Consignment for the Outdoors
Nelson, BC
We all want a little more free time to recreate and do the things we love. In order to have a good time in the outdoors, you need good gear, but good gear can be expensive and require a learning curve. There’s no shortage of gear in the recreation wonderland of the Kootenays, where basements and backyard sheds overfloweth (we like to joke that used gear is one of the official currencies here). When cared for lovingly, well-made equipment can last a lifetime.
So, what do we do with all of that good gear here? How do we get it into the hands (and legs) of those who can put it to use? We started Free Time Consignment to help keep the stuff that has taken you places going, and to make accessing the outdoors a little easier for everyone.
The shop has evolved and even moved towns since its start in 2022, when we found a tiny empty storefront in Rossland’s iconic old OK Store building and decided to give it a go. With the support of the community, OK Gear went, and we outgrew the small space within a couple years. We moved the shop to the little city of Nelson in Fall of 2024 and gave it a new name: Free Time.
CAMILLE
Camille has a lot of ideas, and Free Time is the physical expression of one of them. She dreamed of living in the mountains of British Columbia as a young person who quit outdoor rec school to purse an “alternate” education plan: developing bouldering on the North Shore of Oahu; guiding horse and river trips in Central Washington; starting a farm and floral studio on Vancouver Island. When she moved to the Kootenays, the plan was to raise sheep, grow more flowers, and ski. But she quickly realized what the area actually needed was the kind of store she grew up frequenting as a young dirtbag: a used gear shop. These places invite you to linger. They represent community and access and make you feel like the world outdoors is your oyster. In her free time, Camille loves to ride bikes, horses, and skis, hang out with her animals, and write.
AVA
Bio coming soon!