Six years ago today we got the news that Backpackers Supply was closing its doors for good. It was a sobering day for everyone involved. The years since have seen the closing of the Berkeley and Bellevue stores as well, and the death of Lock Miller, the man who had made it all happen for so long. I wrote about it at the time… there’s no need to dive back in again now.

Except to say that there are some days that just stay in the memory, dates that will always be associated with an event after it happens, when the dates had no special meaning before.

The store didn’t actually close until the end of July, six years ago, but this was the day we all got the news, standing in a circle up near the front register, almost all the employees there for a day of inventory, a ruse of sorts to make sure we were all in the same place to hear the news. That was a signature Lock move… he was a classy guy all the way through. I think it hurt him as much as anyone that the store was closing. He felt a responsibility to his employees that is rare in today’s work world and he (and his store), is missed.