Ski Press World Inc. - Index

Ski Press World Inc. - SIA Day 3 - Index

the word
TWO AWARD-WINNING RETAIL SHOPS ON OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE COUNTRY
WEIGH IN ON THE STATE OF RETAIL, HOT APPAREL AND THEIR MOUNT
RUSHMORE OF SKI INDUSTRY GREATS.
TRACY GIBBONS
Sturtevants in Bellevue, Washington
Co-owner and president, active general manager
and hard goods buyer
SnowPress: In your opinion, what are the hottest
and most profi table trends in snowsports apparel for
2008-09?
Tracy Gibbons: Hands down, the KJUS line of clothing
has been fabulous for both men and women. It’s high
ticket plus high margin for us. We’re talking about a lot
of $800 jackets. When you sell a lot of these, it adds up
quickly. On the trend side, we’re doing well on things
that have a little bit of additional color, not wild and crazy. The understated, conservative
darker colors are slower this year. If people get things that have more pizzazz, it might mean
that it will get dated quicker — but hopefully that means they’ll come back next year.
SP: SIA recently released a report that said early season sales (before November 1 st ) were
down by 7 to 11 percent. How have early season sales affected your store?
TG: We still play by the old school way. We do a huge Labor Day event at the main store
plus the SkiBonkers event. It’s in its 30 th year of being part of Seattle’s ski sales and it’s an
institution. For us that pre-season is absolutely critical. We feel that if we don’t capitalize
on it, we’re never going to see those people during the season.
DAVID AND
KATRINE
WOLFGANG
Owners, Pinnacle Ski and Sports
and Inner Bootworks in Stowe, Vt., and
Skiessentials.com.
SnowPress: SIA recently released a report
that said early season sales (before November
1 st ) were down by 7-11 percent. What are
early season sales like for you?
David Wolfgang: Sales were up, but people were shopping around for the best price. We
had a big growth of Internet sales, particularly for skis. When you think about the Internet,
it’s really full of price-conscious consumers. It’s so easy to go from one site to the other
searching for price. If you don’t have a good price, you’re not going to sell to them.
Once the fall rolls around, people start thinking about winter. Our shop is driven early
season by tourists and also by second homeowners. The town of Stowe had a really long
and strong foliage season, and that helped sales.
SP: What’s the biggest change you’ve seen since you started in the retail business?
DW: We’ve been in business for 24 years. I think the biggest change is in the growth of
second homeowners. They are bringing a lot more money into the market. They demand
service and quality and are getting more and more savvy as to what is meant by quality
whether in soft goods or hard goods. They’re a lot better educated than they’ve been.
36 SNOWPRESS DAY 3 skipressworld.com/snowpress
SP: The Northwest, as well as the Northeast has experienced some funky winter weather.
How do you plan around variable snowfall?
TG: Cautiously. We’re always looking at the long-term forecast like whether we’re going
to get La Niña or El Niño. It’s a crapshoot and we’re relying on Mother Nature. We’ve got
to buy enough so we have stuff to sell to people but not too much that we get caught off
guard. We have a good Internet business and we can see that sales fl uctuate in different
parts of the country. Since most of the country has snow this year, our sales have been
great. So having a few other outlets to move through inventory has been positive for us.
SP: Like diversifying your stock portfolio?
TG: Exactly.
SP: What’s your Mount Rushmore of ski industry folks?
TG: Tim Petrick from K2 because Tim is a ski bum at heart — a very smart ski bum — and
also runs a great company; Deb Armstrong because she was a good person for me to
look up to in my days of ski racing (Gibbons was on the US Ski Team from ’85 to ’88) and
Duncan Campbell and Al Quinn (former owners of Sturtevants) who were both a huge part
of why I’m doing what I’m doing. And both of my parents, who gave me the opportunity
to fall in love with skiing.
They’re reading more, talking to more people and they’re really comparing what the
shop offers as far as explaining the technology. Over the years we had a very consistent
and well-educated staff that’s made a point of using the products and learning about
them and also enjoying the outdoors.
SP: In your opinion, what are the hottest and most profitable trends in apparel for
2008/09?
Katrine Wolfgang: I think prints are still going to be hot for both men and women.
Some are tonal, some are vibrant. The No. 1 color that sells in our shop is white pants
paired with a colorful jacket. Flying off the racks right now is Roxy and, whether you’re a
boarder or a skier, you can a wear it all. It’s not ski-specifi c. I think another trend is lightly
insulated jackets. You can have four or fi ve layers on that work but not look big because the
base layers and the jackets are thinner. The general trend is less bulky layers, and though
expensive, they work really well. It’s a learning curve. You have to inform the public on
what to do and why the piece is expensive — because they really work.
SP: What’s a perfect ski day for you?
DW: My perfect ski day is getting up on the mountain early, enjoying fresh snow in the middle
a of storm and the snow continues to fall. And I especially enjoy the days with my family.
— INTERVIEWS BY KRISTA CRABTREE
VOLVO — OFFICIAL CAR OF