A couple of days ago I very happily walked into rutabaga, because I was super excited about getting a new kayak. I had saved up 1000.00 just to cover all the expenses, which took me quite a long time to do, as I am also a college student. I had read that they let you try out some kayaks before you buy, so that you can find the right one for you. This sounded like a wonderful idea to me. I walked in the door and to my left a was a very cute blond girl sitting behind a short counter. There was no response from her like hi, how can we help you? Fine. I proceeded to go further into the store, and then on my left, was another guy sitting behind a work table looking like he was perhaps occupied with what he was doing. Fine. I keep going and then I see there are two older gentlemen having a conversation and appearing to be completely oblivious of anyone around them. Fine. So, I proceed to walk around... and around.... and around... and around...waiting for one of these two people to finish what they were doing and for at least, one of them to say hi, how can we help you? Or at the very least to acknowledge I'm there and to maybe say, I can be with you shortly, but no... not a word, not a look, not any type of acknowledgment that I was even there...NOTHING!! This blows me away! Is this business so successful (and by the way, the only other possible customer in the store was the one talking to whomever of these two, was supposed to be the salesperson) that they can afford to not even have the decency, to acknowledge a potential customer? Plus, after I got my kayak, my husband wanted to get one too. So, they lost, through their complete unconsciousness possibly thousands of dollars and any possible future customer goodwill will through their ill-mannered behavior. Now, and in the future, I will have nothing positive to say about this experience. I felt sick to my stomach and depressed after I left that store, after being so excited to go in there. Whomever the owner of this store is, they must give NO... employee training on customer service whatsoever.

Imagine your ideal adventure...then come here to make it a reality. Whether you're a novice or seasoned expert, the knowledgeable staff at Rutabaga will guide you with outstanding customer service tailored to your needs. These folks know their equipment, understand the sports they serve, and respect their clients enough to gently educate them towards making their own decisions. They have a great cross-section of paddling stuff, too! We've purchased gear, classes & group paddle sessions, and highly recommend Rutabaga's Canoecopia--an annual expo held in March--where expo deals & an astounding array of vendors, paddle groups, workshops & speakers will get you fired up! On a recent Friday visit, Lisa K. went above & beyond and spent the better part of a day--yes, a day--helping us suss out our next big purchase. A glance at her business card told me I was in the right place: only at Rutabaga could you be in the presence of the SUP Diva. (She's brilliantly cross-trained...as any Diva would be.) SUMMER PADDLING: join them for a full moon paddling event or group paddle, an organized day trip, paddle skills classes, short term rental with great boats (1/2 day, weekend, week ) or purchase your own --fill in blank-- [kayak, SUP, canoe]. Coolest part: test paddling in a small pond behind the store. WINTER ADVENTURES: rent snowshoes or XC skiis & explore area trails and parks. RAINY DAY: browse through gear, general outdoor clothing, books, maps, small trailers & racks etc. on the sales floor and plan your next outing. If the weather's not too dicey, get a rental--a bad day on the water is hard to come by. *Adaptive paddling available *Saturdays can be busy; for complex questions I prefer weekdays & Sundays *Conveniently located near exit 265 on US Hwy 12/18 ~ Madison, WI. NOTE: Winter hours were posted here; see website for extended summer hours!