle, with stores designed to feel like independent shops. A major turning point came in 2005 when Zumiez held its Initial Public Offering (IPO), becoming a publicly-traded company on the Nasdaq. This event provided the capital for further national expansion. Today, Zumiez operates hundreds of stores across the United States, Canada, and Europe, staying true to its roots by catering to the fashion and culture of skateboarding, snowboarding, and other action sports.