Mountain Chalet expanding?

It's not certain, but there's talk.
We were walking down Tejon Street on Sunday, noticing all the empty shops (the former Chinook Book Shop, Hathaway's, etc.) when we walked into Mountain Chalet. One of the long-time employees mentioned they are thinking of expanding into Hathaway's old space to sell tents and other gear they now barely have room for.

I couldn't believe it. I've been a fan of Chalet since I bought my first water bottle there back in the '80s, but I've long thought it wouldn't be too many years before the quirky mom-and-pop went the way of just about every other quirky mom-and-pop. It's hard to compete with giants like R.E.I. -- not that R.E.I. is a bad place.

But, maybe Chalet is different. Maybe it can carve out a niche among the chain stores of the world. It certainly appears to be trying. We'll keep our fleece-lined fingers crossed.