New Seagull Outfitters owners ready to embrace the busy season

Grant and Christina Hopke may be new to Cook County, but they say they are eager for this chapter of their lives as the owners of Seagull Outfitters.

A press release from the business announced the change in ownership. The Hopkes bought the outfitter from Debbie Mark, who owned and operated it for 38 years. While the couple hails from central Minnesota, Grant Hopke is no stranger to the North Shore. He even spent a season working for Mark at Seagull shortly after he finished college.

Grant Hopke told WTIP that he had been considering a change in career when the opportunity to buy Seagull presented itself. “If I didn’t need a paycheck, what would I be doing in my life?” he said. “And it kind of came back to, well, I’d probably be dropping canoes, helping people experience the Boundary Waters or other wild places.”

The Hopkes have three young children, and will split their time between central Minnestoa,  where their oldest child attends school, and the Gunflint Trail. The entire family plans to spend this summer at Seagull, but Christina Hopke told WTIP that at this point, they aren’t sure when they might transition to full-time residence in Cook County.

In the short term, the Hopkes said that consistency is their goal, continuing the standard that Mark set during her over three decades at the helm. While some small updates may be made this season, they said the plan did not include any major changes to the business.

Grant Hopke explained that once they’d decided to pursue buying the Outfitters, he took an active role in communicating with customers and coordinating the upcoming season. Christina Hopke said, “The transition, in terms of operating and getting things ready for the season, started a while ago, and I think that has really been a benefit to letting us be able to hit the ground running once the sale was final.”

As Grant and Christina Hopke prepare for a busy work season, they said their entire family is excited for this new venture. Giving their children the opportunity to spend time in the outdoors was also part of the draw to the purchase. “It really, to me, was an opportunity to give our kids a childhood as close to possible as what we had,” Christina Hopke said, “They already love the outdoors. They’re excited to be up at Seagull, counting down the days. But I think it will just be really, really fun to see them in that environment and to see that type of impact on them.”

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Christina and Grant Hopke, the new owners of Seagull Outfitters. Audio of that interview is below.

Kirsten Wisniewski May 20, 2025