Accidental Entrepreneur Redefines Eastside Ski & Sport

When Greg Moore bought from John Coughlin in August 2008, he wasn’t looking to run his own business and he didn’t know the economy was about to tank. And yet, in the years since, he has managed to successfully build the Woodinville business and to open a second store on the Microsoft campus in Redmond.

Not bad.

Moore admits it’s been a “tough three years.” But, he adds, “everything is going as planned.”

A lifelong skier himself, Moore had rented equipment from Coughlin’s shop for years as his daughters learned and grew. One day, Coughlin, who established the business in 1988, said he was looking to sell. Moore’s interest was piqued.

At the time, Moore was working for corporate furniture manufacturer Herman Miller, and had recently been promoted from sales to management. Although he had a “cushy corporate career,” Moore says he was “just kind of tapped out.” Within eight months, he had worked out a deal with Coughlin and taken over the store.

“It’s everything I thought it would be and more,” he says. Even during the depth of the recession Moore didn’t worry too much about the numbers. “It was what it was,” he says. “I didn’t know any better.”

What the business was, when he bought it, was primarily a ski rental shop. With over 2,000 ski and snowboard packages a year, rentals still sustain the business, says Moore. But he is building it into much more, expanding into sales and service of high quality skiing, snowboarding and cycling gear.

“You can run (a business) by the seat of your pants,” he says, or as a corporate entity. He favors the latter approach.

For instance, Moore is working to establish a five-year life cycle on rental gear by purging 20 percent each year. He says he inherited many years’ worth of gear, some of it well worn. “I bought a lot of good will,” he laughs.

He has hired two “world class boot fitters” to help customers get the best fit on equipment they purchase or rent. It’s the boots, he says, that attract people to a shop like his. “Skis are eye candy,” he adds.

In general, Moore makes an effort to staff his stores with employees who share his goals and values. He looks for knowledgeable, honest workers who “want to see the business succeed,” he explains. “It’s about our customers,” he adds. “Our customers make us.”

So, how does Eastside Ski & Sport compete with the bigger stores in the area? “I choose not to compete,” says Moore. “I’m a boutique,” he explains, noting that he carries a deeper, narrower selection of gear. “I’m passionate about skiing and good gear,” he says.

Moore applies the same model and philosophy to the bike end of things, an aspect of the business he admits is new to him.

When Microsoft wanted to open an employees-only bike shop on their Redmond campus several years ago they interviewed a number of outdoor recreation stores in the area – not for bids, but for cultural fit.

His corporate experience came in handy, says Moore, allowing him to “speak their language.” But his subject knowledge was limited. “We weren’t a bike store,” he laughs. “I bought a ski shop.”

So he did what any creative entrepreneur would do. He brought in expertise – a friend who was experienced in the cycling world came with him to the interview and, once the deal was done, invested in and helped establish the Microsoft location.

“We are the campus bike store,” says Moore, providing both sales and repairs. Redmond manager Andrew McAllister says service is personalized. “We try to bring the best value bike for each customer,” he says. “We do the shopping for them.”

Although Moore’s two locations have different emphases, the businesses are beginning to cross over. He added bicycles and cycling gear, as well as a service bay, to the Woodinville store this year. McAllister says the Redmond location may add some ski gear this winter.

Will there be more Eastside Ski & Sport stores in the future? While Moore says he might like to open one more “strategically placed” location, he doesn’t have plans to expand beyond that. He kind of likes things the way they are.

“I’m much happier as a person now.”