1 in 8700: Owners of the Ski Haus

Down the hill from campus in the main section of town sits The Ski Haus. The store, formerly known as the Alpine Shop, was recently purchased by Anne Boisvert and Barbara Nelson and provides Middlebury residents with all the winter gear they could ask for along with the classic good service of a local Middlebury store.

Last February the owners of the Alpine Shop sold the store to Boisvert and Nelson. The two women purchased “the inventory, not the name” and consequently decided to change it, said Boisvert.

“We decided to go back to the original name,” said Boisvert. “The Ski Haus was such an iconic Middlebury business for many years.”

According to Boisvert, since the change of name, the primary addition the new owners have made to the store are “a couple of very comfortable leather chairs for the husbands or others who may not be that interested in shopping as their companions are.”

However, both Nelson and Boisvert aim to retain the store’s previous environment for the most part.

“We have a really amazing historic space,” said Boisvert. “One of our goals was to make it feel homey here.”

The new owners do their best to cater to every customer. In their first season they have stuck with a lot of the traditional brands, such as Patagonia, but plan to expand the variety of items they offer. Like other Middlebury stores, The Ski Haus has a wide range of customers, including local residents, an older clientele and Midd Kids who need a convenient place to buy gear and warm clothes for the winter.            Nelson and Boisvert each have personal connections with the store, as both worked for the original Ski Haus as well as the Alpine Shop. Their previous bonds have helped them to maintain the good parts of the store while also improving the Ski Haus to make it more what they think the people of Middlebury want and need. By making the store locally owned once again (the previous owners were from Burlington) Boisvert believes they have captured the spirit of the town.

“We’ve always been special here because we have such a great local community,” said Boisvert.

In keeping up with the times, the Ski Haus has a page on Facebook. In addition, the store offers anything that their customers find online. Instead of ordering straight from a website, the customer can ask the Ski Haus to order each item and go down to the store and pick it up there.

“We want to have something here for everyone,” said Boisvert.

Currently, the Ski Haus is running a food drive through Christmas. All those who bring nonperishable food items automatically get entered into a raffle to win a turkey.

As the Ski Haus gears up to help Middlebury have a great winter season this year, it is clear that the shop aims to provide a sense of community as well. Personal service, the products you want and helping the local economy is just what the Ski Haus hopes to offer.

“It’s always good to encourage people to understand that when they put their dollars into the local community, it benefits everyone,” said Boisvert.