Stay Human, Shop Local VOL 5: Aloha Rentals, Park City
Everyone knows that a bad rental situation is one of the worst things you can experience at a mountain resort, especially when fresh turns are waiting to be had and you're stuck in a concrete box that smells like feet. Fortunately for Park City visitors, Aloha Ski and Snowboard Rentals is amongst the best out there, having opened with two shops in 1998 and now operating in seven locations between Park City and Canyons. With a fully stocked storefront full of in-season goods and a top-of-the-line rental offering from multiple ski and snowboard brands, it's pretty easy to figure out why countless snow-goers looking for an upgrade would end up here. Next time you're driving to PC and your boards fly off the rack, you'll know who to call.
Words by Marianne Rees
Do you think it’s pretty much mandatory to have a strong online shop these days in addition to a physical store?
I think it depends on what your focus is. For Aloha, our focus is a good customer experience. We are a rental company first and a retail shop second. We believe that having the right products in our shops make the rental experience in Park City easier and more memorable as you are not running around looking for the right set of gloves or goggles. It is all right there where you pick up your rental equipment.
What separates your shop from an online retailer?
Customer service. Every employee is expected to come to what we call clinic night, where reps from each line that we carry educate them on their products, ensuring that our customers themselves know what they are buying is current and of quality.
Right, but there's a lot of info online. Why would someone come in instead of going in for the click?
Immediate satisfaction. There is something to be said about being able to walk out the door and onto the slopes with your purchase rather than waiting for it to ship. It can also be difficult to be sure on fit. For items like gloves, mittens and goggles sizes are not always universal. And you don't always know what you will need till you get off the plane.
How does shopping locally help more than just your bottom line?
Does it help the local economy as a whole? Absolutely, shopping locally helps everyone. The more dollars going to the little guys helps not only them but the community as well. Shopping from the little guys allows small communities like Park City to thrive and grow providing jobs and stability to those that depend on it.
Find all the Aloha shops on our store locator, as well as on www.parkcityskirentals.com.