For decades, Alpine Ski & Sports was a landmark among Rhode Island skiers and commuters alike. Until it closed in the late 1990s, Alpine had a location along Interstate 95 in Warwick, one of just a few ski shops in the Ocean State.
Now it has returned. Sensing an opportunity after the Ski Market closed earlier this year, businessman Rick Sceery – who once worked at Alpine in his late teens – has reopened the ski shop at its old location, sharing space with a patio-furniture business. He recently spoke with Providence Business News about reviving the well-known brand, now called Alpine Ski & Snowboard.
PBN: You don’t have previous experience owning a ski shop. What persuaded you to jump into it?
SCEERY: Skiing has always been a passion of mine. People I’ve known for many years have always come to me for advice on skis or snowboards. It’s a passion of my family’s too. Traveling as often as I was, when I heard that Ski Market was going out of business, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to finally come back to Rhode Island, set my roots, stay off of airplanes and really get into something I enjoyed.
So with the encouragement of my family, I secured the name Alpine – it was an iconic brand here for 40 years. I knew the family very well – the Jacober family. Harold and his son, Alan, ran this company for just about 40 years. … It was a service, family-run business where people came in and felt comfortable with what they were buying, they’d literally hang out.
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PBN: Why did they close?
SCEERY: Harold had retired and Alan sold the business and went into something else. Ski Market came in, and it was recognized as a big box. Alpine’s not a big box, we’re a family-run business. People come in and know us. They look for us when they come through the door. I have very experienced people working for me that also have a passion for the business. Customers who come in here are really our friends, and Rhode Island has been missing that for a long time.
SCEERY: We really don’t have to. Our expertise is elevated over the big-box stores. We make sure people are getting the right equipment; we’re not just selling a piece of equipment. It’s more important for our customers to be comfortable with their equipment and enjoy themselves. That’s going to bring them back. Skiing is a sport in which families and friends ski together, and that’s what I want to create here in the retail environment, as well.
PBN: What’s the feedback been from the community since you opened in September?
SCEERY: It’s been unbelievable. People have been stopping by because they wanted to see if it was really open again. There’s a lot of enthusiasm because we are going to restart the bus trips and we are going to go skiing and snowboarding with them.
PBN: The patio-furniture business will still be here?
SCEERY: Actually, my partner in [Alpine] owns the patio store. It’s a win-win for both of us because the strength of his business is in the summertime; the strength of my business is in the winter. The beauty of it is I don’t have to find other things to sell to get through the summer. I’ve opened in September and I’ll shut down in early April. And my partner, he’ll soft-open in the winter but the bulk of business is in the summertime.
PBN: When you secured the Alpine name, did you know the old location would be available?
SCEERY: No, I had no idea. When I secured the name, I was introduced to my partner through a very close friend who has a business next door. We were just talking and we both had a lot of synergies between what I wanted to do and what he does. He owns the building. We put the two together and it’s working great.
SCEERY: Like starting any business, it was financing first off. It took me almost a year to get the financing … from friends and family.
PBN: Did you try going to a bank?
SCEERY: No. Nowadays the banks wouldn’t touch a business like this until we’ve been open for a few years. So I went to investors, and we got some good investors onboard. My business partner, who owns the patio-furniture business, has a AAA credit rating with his retail business, so we were able to get credit with all the major suppliers, which was a big step for us. Then I knew a lot of people in the industry, so I knew where to get it, how to get it, setting up a back shop. I knew who to go to, to put everything together.
PBN: How has the economic climate right now played a part in your business decision-making? Is this a good time to start a ski shop?
SCEERY: Yeah, and I’ll tell you why. There is not another major player in the marketplace. We offer the top brands. … At the same time, if customers go to a shop in Boston to compare prices, we’ll be right in line.
PBN: But what about the recession? I would think skiing is one of those discretionary activities consumers have cut back on.
SCEERY: It’s not necessarily the recession; it’s more weather-related. People are fickle here. They’ll wait until it starts getting cold, then they’ll think skiing, then they’ll come in. We were OK in the month of October, but it wasn’t what I expected. Then all of a sudden, it got cold and we really started getting customers.
PBN: What are the projections as far as when you’re going to be able to say you’ve made it?
SCEERY: We’re on track. It’s a hard question because we’re really hitting the meat of our season right now. We’re just starting to gear up.•
INTERVIEW
RICK SCEERY
POSITION: Owner of Alpine Ski & Snowboard, 50 Maple St., Warwick
BACKGROUND: Sceery helped run several NASCAR Cup teams in the 1980s and 1990s before jumping into sales and marketing with the Dallas Cowboys for several years. He then became chief marketing officer for the Colorado Crush arena football team. He eventually returned to NASCAR. Sceery says he commuted to those jobs from his home in Rhode Island.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in marine affairs coastal zone management, the University of Rhode Island, 1982
FIRST JOB: Launch driver at East Greenwich Yacht Club at age 16
RESIDENCE: East Greenwich
AGE: 52
