BY KAYLEIGH FREEMAN
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN – Winter Timber Outdoors, a retail store offering high-quality products for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, is open for business.
Since its grand opening on Aug. 23, Winter Timber Outdoors has experienced a warm welcome from the community.
“People are just really glad to have a good quality outdoor store in Auburn,” said Chief Operating Officer Dylan Munroe. “They don’t have to drive to Montgomery or out of state. It’s convenient and it’s well-located.”
From its storefront at 2409 E. University Drive in Auburn, Winter Timber Outdoors offers a wide selection of outdoor gear, including firearms, ammunition, knives, hunting accessories and apparel. Winter Timber Outdoors has one of the largest knife selections in the Auburn area, Munroe said.
“We’re not trying to compete with Academy or Bass Pro [Shop], and we try to really pride ourselves in carrying high-end, high quality brands that you can’t just go to Walmart and buy,” he said.
Winter Timber Outdoors opened its first location in Athens, Alabama, in 2020. The Auburn store marks the company’s second location. The idea for the Auburn location originated when owner and CEO Kenny Winter visited the city with his son for a college tour and realized the area lacked a specialized outdoor retailer, Munroe said.
The plans to open a second location began taking shape in the summer of 2024. After years of working for Winter Timber Outdoors in Athens, Munroe was offered the COO position in August of that year. In this role, he helps run the day-to-day operations of the business.
On Sept. 30, Winter Timber Outdoors was officially welcomed to the Auburn area with a ribbon cutting hosted by the Opelika and Auburn Chambers of Commerce. The response from the community has been positive, especially regarding accessibility to products.
“That’s one thing that a lot of customers have been really happy about,” Munroe said. “Normally, in this industry, if a retailer doesn’t have something, they can order for you, but you might be waiting a week or two to get it. Versus a lot of times, if it times out, I can have something down in Auburn the very next day.”
Munroe said the efficiency of Winter Timber Outdoors is a feature customers will appreciate. For those wanting to go hunting or shooting, it limits the time they will be waiting for ammo or firearms.
Alongside the wide assortment of products, Winter Timber Outdoors also offers several services, such as scope mounting and knife sharpening. Laser engraving at the Auburn location will be set up in time for the holidays, Munroe said.
One of Winter Timber Outdoors’ goals is to continually refine its business and tailor products based on customer feedback. Although the Athens location has been open for five years, the Auburn community is unique and brings a different set of requests.
“Our biggest thing is that we want to listen to our customers, and obviously we value their feedback tremendously, especially in this industry where the ‘what’s hot and what’s not’ or the ‘flavor of the week’ mentality is more than prevalent, just because there’s always something new out,” Munroe said.
Winter Timber Outdoors in Auburn is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. It is located at 2049 E. University Drive.
“We’re really excited to be part of the Auburn Family,” said Munroe. “It’s a great area, and we’ve had a lot of really great, happy customers.”Winter Timber Outdoors finds its footing in Auburn’s outdoor retail scene
