Longtime Boulder outdoor retailer Neptune Mountaineering is facing eviction in the face of nearly $70,000 in back rent left unpaid by its parent company.

A suit filed Friday in Boulder County District Court alleges that Texas-based Backwoods Retail, which purchased Neptune in 2013, has not paid rent since July 1, accruing $68,441 in debt.

While a deal to pay the balance is in the works, inventory shortages at Neptune and other Backwoods properties have led employees and customers to believe that the family owned chain is struggling financially.

W.W. Reynolds, which owns the space at 633 S. Broadway, filed suit through its subsidiary, Table Mesa Shopping Center Partnership LLC, seeking to evict Neptune.

Backwoods owner Jennifer Mull said she was working with Reynolds on a payment schedule to bring the rent current.

“We are confident this matter will be resolved very shortly,” Mull said in an emailed response to questions. “Neptune is an important part of our 10-store chain (and) we anticipate it to be so for years to come.”

In a statement, W.W. Reynolds confirmed it was working with Neptune to resolve the issue.

“Both Neptune and W. W. Reynolds have been a part of the south Boulder community for decades, and we are doing what we can to keep Neptune at the Table Mesa Shopping Center,” said Luke Arrington, director of property and asset management.

The company refused an interview, citing the pending litigation.

Founder and former longtime owner Gary Neptune was also named as a defendant in the suit. When reached by phone Monday, Neptune said he was unaware of the case and that he no longer owned any part of the business and was unsure why he would be named as a defendant.

“I’m not on the lease, I’m not running the business and I virtually have no communication with Backwoods,” he said.

Neptune did, however, note that there were concerns over the store’s low inventory, echoing observations from longtime customers and employees.

“It doesn’t look very good,” he said.

David Kreutzer, whose been a regular customer of Neptune since the mid-’80s, said he started noticing “bare shelves” about five months ago and, for the first time in 30-plus years, had difficultly finding items he needed.

“This (wasn’t) some subtle difference,” he said. “You don’t walk past blank shelf space and not realize something is going on.”

The dwindling supplies caused speculation among loyal customers that Neptune might be going out of business. A discussion forum this summer at MountainProject.com titled, “Is Neptune Mountaineering going out of business?” drew a response from assistant general manager Dan Vardamis.

“We’re alive and well and things are humming along,” he wrote. “As far as … product goes, we’ve been slow getting it in but much more is on the way.”

At the store on Monday, Vardamis was not aware of the lawsuit or unpaid rent. He declined to comment on the matter except to say that Neptune last year had its “best grossing year ever” in terms of sales.

Mull declined to answer questions relating to Backwoods’ financial position or the performance of other stores. However, the inventory issues plaguing Neptune do not appear to be limited to Boulder.

Associates at two other Backwoods properties, in Omaha, Neb., and Springfield, Mo., confirmed they too were awaiting new inventory.

Mull declined to comment on the inventory challenges except to say that, as a whole, “the retail industry is going through a large transformation due to many factors. Most retailers are working diligently to right-size their companies and bring all costs into line. We are no exception.”

Shay Castle: 303-473-1626, castles@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/shayshinecastle