About Us
Allan Austin Hiking and Climbing shop – the history
Hiking climbing and backing, we have been selling clothing and equipment for outdoor pursuits for 35 years. In 1973 we knocked a hole in the wall of Dad's wool mill to convert the ground floor into an outdoor shop. We were frustrated by the difficulty of getting hold of real outdoor equipment, designed to do the job properly. Over the years there have been many developments in clothing and equipment. Fashions have come and gone. We have always tried to follow our original ideas. We do not stock pseudo outdoor equipment or fashion brands. All of our clothing and equipment is designed to cater for the outdoor user, from those taking up country walking for the first time right through to those wanting gear and clothing for Alpine use.
By the year 2000 we could see the demand growing for a whole new range of clothing and equipment, lightweight gear for worldwide travel. We came to an agreement with ROHAN the well known manufacturer of adventure travel clothing and the owners of SALTS MILL at Saltaire to open a Rohan Shop in SALTS MILL. We share our wing of the mill with the David Hockney paintings collection. Saltaire and SALTS MILL have now been granted World Heritage status. We are very pleased that we have a shop selling products that complement the ethos of this World Heritage site
In 2007 the changes that were happening around Jacob Street mill were making it difficult for customers to get to the mill and to park when they got there. We reluctantly took the decision to close Jacob Street and merge everything under one roof in Salts Mill. So all the hiking , climbing equipment and backpacking equipment is now in Salts Mill along with staff who looked after it. Although we have extra space it has still been a squeeze to fit everything in but we seem to be managing
