Family Run Sylvan Peak Mountain Shop

Serving Outdoor Enthusiasts For 35 Years 

Red Lodge, Montana

Photography by Laura Bailey

November issue - 2025

Mary Ellen Mangus remembers looking over at her rosy-cheeked, youngest daughter Marci as she stood on the boardwalk at Old Faithful and thinking, ‘there’s got to be a better way to keep her warm than her hand-me-down wool knicker socks.’  

When she returned home, she went to work sewing Marci a snow suit followed by more warm clothes for her two other children, and then for her friends’ children. Within a few years, Mary Ellen found herself sewing outdoor wear for all ages, with a focus on children’s wear. 

Mary Ellen began her sewing venture because warm clothing for children was not available. “There was no way to dress them for the cold,” she said. 

In 1990, she opened Sylvan Peak Outdoors in downtown Red Lodge with a focus on children' s outerwear. The present owners; Mary Ellen’s daughter, Marci, and her husband, Mike Dye, along with their grown children and a few employees, outfit outdoor enthusiasts for their favorite pastimes. The store sells gear to service almost any outdoor pursuit: skiing, climbing, hiking, backpacking, kayaking and rafting. They offer spot-on advice on area trail conditions and alert visitors to the presence of moose or bear on a hike.  

Small when compared to big city sporting goods stores, Marci, Mike and their crew make the most of their space. Nordic skis are displayed up front, colorful hammocks and sleeping bags hang from the ceiling, and clothing is displayed on racks throughout the store. The selection of warm winter hats is the best you’ll find anywhere. Shoes and boots, a selection of backpacks, climbing gear, and freeze-dried meals are available downstairs.  

Last summer, Sylvan Peak celebrated 35 years in business and Mary Ellen’s snow suits and fleece baby booties are still sold in the children’s section. They have been best sellers since the store opened.  

Mary Ellen still sews two to four hours several days of the week. Her grandchildren; Eric and his wife Ginger, Anna and her husband Bryan, and the youngest, Noah, pitch in to help her cut the patterns.  

“When I think about it, the best part of having a family business was raising my grandchildren in the back of the store,” Mary Ellen said. 

Many young mothers sewed out of necessity or as a hobby but armed with a degree in Home Economics and Design from Montana State University, Mary Ellen started a business she called Fancy Pants, the endeavor suited her. 

When she opened her shop, everything was handmade, and because the operation was small, Mary Ellen benefitted from customer feedback to help improve her designs.  

Marci doesn’t sew, but she oversees merchandising and sales. Marci met Mike in 1994 and, having managed a bike store, he fit right in. 

“Sometimes there were five or six of us back here sewing. We’ve had up to 12 seamstresses here working for us at one time,” Mary Ellen said.  

Mary Ellen, 84, was raised on the shores of East Rosebud Lake, in a cabin her grandparents purchased in 1924. With a fondness for the area, she named the store Sylvan Peak, after the most prominent mountain peak in the East Rosebud drainage.    

It was in that cabin on the lake that she learned to sew on her grandmother’s lap as she operated a treadle sewing machine.  

“My grandmother could create and make anything,” she said. 

Anna, 25, learned to sew on Mary Ellen’s lap. With the skills she learned, and her grandmother’s inspiration, she opened a small business named Get Out There Gear and Repair. From her home sewing studio, she repairs outdoor gear and makes accessories such as tote bags, wallets, and zipper bags; all from repurposed outdoor gear. Her original designs are for sale in the store, just down from a rack of ski tights made by her grandmother.  

Over time, new items were added when they complemented the store’s handmade items. As demand for outdoor accessories grew, Sylvan Peak effortlessly slid into that niche and began stocking more shoes, boots, backpacks and sleeping bags. Shelves in the back still house rolls of fabric, sewing projects, special orders and merchandise waiting to be displayed in the front of the store.  

This time of year, the entire Sylvan Peak family is working on holiday stockings that will be filled with gear and sold like a grab-bag. A tall stack sits on the shelf in the back of the store waiting to be stuffed.   

Mary Ellen didn’t expect her children to follow in her footsteps and urged them to seek college degrees. Marci’s degree is in botany. Looking back, she said it should have been business.  

“Instead, I earned my business degree on the job,” she added.  

Likewise, Marci and Mike did not expect any of their children to commit to a career at the store. Anna attended college in Sterling, Vermont where she met her husband, Bryan Emery. They both earned degrees in outdoor education. A class in gear repair and design steered Anna in that direction.    

Marci and Mike’s eldest, Eric, also has a degree in outdoor education from Northwest College in Powell Wyoming; his wife Ginger, is an outdoor education graduate. They are skiing coaches in the winter and manage the Abasaroka River Adventures in the summer. Eric, 29, is also a whitewater rescue instructor and teaches at Norwest College in the spring.  

Another grandson, Noah Dye, 19, worked his first season as a wildland firefighter. He is in the shop frequently with his sidekick, Loki, a Bernese Mountain Dog. When Noah was gone on fires, Loki became the official Sylvan Peak shop dog.   

“People come in and ask if he’s here all the time,” Marci said.  

Community connections run deep at Sylvan Peak, and Marci and Mike are grateful that, after the busy tourist seasons, the store continues to be supported almost entirely by locals.  

“Most of the people who walk in the door are locals and like family to us,” Marci said. 

Trends in outdoor clothing and gear change fast. The Dyes and Sylvan Peak staff test most of the products they sell. They support innovative small makers and designers, and they utilize new technology in ordering, point-of-sale system, and online marketing.   

“There’s always lots to learn,” Mike said. “You’ve got to be able to adapt.”  

The store and Mary Ellen’s quality handmade clothing have thrived for 35 years. “It’s so cool when someone comes in with something that was made 20 years ago and is still going strong, and children’s wear has been passed from family to family for generations,” Marci said. “Every once in a while, someone comes in for a new zipper.” 

These days, Mary Ellen will pass the project on to Anna. Mary Ellen’s work ethic and creativity are evident in every aspect of Sylvan Peak and in every member of her family.    

“Her entrepreneurial spirit has been passed down amongst all of us,” Marci said.