Riverwear began in 1983 when we designed a quick-dry white-water short for river rafters. We started by sewing in our home, producing and selling 450 shorts in '84. In '85 we contracted our shorts to a commercial manufacturer in Hamilton, Montana, while we developed our first fleece jacket and pants.

We outgrew our basement and rented a space in Salmon, Idaho, to sew and began selling retail. By 1989 we had moved the shop three times and were selling Riverwear and other lines of clothing. In 1989 we opened a retail store for the summer tourist season in Stanley, Idaho. We're currently in our third location there. We opened a year-round store in Twin Falls, Idaho, in September of '92, and we sold it in April of '97. We operated the Salmon retail store and sewing shop until 1993.

In the same year, they opened a retail store for the summer season in Stanley, Idaho. By 1992 there was a Riverwear in Twin Falls, Idaho, as well as one in Stanley and Salmon. Eventually the two shops in Salmon and Twin Falls were sold, and now they happily spend their summers in Stanley where the store is open from the spring through the fall.

Charlie and Christy Thompson have been enjoying all that the Idaho wilderness has to offer since the ’60s, and love sharing it with others. With nearly thirty years of guiding experience, Charlie is extremely knowledgeable of the Idaho rivers, and he uses that knowledge to fill the store with the right gear. Both Christy and Charlie are active in the Stanley community, and love being able to spend their time in the Sawtooths.