Redwood Empire Council BSA Trading Post -- Monday to Friday, ordering period 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., curbside pickup of orders between 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
On January 31, 2020, National BSA Supply Group closed the Santa Rosa Scout Shop, along with five other smaller national stores across the country. In our local case, a replacement store reopened on February 20, 2020 as the Redwood Empire Council BSA Trading Post. Because the council cannot afford to carry as large an inventory as a National Scout Shop, the new trading post inventory is necessarily smaller.
Your REC-BSA Trading Post continues to stock basic Scouting items needed by units and member families:
- award badges, certificates, and pins (such as rank patches, parent pins, merit badges, belt loops, etc.),
- uniforms (including insignia, hats, slides, and neckerchiefs),
- handbooks, merit badge pamphlets, and leaders' literature
- items common to the Scout experience (like BSA pocketknives and first aid kits).
BSA Supply items that are not stocked by the council and were returned to BSA Supply warehouse include frames and mats, recognition plaques, t-shirts and theme hats, most camping items, backpacks, gift items, etc. For items not carried in our council trading post, you may order those items online from the BSA Supply Group National Distribution Center (Charlotte, NC) at https://www.scoutshop.org/
Curbside Pickup allowed for purchase of Trading Post items -- Council Service Center still closed to visitors
On March 17, the Sonoma County Health Officer issued a Health Order directing residents of Sonoma County to Shelter in Place, with the order amended on March 31 and again on May 7 (link Sonoma County Health Order Amended May 7 2020
However, the May 7 Health Order amendment permits our council to offer a limited level of customer service known as "curbside pickup". Effective Monday, May 11, the Council Trading Post will be available Monday through Friday for morning-time orders by telephone or e-mail between 9 and 11 a.m., with orders placed ready for curbside pickup between 1 and 3 p.m. on those afternoons.
To place trading post orders between 9 and 11 a.m., call Maureen "Moe" McCool at (707) 694-9673 or submit your order by e-mail to Maureen.McCool@scouting.org. When confirming your order, you will need to share your preferred credit card number, cardholder name, exp. date, and zip code -- or indicate if the order is to be charged to a unit custodian account.
Orders will be then be filled that day between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and then each customer may come to the north end of our parking lot for curbside pickup from 1 to 3 p.m.
Note that during this COVID-19 pandemic, all such items purchased will be non-returnable, so be certain of your order. Be especially careful regarding sizes with ordering uniform parts, as we cannot accept exchanges nor issue refunds.
We are not permitted by county Health Order to have visitors in the Trading Post or the Service Center at this time -- please do not ask. You may drop off paperwork during curbside pickup time of 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.