BY THE CHAMBER
For Valley residents Sondra Van Ert and Aaron Blaker, opening Baldy Sports in Hailey three years ago was an obvious choice, considering their backgrounds in sports and sporting goods. Sondra started her career with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, going on to compete for the U.S. Ski Team as well as the U.S. and Olympic Snowboard Team. Aaron has been very involved in retail sports for over 25 years, having worked for and managed retail sporting goods stores in Washington, Montana and now Idaho.
Several years ago the couple saw an opportunity to give used but still perfectly functional sports equipment a new life by opening their sporting goods store that offers consigned gear as well as new and used equipment at huge discounts.
“Living in the Valley, we are literally surrounded by tons of great gear,” adds Aaron. “Baldy Sports is a perfect conduit for people looking to give their used gear another chance to get outside. We find that people, especially families, really appreciate being able to find good-quality gear for less money.”
In addition to offering consigned gear, Baldy Sports also has a wide selection of new products.
“We are constantly looking to find great deals by working with our partners in the industry,” Aaron adds. “We just picked up a ton of high-end skis and snowboards from an out of state source. Also, with the opening of the Campion Ice House, we’re seeing a lot of families come in to trade their hockey and skating gear from last year and upgrade to bigger sizes for their growing kids.”
In the three years since opening their store, Sondra and Aaron are most surprised by the support they are seeing from families outside the Valley.
“We are so excited for the enthusiastic support of the local communities,” Sondra offers. “What we didn’t expect was the number of people outside the area that have made us a regular stop when they’re in town. I think the quality of the gear we have on a regular basis is a big reason people stop in. Because we offer closeouts, demos and consigned gear, our inventory is constantly changing and everything is first-come, first-served.”
And Baldy Sports is expanding.
“We like our little shop, but there are some times during the year that we’re bursting at the seams because of all of the sports we represent,” Aaron adds. “This season we’re seeing an increase in interest in alpine touring and that gear is very specialized. In the near future we’ll be opening our upper level for more showroom space and that will help us better display our gear and winter clothing.”
Jeff Bacon is The Chamber’s executive director. For more information, visit haileyidaho.com or call The Chamber at (208) 788-3484.