After three decades running the store, Northwest Sports operators David Page and Rose Cecchini are calling it a wrap.

It’s time — maybe past time — to retire, said Page. The boutique, family-owned outdoors outfitter at the heart of Vashon town has been in business for thirty years.

The store won’t be closing. Instead, Page said, they’re putting it up for sale, looking for a buyer who can take on the business.

Northwest Sports sells life jackets, anoraks, water bottles, shoes and all sorts of other outdoor or sports enthusiast gear.

In 1994, when the store opened, its neighbors were Mary Martha’s, Flash Photo and the Washington State Liquor Store, Page said. Back then, The Hardware Store was an actual hardware store.

Amid the crushing 2008 economic recession, The Beachcomber reported that shoppers were standing by local shops like Northwest Sports: “I’m hearing a lot that people are willing to spend the money here because they know where it’s going,” Cecchini told the paper in December that year.

In 2011, the store expanded to take on the space vacated by Flash Photo.

They’ve enjoyed running the store, but “at some point, you have to retire,” Page said.

Up next, he said, are the typical retirement pursuits: Travel, tackling ignored home projects, volunteering and rediscovering other joys with their free time.

Those interested in buying the business are invited to contact the store at northwestsports@mac.com.

The potential for the store’s new owner is “huge,” he said, citing the growth of tourism on the island.

Northwest Sports has been closed two days a week, he pointed out, and only open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on its open days. Expanding those hours, exploring new directions for merchandise and exploring more online sales are just a few ways to grow the business, he said.