Roger Furst, the co-founder of Eastern Mountain Sports, died this month at 78 years old. He started the retail chain in the 1960s with Alan McDonough, with whom he hiked and fished. They opened their first store when they realized there was a huge market for lightweight backpacks, hiking boots, sleeping bags and camp stoves, which they sought for their own outdoor activities. The first store opened in 1967 in Wellesley, Massachusetts, under the name Mountain Shop. Within a year it had its current name on a 10,000-square-foot store, and the men had started up the EMS Climbing School. At first Eastern Mountain Sports bought its products from manufacturers in Europe and the U.S., but then started making its own. Furst and McDonough sold the company in 1979, by then with 19 stores. It now has 66 stores in 13 states and is owned by Will Manzer, current chief executive, and a private equity firm.
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