2012 SUCCESS 11

BOARD & BUCKLE

The building that’s home to Board &

Buckle Ski and Cyclery hasn’t changed

much in 41 years.

Apart from a couple of modest additions

and some upgrades, the structure is a vestige

of the past when Bob and Alice Sisac, the

founders of the North Avenue business,

thought that an old turn-of-the-century

farmhouse would make for a great ski shop.

At that time in the early ’70s, North Avenue

was getting ready to boom with Kmart

announcing plans to open a store across the

street. That was big news back then, and Bob

clearly knew what he was doing.

Bob started his career in skis having

worked for Don Vest’s Ski Haus, which then

relocated inside of Gene Taylor’s Sporting

Goods. Bob eventually left Taylor’s to start his

own ski shop, the Board & Buckle.

With the help of his cousin, Kent Foster,

they went to work fashioning a farmhouse

into a ski store. The wood siding which covers

the building and the greenish timber on the

inside are all original from back when Kent

and Bob worked day and night to get the store

ready for business.

Inside the B&B, just

behind the register,

the home’s original

brick fi replace

still stands, now a

storage place

for an old

pair of ski

boots. No

one really knows who

they belong to or how

they got there, but you

can bet they aren’t moving. They, too, are now

a part of the treasured history behind Board

& Buckle.

In the late ’80s, when mountain biking took

off as a recreation sport, Bob decided to add

bicycle sales and repair to his business model.

After years of selling just about anything to

survive in the offseason, including swimming

pools, skateboards, trampolines, Vuarnet

sunglasses and used cars, a new opportunity

presented itself.

Beaver Creek Sports

had decided to

get out of the bike

business, so

Bob bought

all of their

equipment

and bikes and

hired their

mechanic.

In 1993, a

young man who

had recently moved

to Grand Junction from Vail wandered into

B&B. He had tons of experience running

ski shops in Vail and had a fondness for

outdoor adventure. Bob hired him, probably

not knowing that one day he would sell the

business to him. Davis Findley worked for

B&B for 11 years before buying B&B in 2004

from Bob and Alice who were ready to move

on to their next great adventure - retirement.

Kent, 61, still works at B&B after all these

years, and aside from being Davis’ right-hand

man, he keeps the rich history of B&B alive

with stories from back in the day.

Since Davis has owned the B&B, he’s

always tried to continue on with what Bob

did: Make impeccable customer service

the number one priority; be honest with

customers and help them make the right

decisions; be sincere and don’t sell something

a customer doesn’t need; and above all, learn

every regular customer’s name so when

they walk in the door they’re personally

greeted. That what Davis says is the key to his

business success!

2822 North Ave.970.242.9285www.boardandbuckle.com

BIKE LINES

Giant | GT | Schwinn

BMX, road, MTB, comfort/touring, cruisers

and kids bikes

SKIS

Dynastar | K2 | Head

They also sell boots, poles and accessories,

as well as run a top-notch service/repair

shop. And don’t forget about their large

offering of ski rental gear.

CEL

EBRATING

YEARS IN BUSIN

ESS

Where customers

become old friends

1947Starlight fi rst drive-in movie theater opens.

1949Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad begins California Zephyr service.

1950Climax Uranium converts an old sugar beet factory into vanadium-uranium processing mill.