Business Profile: Ski Haus, Brewster
Since he was a little kid, Ross Nichols has held a passion for skiing. And for the past 43 years, he’s been able to sell that passion to thousands of his customers.
Open since 1962, Ski Haus in Brewster has provided ski equipment, from the latest skis and snowboards, to the warmest clothes to brave the winter season in Putnam County and the surrounding region. Over four decades, Nichols has been part of that success for a small business that expanded from one to three stores located in New York and Connecticut.
With the ski season almost underway as father winter slowly creeps into the Northeast, Nichols is ready for another six-month period where his business sees the most inflow of customers. For him, the same routine each year has yet to get stale.
“It’s great to be able to sell what you love,” Nichols said.
Nichols started selling what he loves when he was fresh out of college in 1972. While his first career idea was to become a schoolteacher, a family friend who opened Ski Haus offered him a manager’s position to help him run the store at its original store in Dutchess County.
The man who actually hired Nichols was the one who got him interested in skiing. The two remained close right through when Nichols was hired and when the two worked together.
When the first owner got sick, Nichols took over more responsibility and when he died, Nichols, who was only part owner at the time, bought the remaining interests to take full control in 1986.
“I thank my lucky stars everyday, I love what I’m doing,” he said. “It’s been a great career, we’ve made a good living and it’s fun. It really is fun.”
In a short, 6-month period that starts in September, Nichols said the company does about 8,000 seasonal renters. He calls it a “very condense, busy time.”
But once the craziest time of year passes by, Nichols makes sure to take some of his own time to enjoy the slopes up north consistently and even out west a couple of times a year. He tries to ski at least twice a week in season.
“It’s probably one of my favorite pastimes,” he said. “Skiing to me is the most exhilarating.”
The store is opened year round and when ski season is out of sight, Ski Haus sells and repairs bicycles and kayaks and sells equipment around the two recreational activities. There is a Ski Haus in Brewster, Poughkeepsie and New Milford in Connecticut.
Nichols said his business has been successful because his workers at Ski Haus have real world experience with the items they’re either selling or renting out.
“We’re very knowledgeable because we all either ski or ride a snowboard or do both and we know what everybody needs to be comfortable and enjoy the sports,” he said. “We offer very good advice.”
Ski Haus is located a 1611 Route 22 in Brewster and its phone number is 845-279-3100.
