The Capital Ski & Outing Club is looking for a new space to hold its annual, but semi-nomadic ski and skate sale in Concord.
The sale will take place on Dec. 7, said Fred Symmes, a member of the club’s board of directors. The club needs a location solidified by early October to start planning and coordinating with vendors.
Symmes said they’re looking for a 10,000 to 15,000 square foot space in the greater Concord area to use for four days, from Dec. 4 through Dec. 8, to gather, set up and disburse equipment.
“It doesn’t have to be a fancy retail space, it can be a warehouse-type space,” Symmes said. “As long as it has heat and electricity, we are heart y folks and we’re working hard in there – that’s all we need.”
This is not the first time the club has been in search of a new home for its sale, which has been operating for decades in Concord and offers used and new winter sporting goods and clothing, including snowboarding equipment, hockey gear, snowshoes and cross-country skis and boots.
For years the sale used to be held in the Green Street gym next to City Hall, but it outgrew the space. Then it was held at the old Circuit City location near the Steeplegate Mall. When the Altitude Trampoline Park moved into that space last year, it had to change locations again.
Last year, the club was able to rent a 22,000 square foot space on Regional Drive from businessman Tom Balon, but that space has since been leased out.
“We know a lot of people in Concord care about this sale and like the tradition and we’re hoping someone will come forward who can help,” Club president Cheryl Haydon said.
The club has had more to worry about with the sale in recent years than just finding a space. Last year, someone broke into the regional drive location the night after the sale and stole gear from more than 40 people.
Concord Police opened an investigation into the burglary, but Haydon said the person responsible was never found. The club reimbursed everyone who had their equipment stolen.
Symmes said they always have a security guard stay overnight the night before the sale, when all the equipment is inside. They didn’t think it would be necessary to have one there the day after, when most equipment is already cleared out.
“We’ve never had security there the night after the sale when there were a few things left over to be picked up the following day – those items usually aren’t as of high value,” he said. “It has never been an issue we had to worry about.”
Symmes said the club will likely be hiring security to stay overnight both before and after the sale this year.
Putting on the sale goes beyond its traditional one-day Saturday timeframe; the arrival of the equipment starts the Thursday before the sale, and pickup of unsold items happens on Sunday.
Anyone in the Capital Area can bring their used equipment (in good condition) to the club, which sells it and keeps 20 percent of the profit. Ski dealers also offer new and slightly used equipment through the club.
The sale is the club’s biggest fundraiser, bringing in thousands of dollars each year. It’s not uncommon for the sale to gross $100,000 in sales, with sellers getting 80 percent, and rental fees for the retail space and tables coming out of the rest.
The club uses what’s leftover to maintain Concord’s cross country ski trails.
Anyone who wants to contact the Capital Ski & Outing Club about a potential space for the sale can call Symmes at (603) 738-3879.