Charlotte entrepreneur's space for outdoor adventures

KEEYA MCALISTER

Keeya McAlister, owner of Field to Peak, an online outdoor essentials store, is carving space in an industry where Black people are all but invisible.

Keeya McAlister found community and healing in the great outdoors.

It also led McAlister to launch Field to Peak, an online outdoor essentials store with gear for camping, hunting, recreational vehicle experiences and hiking. McAlister is carving out a unique space in an industry and culture where Black people are virtually unseen.

“The outdoors belongs to all of us,” she said. “Field to Peak proves it.”

McAlister, a full-time mobile public notary who moved to Charlotte in 2016 from Detroit, had her first brush with outdoor culture two years later when she joined friends on a hiking trip. Quality gear was expensive, which led her to explore alternatives of similar caliber at more reasonable prices.

McAlister widened the connection as Black Girls Camp’s North Carolina chapter. That exposure inspired McAlister to launch Melanated Outdoor Mavens in 2023 to empower and advocate for Black women in outdoor spaces. MOM, which has grown to more than 400 members, hosts camping trips across the state.

“Nature itself is healing,” McAlister said. “A lot of the ladies usually after, or throughout the year, are telling me on the back end how grateful they are to have this space for us, where we can just relax away from our day-to-day things.” 

MOM members, McAlister realized, had more in common than ethnicity. They were also looking for deals on essential gear like tents, boots, fire-starting kits and camp chairs. McAlister did research on outdoor retailers, an $887 billion industry where less than 1% of brands are Black owned. The result was Field to Peak, which opened in March.

“I don’t want to be the only Black woman in this space,” McAlister said. “I want to be the first of many.”

When it comes to the healing properties of nature, McAlister wants women to have the opportunity to recharge and relieve stress.

McAlister said it was important to her for people to know what North Carolina has to offer and that the state creates the perfect environment for bringing people together.

“North Carolina is a big melting pot, and so people are looking for that community, people that are doing things similar to them that they can enjoy, so that is the beautiful thing about it,” she said.

Through the camping group, women have not only taken the time to connect with nature but with each other forming friendships through talking, cooking, and games.

“It’s almost like a monthly ‘Waiting to Exhale,’” McAlister said. “I love seeing the friendships forming, and people coming together almost like long-lost sisters every time we get together.”
The community formed in the group allows Black women to connect with other women who are going through similar experiences.

“We have ladies that are dealing with divorces and all kinds of situations,” she said. “A lot of us are parents, and it helps when you have other Black women who understand other Black women and what we’re dealing with and what we’re going through,” she said.

McAlister also is making sure that those who may be hesitant about camping have a comfortable experience. Her biggest piece of advice is telling newcomers to stick to basics.

“Camping is not supposed to be stressful, and actually being within the realm of nature should be lowering your cortisol, so my goal is keep it simple so that you don’t stress yourself out because camping shouldn't be stressful,” she said.

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