One in 8,200 Where the personalities of Middlebury proper are celebrated At Alpine Shop, Van Gulden and Crystal prep locals for the slopes

Author: Sarah Harris

The Alpine Shop boasts a unique cast of characters.

The experts on the slope wait in a darkened basement, where hundreds of students rent and purchase skis and boards each year. Fischer Van Gulden, a 24-year-old Monkton native wearing a Burton sweatshirt, explained the ins and outs of predicting trends and buying products: "You have to go with your gut and know your customer base, and what type of customer shops at your store," he said. Van Gulden gained experience from four years spent working at a board and ski shop in San Francisco.

"Middlebury is a little behind in the trends by about a year or so," he said. But his time on the West Coast gave him a keen eye for what will be the next "big thing":

"Reverse chamber boards. That'll be a big change in snowboarding."

Upstairs, shoppers are warmly greeted by Ann Crystal, a gregarious personality and born retailer. Her accent belies her origins of Jacksonville, Fl. Overcrowded public schools in Orlando forced Crystal, her husband and their two children to turn elsewhere in search of a small and vibrant community.

"The college sold it - it had all these cultural opportunities I felt were important," said Crystal. "And it's cold, but boy, do I like flying over the mountains and coming home." In her 17 years in Middlebury, Crystal has become an integral part of the town's fabric through lobbying for small businesses. "Small businesses," she said, "are the back-bone of our society. I work retail and small business - this allows me to stay part of the community."