This is my friend Jim Jacobs who owns Peak Ski and Board in Allison Park, Pa. Jim is a fine skier in his own right, but also very knowledgeable in the ski business and is an excellent boot fitter as well. He is a second generation ski shop owner and has taken Peak Ski and Board to new heights over the last several years. Consider that climate change has made local skiing challenging in recent years, the fluctuating economy, Covid years and other potential roadblocks to succeeding in business, Jim has flourished. Why?- because he cares about his customers. He takes time to spend with them, assessing their ability and matching those needs to new equipment that makes the customer’s skiing experience tailor made. He spent a good deal of time recently fitting my wife Janet with a new pair of boots that she says fit her perfectly. Jim knows what he is doing and spends the time making sure the customer is satisfied before they leave the shop. Just yesterday, I went in to get a new pair of liners for my ski boots which had become packed out, and he came up with a quick solution for me that left me with basically what felt to be a new pair of boots.
Above is my friend Tom Florcik who owns TrailFlo Bikes in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. As you can see from the photo above, Tom is an exceptional rider who is not afraid to get airborne. An amazingly skilled rider, but also a very good businessman, who has developed a loyal clientele among the serious mountain bike set in the Pittsburgh area. Why is Tom successful? Several reasons. He knows what he is talking about because he walks the walk on the trails and does not just talk the talk. He is a good rider. He also is his own chief mechanic often working on customer bikes himself to make sure they operate perfectly. Like Jim, Tom takes the time to work with customers and when a bike is in for repair, he looks for other things that might need attention. Like the other day, when he replaced my well worn bottom bracket, he fixed my dropper post cable because he noticed that a recent crash has basically broken the shifting device. I had been using it, but Tom noticed and fixed it without me mentioning it. He pays attention to the detail and really helps customers who bring him bikes that need attention after some serious abuse on the trails. Tom is an excellent businessman who runs a tight ship and also does the little things that customers should notice. Like giving steady customers a discount which always shows up on his invoice. Not sure many people thank him- but I always do because I appreciate it as a customer. I recommend Tom’s shop and Jim’s shop to everyone I know and to all that ask me about where to get ski equipment and mountain bike equipment. They are both highly recommended.
But this is not just a promo for Jim and Tom ,but a post dealing with a subject that kind of irritates me. With the advent of the internet, ski equipment and cycling equipment are all available on- line. You can get pretty much anything you want on- line and it is your right. What I find intolerable is when people come into a shop like Jim’s or Tom’s and take up valuable time having both guys work with them, only to leave after the advice, fitting, measuring, etc, and order what they need on- line. To have Jim spend time fitting you with a pair of ski boots, only to have the right boot selected and then go out the door and order on- line. Same thing with Tom. Come into the shop, have Tom spend time fitting you with a bike, get all the measurements, and then order on- line. Not only is that unscrupulous in my mind, but when it comes time for repair, oftentimes these people come into the shop expecting a quick repair on equipment that they didn’t even buy from Jim or Tom. If you want to order on- line which is your right, then be prepared to fix things yourself when things go wrong. Oftentimes, Jim and Tom know what happens and they repair the equipment anyhow because they will take the business. But don’t expect special treatment if you took up their time and did not buy from them. Unscrupulous in my mind. But maybe I am just old school?
These days, there are fewer and fewer specialty shops around. The big manufacturers will boost their volume by making deals with the larger sporting goods companies, oftentimes competing with those specialty shops. A number of years ago, I learned about a deal that a large ski manufacturer had made with an on- line dealer who ran his business out of his garage in Canada. The next day, he was in to see my friend’s specialty shop and expected high volume from the specialty shop for the same product. He was willing to set up an on- line competitor but expected his specialty shops to not only carry a large volume but spend time and money promoting their product. Suppliers are a little desperate today and oftentimes their fair- trade business practices get cloudy when they need to meet their budgets.
Things have changed and business is tough these days. I get it. That is why it is remarkable that some specialty shops still exist among the larger worlds of Dick’s Sporting Goods, L.L.Bean, REI, and other large box store businesses. My point is that if you like the attention you receive from a specialty shop, complete with excellent advice, workmanship, and repair, you need to support these guys. You don’t come in, suck all of that knowledge and pricing out of the owner and the shop and go get it cheaper on- line. Yes- you might be able to get a better price sometimes, but you will never replace the time, effort, and service that you receive from a specialty shop. The good thing is that there are enough of us who support shops like these and keep them going with our business. Because we appreciate their attention to detail and attention to us as customers. Ok- off the soapbox now. Thanks for reading.
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