A Ski Town Staple
A Ski Town Staple
Checking in on Ellicottville’s local shops, upcoming events. promotions & giveaways
Enter to win Kelly Clark’s Big Gulp 149 from the filming of Burton’s One World. Stop into The Boardroom and scan the QR code or access entry via @boardroomeville’s IG profile
What makes a great ski town? A resort, of course. An array of restaurants and bars also helps. But one of the key - and sWhat makes a great ski town? A resort, of course. An array of restaurants and bars also helps. But one of the key - and sometimes overlooked - components of a thriving ski town are the ski and snowboard shops. Think about it. Not only do these shops provide locals and tourists alike things like skis, snowboards, boots, rental equipment, apparel and other on-hill necessities, but they also help fuel the stoke of just about every guest who enters through their doors. Shop staff provide valuable advice to people that is based on years and years of passion for skiing and snowboarding.
The Village of Ellicottville, NY is fortunate to have three very unique, family-owned ski and snowboard shops; each one has a rich history in the Ellicottville ski scene. EllicottvilleNOW wanted to do a mid-season check-in with the shops to see how things have been going so far this winter.
THE CITY GARAGE
716-699-2054 | citygarageskishop.com
Ellicottville’s funkiest ski shop has been operating since 1999, when Sean Lowes, a former ski rep, decided to stop his life on the road and open a ski shop with a unique personality. Lowes’ focus was to cater to the free-ride, mogul ski scene as well as the nordic and tele skier. Today, the shop is a go-to option for people seeking top-of-the-line ski and outdoor equipment.
Trey Clauss, long-time manager at the Garage, said that despite the ongoing reality of trying to operate during a pandemic, things at the shop have been going very well.
“I’d say that our day-to-day traffic has remained about the same, just with the difference that people are generally a bit more to the point with their shopping experience,” said Clauss. “[Guests are] coming into the store with a specific list of items they are looking for, which has made the shopping/selling go quicker and more matter-of-fact.”
Given the fact that opportunities to do things in groups are limited this year, it certainly seems like people are recognizing that being outdoors gives them a great outlet from the realities of Zoom meetings, online schooling and all the other oddities that are taking place right now. In fact, Clauss believes that there is even a silver lining to all of this when it comes to the ski industry.
“We have been noticing that there has been a bit of a reset for a lot of skiers that haven’t purchased in more than 5 years,” Clauss stated. “Skiers that haven’t moved into a wider ski or lighter boots have been realizing what they have been missing out on! As far as overall numbers for the season, personally I think it will be a slight uptick from years past.”
In terms of what the rest of the season has in store, The City Garage’s annual Telestock collaboration with Holiday Valley is still on the books for Friday, February 26th. Pop into the shop for details.
Mud Sweat n’ Gears
716-699-8300 | mudsweatgears.com
A family owned business since 2000, MSG has evolved into a premier destination for people of all ages and skiing/snowboarding abilities. Additionally, MSG’s ski racing prowess is known throughout the region, which has allowed racers from near and afar to seek out the expertise of the MSG staff in order to take their equipment and tuning to the next level.
According to Kimberly Reading, who co-owns MSG alongside her husband and local racing aficionado, Miguel Azcarate, the shop opened for the season with many of the same questions and concerns that all small business owners had when it came to operating during a national pandemic - especially one that was going to force Canadians to stay out of the States.
“We were anticipating a new normal,” Reading said, “but knew it would be far from any ‘normal’ that we have experienced before.”
But the MSG crew was prepared. They had spent the summer paying close attention to the outdoor industry in general, and what they saw had them feeling optimistic. People were looking for ways to safely get out of the house and to recreate. Reading and Azcarate knew that Ellicottville already had something special about it - an outdoor draw that people from all over naturally gravitated to.
“People are finding ways to get outdoors for fitness and relaxation even though coronavirus limits their options,” said Reading. “Because of this, sales have been very strong. We saw a significant uptick in our seasonal rental program, which is the most affordable way for families to get into the sport. We have seen lots of people learning how to ski for the first time, along with people reprioritizing and returning to the sport after many years away as a way of staying busy and maintaining a little sense of normalcy.”
A little sense of normalcy is something we are all seeking right now, and the crew at Mud Sweat n’ Gears believes that hitting the slopes can provide that for people. They’ve seen a pent-up demand for skiing and snowboarding and have been amazed at the number of people that have come through their doors this winter.
The Boardroom Snowboard Shop
716-699-5620 | boardsandpowder.com
Originally called Alpine Ski Rental, The Boardroom has been operating for 36 years and during that time has evolved into one of the premier snowboard-specific retail shops in the state of New York. While the shop does its fair share of ski and snowboard rentals, the core values of the shop lie in its commitment to the art and evolution of snowboarding.
Founded by Mike and Jodie Timkey, there are now three generations of the family in the shop on a regular basis. Mike and Jodie are still there on a daily basis, as are their two adult children, Samantha and Spencer. These days, Samantha has young boys of her own who often accompany her to the shop, making the shop a true family-run labor of love.
“We’ve seen an entirely new group of people come into the shop this season,” said Spencer Timkey. “Whether they are totally new to the sport or have been out of the game for awhile and are looking to get back into riding, they all share a similar level of enthusiasm, which has been really great to see.”
Patrons of The Boardroom can rent skis and snowboards, demo high performance gear, purchase full snowboard setups, browse a great selection of soft goods, get your current gear tuned up (a good sharpen and wax will do your gear wonders) or just talk with the staff about the local snowboard scene.
Recently, The Boardroom was one of 23 snowboard shops in the world selected by Burton Snowboards to take part in a special snowboard giveaway. Burton shipped The Boardroom crew a Big Gulp board that was ridden by Olympic Gold Medalist and all-around ripper Kelly Clark while she was filming Burton’s newest film, One World. When you stop into the shop, you can see the one-of-a-kind board in person and scan a QR Code with your phone that will allow you to be entered for a chance to win it. You can also go to The Boardroom’s Instagram profile (@boardroomeville) and click on the link to enter. The raffle concludes at the end of February so make your way over to the shop soon and get yourself in the game.
The 2020-21 ski season is halfway over and despite the current situation, it’s been a fantastic one to date. So if you have yet to make your way out on the slopes this season, you’ve still got time. Pay a visit to one - or all - of the shops above and let them help you hit the slopes. Just remember to wear a face mask and respect any shop’s social distancing requirements. With your help, we will all get through this season safely and still have a lot of outdoor fun!