Business & Tech
Sun Valley Sports serves snowboarders in winter, skateboarders in summer
Montrose Centre store switches business focus with turn of the seasons.
In winter, it’s a successful snow sports shop, but in spring and summer, skiing and snowboarding take a backseat to skateboarding at Sun Valley Sports.
Owner Jim Armington says Sun Valley Sports is the most extensive skate shop in the Akron area. The shop has been selling skateboards, longboards and accessories at the location for about four years, he said. Armington added the product line at the suggestion of an employee who was an avid skateboarder and it has done well for the store, he said.
Sun Valley Sports sells components that allow riders to customize their skateboards. The shop carries decks, trucks – the axle-like components that attach to the bottom of the skateboard deck – and wheels from several top manufacturers, including Dayton’s Alien Workshop.
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Sun Valley also sells summer lifestyle clothing and shoes, Armington said. The shop stocks several labels, including Vans, Emerica and etnies brands.
The snow sports season begins in August, Armington said, when new stock starts hitting the floor and employees begin training on all the new equipment. Sun Valley Sports sells skis, snowboards, boots, bindings, snow sports apparel and accessories. The store also provides equipment services such as mounting bindings and tune ups for both skis and snowboards.
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Armington, who bought Sun Valley Sports about six years ago, also owns Buckeye Sports Center on State Road in Cuyahoga Falls. In addition to selling and servicing snow sports equipment, the State Road headquarters store also is home to the largest volume boat dealership in Northern Ohio. Armington also owns and operates Buckeye Sports Center snow sports outlets at Boston Mills and Brandywine ski resorts and owns the Women’s Ski Center in Vail, Colo. Sun Valley has about 10 employees during the snow sports season and four employees during the summer, Armington said.
Sun Valley Sports is at 3900 Medina Road in the Montrose Centre shopping plaza. Hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. The store can be reached by calling 330-666-9000.