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Husband and wife team Cary and Kathi Carter met surfing years ago in California, and opening a surf shop was always their dream. But, after moving to Colorado from the coast and jumping on the opportunity to purchase a fledgling sports resale shop, they’ve traded the “endless summer” for Never Summer.
The couple, who first moved to the Front Range, jumped on an opportunity to buy a used sporting goods store in Montrose in late 2015.
“Used Sporting Equipment,” as the shop was originally called, was a far cry from what the Carters would eventually turn the shop into.
“It kinda looked like and felt like a flea market,” Kathi said. “Things were just in boxes, not cleaned.”
Before moving to its current location at 17656 U.S. 550 Unit A, the store was closer to downtown and became the go-to place for team sports equipment.
Families could buy and sell used cleats and gear that kids may outgrow in a season or two, and the Carters were generous about making sure every kid had what they needed to get on the field.
They renamed the store “970 Sports Rewind,” and began cleaning the gear, developing goodwill in the community and honing their craft, fitting boots and repairing winter sports equipment.
In the late 2010s, the local Sports Authority began recommending 970 Sports Rewind for overflow ski and snowboard repair services. Soon, unable to keep up with rental demand, they suggested the shop look into this as well.
“They couldn’t keep up with everybody going to Telluride,” Kathi said. “So, with us having literally, no joke, $15 in our bank account, was able to convince HEAD/Tyrolia to give us a chance and give us equipment to be able to have seasonal and daily rentals.”
This all happened within the shop’s first winter season in early 2016, and by the end of that summer Sports Authority closed its doors — driving demand even higher.
The Carters also soon moved down Highway 550 away from downtown, losing some of their team sports business in the process.
A few years later, it’s their cold-weather gear that pays the bills — and is now their focus.
“95% of our business is winter,” Cary said. “We just stopped concentrating on the summer gear.”
This year will be the first time the couple embraces that shift, and will open the store seasonally from October to April. Cary and Kathi are currently in the process of giving the entire space a makeover, complete with a graffiti-walled snowboard and skateboard room and dedicated spaces for hockey, snowshoes, skis and apparel.
They also run a rental shop and back shop, and are leaning into selling new, carefully selected gear — though there’s still plenty of used, affordable gear to choose from.
Ski, snowboard and cross-country ski packages are available for day and seasonal rentals, with prices determined by the age of the users. Seasonal ski packages start at $125 for children under 5, $175 for kids 6-12 and $219 for ages 13 and over.
Seasonal snowboard packages start at $125, $175 and $210, respectively. Skiers and riders can also pay extra for premium gear.
The shop will open its doors Oct. 1, and rentals must be returned by mid-April. Patrons will be rewarded with a $20 voucher toward the next season’s rental for gear returned on time and clean.
Packages include fittings and some back-of-shop services like tuning and waxing, and patrons can exchange gear if their kiddos outgrow it.
Kathi runs the backstop, while Cary is a master boot fitter and consults on purchases and rentals.
970 Sports Rewind is also carrying new gear this year, and the Carters explained becoming authorized to sell a given brand can be quite the process. The duo only wants to sell brands they believe in, and likes to sell Colorado-made gear when possible, like Icelantic skis.
One brand they’re particularly excited about is Denver-based Never Summer, a snowboard company they are carrying for the first time this winter.
Cary explained the brand is very selective about who carries their product, and he’s even more excited to carry a limited-run board this year which the shop only has five of.
The store is also an official ambassador for Telluride Ski Resort, and locals can stop by for discounts on season passes.
Shop employees, which Cary and Kathi are looking for more of, will also get a free season pass to the resort. No experience is required, and the couple is willing to train staff for back and front-room positions.
And while they’re shifting their focus, and selling more new gear, they’re still the hometown sporting goods store they always have been, and they don’t want affordability to stop people from getting on the slopes.
“We still buy, we still trade, we still barter,” Cary said.
