Members wear climbing gym gear everywhere -- at the gym, on outdoor crags, at coffee shops after sessions. Every shirt, hoodie, or hat in the wild promotes the gym to a new potential member.
Beyond marketing, branded apparel is one of the cleanest revenue streams available to a climbing gym. No labor beyond initial setup, no storage space required, no perishable or date-sensitive inventory. A gym that sets up a Bear Grips Pro Shop earns on every sale indefinitely without additional effort.
Climbing gyms with active communities of 200-500 members can realistically earn $3,000-8,000 per year in apparel revenue once the shop is established and promoted.
The highest-performing products for climbing gym shops:
Revenue potential by gym size:
| Gym Members | Purchase Rate | Avg Items/Year | Margin/Item | Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 members | 30% | 2 | $12 | $1,440 |
| 400 members | 35% | 2.5 | $12 | $4,200 |
| 600 members | 40% | 3 | $12 | $8,640 |
These numbers improve when the shop is promoted at membership sign-up, class registration, and recurring gym events. Gyms that include the shop link in their welcome email and monthly newsletter see 40-60% higher purchase rates than gyms that only post the link once.
Setup steps:
Done-For-You VIP at $109/month handles the entire setup: product selection, mockup creation across all color variants, shop layout, product descriptions, and pricing recommendations -- you send the logo, we build the shop.
Every Bear Grips Pro Shops account includes an affiliate link. When a climbing gym owner refers another gym or fitness business to open a shop, they earn 10% of that business's subscription fee indefinitely, plus $1 per unit the referred gym sells.
Climbing gym owners often know other gym owners in their market. A referral network of 5 climbing gyms on VIP plans earns $29.50/month in affiliate fees from subscriptions alone -- before any per-unit commissions.
See the full affiliate program at the Bear Grips affiliate program page.
No inventory. No minimums. Members order and gear ships to them.
Start FreeBear Grips Pro Shops is a print-on-demand platform. The gym opens a branded shop, lists their products, and members order online. Each item prints and ships directly to the member's home -- the gym never handles product.
The free plan is $0/month with 3 products and slightly higher base prices. VIP plans start at $59/month for up to 200 products and lower base prices. Done-For-You VIP at $109/month includes full shop setup every month.
Performance tees and hoodies are the top sellers for mixed-gender climbing gym shops. Women's leggings and racerback tanks are the top women's items. Hats have the highest repeat purchase rate.
A basic shop with 5-10 products typically takes about an hour. Done-For-You VIP handles all setup including mockups, descriptions, and pricing.
Bear Grips Pro Shops