written by David and Stephanie
After weeks of shameless self-promotion we thought we would take a pause… throw a bone to a hot new local business: Pro-Fit Ski & Mountain Sports and to the owner’s, our very good friends Brian and Nancy Deely.
OK, so Pro-Fit is just sort of new… actually the new Pro-Fit is more of a multi-year metamorphosis. After 16 years as Pro-Fit Ski & Skate, which had grown to 5,000 square feet of skis, snowboards, boots, clothing, skateboards and hockey gear located on Market Street in Leesburg, Virginia, the Deely’s decided to downsize. We won’t bore you with the details suffice to say a couple of years with little to no snow and a waning economy played a part. Alas, the ski business is in their blood. Especially for Brian, who has worked in the “biz” since he was 16 years old. It is what he knows and, for the record he is damn good at it! So, for the last 4 years Brian, one of the top ski-boot fitters in the country, ran Pro-Fit Ski & Boot Service, part-time and only during the season, from the lower level of the Virginia Village Shopping Center in Leesburg, Virginia (think basement of the science building).
Without further ado, from the ashes like the mythical Phoenix we give you the all new Pro-Fit Ski & Mountain Sports. Nestled in a prime location, between Ben Franklin and Bicycle Outfitters in the Virginia Village Shopping Center, the new shop has great visibility from Catoctin Circle and tons of parking.
The new Pro-Fit Ski & Mountain Sports will carry world class equipment like boots from: Lange, Rossignol, Diabello and Atomic; skis from: Dynastar, K2, Atomic and Rossignol; poles from: Scott, Goode and Atomic; bindings from: Atomic, Look, Marker and Rossignol; outerwear from such notable manufacturers as: Rossingnol, Obermeyer, Marmot, and Spyder; and accessories by Scott, Transpack, Lorpen, Screamer, Seirus, Swany, Hotfingers, Giro, Eurosocks and Polarmax.
Nancy will be running the front of the shop and has enlisted help from friends, mostly moms with kiddo’s in school to man (or…wooooo_man) the sales floor. The Deely’s are banking that a more “mature” sales force will pay better attention to the floor to help with shrinkage… no George Costanza… not “that” kind of shrinkage… the product walking out the door kind of shrinkage! Brian, will be still be relegated to “the basement of science building”… or as it were his work shop in the back where he will be tuning skis and snowboards, making orthotics and custom fitting boots.
The new shop sports that hip, inviting and “laid-back” look you would expect from aficionados of skiing and the great outdoors. An open floor that is easy and convenient to move around, extra-large dressings rooms, a roomy boot fitting area and future plans that include; for the bored kiddo’s or uninterested spouses a “chill-out” area with comfy seating and a TV monitor running loops of extreme winter sports.
Now, can we get a drum roll please… time for a little shameless self-promotion: we give you the sales counter! Brian had vision, idea and hundreds of board feet of material that he had removed from the space, left by the previous tenant. PlanetDwell brought inspiration, a bit of “trim” insanity and willingness to work late into the evenings to meet the tight timeline. The result is a one of a kind killer and unbelievably fitting sales counter for a ski and mountain sport shop. The only thing new and/or purchased on this counter is the nails, screws and the corrugated metal roofing…everything else, salvaged. The top, the result of spur of the moment late night crazy, is an inlay of re-purposed “cucumber” poplar (designer’s note: the back of all the boards are painted black) bounded with strips of 200 year-old heart pine rescued from the floor of a log cabin.
OK…OK here’s the real skinny…
The shop’s Grand Opening is October 10, 2013 at 11 AM. You know, a big deal kind of Grand Opening where the mayor, the Honorable Kristen M. Umstattd cuts a ribbon at the front door. In addition to the mayor, I’m sure there will be other local dignitaries (after all it is an election year!), they’re also opening with a SALE! 20% off all Accessories and 10% off all Outerwear.
So, we hope everyone will come on out… meet our friends Brian and Nancy, experience the laid-back vibe of their new shop, support local business and get yourself outfitted for what promises to be an epic winter and an awesome ski season… if you believe the almanacs!
PlanetDwell 