Shop Tour: The City Garage
Shop Tour: The City Garage
Owner Trey Clauss Indulges on New Product Hitting the Floor
Photos / @thecitygarage
New year, new me, new skis! It’s time to gear up for another magical winter in Ellicottville. If you haven’t started shopping for new equipment, don’t worry. An Ellicottville staple, The City Garage, is stocked and ready to put Western New York’s skiers up on the mountain. I spoke with Trey Clauss, owner of The City Garage, about all the excitement happening this year for them.
eNOW: What’s new at The City Garage this year?
CLAUSS: We’re coming into our 25th year of business! After all of those years, this time of year still brings with it a lot of excitement - the store is stocked with all new equipment, apparel, and accessories. Everything in the store right now is new!
eNOW: Any events or projects this winter that The City Garage is involved in or that you’re just looking forward to?
CLAUSS: We are coming up to our annual movie night at The Ellicottville Depot on Saturday, November 2nd. We will be featuring The Quality Ski Film Movie Tour - presented by Salomon. This is a free event for all - priming the pump for winter, getting friends together! Moving into the winter months, we will be participating in Holiday Valley’s Demo Day on December 14th. Bringing this year’s skis up to the slopes for a free consumer demo is a great way to test out your next new ski!
eNOW: What do you think the hottest brand will be this winter? Why?
CLAUSS: Our store being a specialty ski retailer, we have a handful of brands that are exclusive to just our store - one of those brands that is on the rise each year is Stöckli skis. They are a Swiss, handmade ski company, taking the ski building craft to the next level with precision and high quality materials. They are truly one of a kind and once you ski them, you’ll know why! We have a full fleet of “test” skis for you to try!
eNOW: Do you have a favorite ski brand that you love getting beginners on?
CLAUSS: The key of our business success is getting new skiers on the slopes! That’s why we offer our “Learn to Love Winter” ski package! That package includes Völkl ski, Dalbello boot, and a Leki pole all for $650. It is great for someone getting out of the ski rental line or for someone getting back on to the slopes!
eNOW: What services does The City Garage offer?
CLAUSS: The name of the game is Customer Service! Always striving to make your experience a great one! I would say our overall goal is to provide excellent service no matter big or small your need is.
eNOW: What is the most exciting part of winter beginning in Ellicottville for The City Garage?
CLAUSS: For my 22 years of working at the shop, the excitement begins with unboxing all of the gear. After all, I am still a diehard skier and love to get into the new stuff! Each week of the fall brings new and old faces back into the shop - reconnecting with customers and hearing tales of summer adventures, on to planning trips for upcoming winter. For me it’s really the camaraderie of the ski community here in Ellicottville. This town holds such a special significance for so many folks - me being one of them!
eNOW: What are some of the major differences in operation between winter and the off-season?
CLAUSS: Ellicottville has proven over the years that it is NOT just a ski town anymore! We have been open “almost” year round since day one in 1999. We take a little rest after the season ends in the spring, but back up and running by mid-May for summer fun! I would say the key difference in summer versus winter is having a more diverse crowd of people that come to explore Ellicottville and the surrounding areas. In the winter the main objective is SKI, summer is hiking, biking, fishing, camping, strolling the streets… the list goes on! We get many people that wouldn’t be here in the winter because they don’t ski, so its nice to get a chance to introduce them to our store and community.
eNOW: What is your personal favorite slope in Ellicottville?
CLAUSS: Personal favorite slope in Ellicottville has to be The Chute at Holiday Valley. It is the slope I cut my teeth on as a young freestyle skier and to this day it’s where the FUN never ends at Holiday Valley!
Check out The City Garage on social media and online at www.citygarageskishop.com. Better yet, pop into the shop, located at 5 Monroe Street, downtown Ellicottville, NY.