MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - After more than five decades in business, a Madison outdoor store that’s been a hub for paddlers and nature enthusiasts is preparing to close its doors.

Rutabaga Paddlesports, founded in the 1970s, will shut down at the end of 2025. Longtime owner Darren Bush said the decision was not easy, but it was intentional.

“We’re in our 50th year,” Bush said. “I purchased it in 2002, but I started working here in 1990 part-time. I had a real job, and this was my moonlight, kind of fun, get to hang out with people who like boats, because I like boats. And then slowly things just evolved, and I bought it with a partner, really good guy, in 2002, and then I bought him out in 2007, and here I am.”

For Bush, the store has never been about retail alone. He said the mission was a

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