On Thursday, the sale of Boulder’s iconic Neptune Mountaineering to locals Shelley and Andrew Dunbar will be final.

By Friday morning, store manager Eric Schmidt will be on the phone, placing order for more product.

“As quickly as we can do it, we are going to stock up,” Schmidt said. “We’re excited for the opportunity to bring Neptune back to what it should be.”

Full inventory levels won’t be reached until spring, but Schmidt and others are already optimistic about the direction of the store under the Dunbars, who own the North American distribution company for Australian gear manufacturer Sea to Summit.

The couple purchased Neptune out of bankruptcy from its current owner, Texas-based Backwoods Retailer.

The sale was approved by the court Feb. 10 and will close this week. Financial information was not disclosed.

“We’re thrilled that it got approved,” said Shelley Dunbar. “This is the hub of the outdoor community, and it’s so inspiring to us.”

Shelley and her husband have contemplated buying the outdoor retailer “for years,” even before the 2013 sale to Backwoods’ owner Jennifer Mull

Even once that transaction finalized, the couple. didn’t give up hope.

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