VAN BUREN, Maine — Lyn Michaud is looking forward to an active retirement after more than 40 years running the Ski Shop and selling bikes, skis and outdoors equipment in the St. John Valley.
“I want to thank everybody for the business we’ve done with us,” Michaud said Tuesday morning as the shop’s closeout sale was winding down. “They’ll see us more on the slopes now than on a sales floor.”
Michaud, who turns 62 this summer, said he’s been eyeing retirement and recently had an offer to purchase the building that houses The Ski Shop.
“I’m done my run and it was a good run, and there’s nobody in the family to leave it to,” Michaud said. “Somebody was interested in the building and made us a really good offer. It all kind of fell together.”
Michaud said he couldn’t divulge details of the buyer or the plans for building, but that news of the development would be forthcoming in the next month.
Michaud said he has to move out of the building by Saturday, May 5, and will be open selling whatever is available until then.
The Ski Shop traces its history back to Michaud’s grandfather Sam, who built and opened a shop selling farm equipment.
“My grandfather started what you would call the business back in the 1930s or 1940s and the business evolved,” Michaud said.
Around 1960, Michaud’s dad Ron started selling cross country and alpine skis, without much intention of becoming a dedicated ski shop, Michaud said.
“My father was a skier and bought some skis. His friend said, ‘Hey, can you get some for us too?’ The next thing you know, there was a wall with skis on it.”
Michaud himself introduced bikes to the business when he was in high school in the 1970s, and later took over the business in 1987.
In the 1990s, the original building Sam Michaud constructed was sold to the gas station across the street in a land swap that led to construction of the current Ski Shop building.
For many years, the Ski Shop was the only ski retailer on the Maine side of the St. John Valley, Michaud said, noting that there are other outdoor retailers in Edmundston, New Brunswick.
As of April 24, Michaud said his closeout sale was winding down. “We’ve moved a lot of stuff. We still have some equipment but it’s going fast.”
While he’s looking forward to retirement, Michaud said he will miss helping multiple generations of outdoors enthusiasts.
“We’ve met and became friends with a lot of really good people. We’ve had some extremely loyal customers,” Michaud said. “The best part is seeing young families and watching the kids grow up.”
