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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Bringing business to the mountains

By: Geoff Kirbyson

Posted: 12/2/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

JF Ravenelle

AFTER a half-century of serving outdoor enthusiasts with their sporting gear in Winnipeg, the owners of Gord's Ski and Bike have decided to expand where much of that equipment is actually used.

"Many of our customers buy stuff from us in Winnipeg and go play with it elsewhere," said JF Ravenelle, the president and general manager of Gord's.

Elsewhere, in many cases, is the Rocky Mountains, so Ravenelle and crew are about to open the doors to their first location in Banff. The 2,100-square-foot store on Banff Avenue in the Cascade Plaza will cater to Winnipeggers on ski and snowboard trips to Lake Louise, Sunshine and Mount Norquay as well as the mountain dwellers, a surprising number of whom need no introduction to Gord's.

"We talked to hairdressers, businesses and other locals (before we decided to come here). It's amazing how many people know this brand," Ravenelle said.

Gary Silbernagel, vice-president of leasing at MDC Property Services, a Calgary-based real estate development boutique that handles the 100,000-square-foot Cascade Plaza, said he was eager to find another ski retailer after Banff Mountain Wear closed down this summer. Gord's name, brand and brand recognition were already very strong in Banff, he said.

"We looked at their track record and liked what they had done. They have a long history in the business, a very successful clientele and business in Winnipeg and a big clientele that skis in the Banff region who could avail themselves to a new location," he said.

"It's a very risky business with a high failure rate these days. Gord's believes in the Banff-Lake Louise area and we thought they'd be a good fit."

Saturday's official opening of the Banff store ends a remarkable run after nearly hitting business rock bottom three years ago.

In the fall of 2008, the previous ownership filed for bankruptcy protection and its two locations, on Donald Street and Kenaston Boulevard, were shut down for two weeks. Ravenelle and a group of enthusiastic, not to mention well-heeled, customers then bought the company out of receivership and reopened it.

And while the market responded enthusiastically, the new owners were saddled with an overabundance of real estate. The Kenaston store's 9,000-sq.-ft. floor plate was far too big for its model and this past April, it moved into a 4,000-sq.-ft. space down the street. The new location not only makes far more sense financially, but the boutique environment enables its employees to provide the kind of service on which Gord's built its reputation.

"We don't sell party hats, napkins or trinkets at giant margins. The things we sell aren't super high-margin items. (The old Kenaston store) was a very expensive proposition from an inventory perspective," Ravenelle said.

Ravenelle has taken on a new partner in the new store, too. Stephen Strachan, who runs The Hardwear Company in Kenora, a similar concept to Gord's, has come on board and brings Hardwear's focus on paddle sports, such as kayaking and canoeing, to Banff.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca

Who is Gord?

Gord Reid founded the store bearing his name in 1961 in the basement of the Winnipeg Ski Club on Osborne Street. A member of the Manitoba Alpine Ski Hall of Fame for his contributions to skiing in central Canada, he sold the business in 1988 but stayed involved for more than a decade after. He died following a stroke in 2006.

One of his disciples, current president J.F. Ravenelle, said the current group of employees live by the values he set forward.

"He would say, 'Don't sell crap. Let the other guys sell crap,' " Ravenelle said with a laugh.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 2, 2011 B2

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