Courtesy Alpin Haus
On November 20, Alpin Haus held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the completion of an expansion project spanning 15 months and nearly doubling the size of existing usable square footage at its flagship store in Amsterdam. One of the Northeast’s largest outdoor recreation retailers with six stores in the Capital Region, Hudson Valley and Northern New Jersey, Alpin Haus will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2024.
The expansion increased the ski and pool departments at the flagship store by 60 percent, to 39,600 square feet from 24,800, resulting in nearly double the amount of showroom space for these two premier divisions of the company.
“The need for the build-out was driven by growing demand during ski and pool seasons, which have increasingly begun to overlap,” said Alpin Haus President Andy Heck. “Shopping for winter sports equipment now occurs August through April and for pools and patios year-round. We’ve incorporated many exciting enhancements and made the store more experiential, including a new observation area to complement our state-of-the-art ski-tuning machine and a custom space for taking selfies featuring a chairlift backdrop.”
The youth area in the main showroom will be fitted with an A-Frame replica of the flagship store’s original entrance dating back to 1964. Kids can be fitted for skis, select apparel, and engage in fun activities in their own area of the store.
Demolition work at the Amsterdam location began in August 2022, and the renovations resulted in a footprint of 61,400 square feet. The increased square footage will make it possible for the outdoor recreation retailer to showcase its entire four-season inventory year-round.
Alpin Haus’s ski business alone has doubled in the last five years, bringing with it the need for more showroom and storage space. Currently, approximately 6,000 skis are rented annually at the beginning of winter sports season, which are then returned each spring and tuned, generating the need for more showroom and storage space. Growing the ski business to 12,000 rental skis per year to accommodate the ever-increasing demand is just one of many goals now possible to achieve.
The expansion has also made it possible for the introduction of several new features, including a Coffee Haus, in-house pool and patio design center, enhanced office space, and expanded shipping, receiving, warehouse and storage areas.
During the planning phase the focus remained firmly on operational efficiency. From enhancements to showroom space to warehouse build-out, the goal was to create an effective and seamless process that would streamline services and engender customer engagement.
“We wanted our flagship store to become the hub for our other stores, to make ordering, stocking and warehousing more structured and to provide ample space for our showrooms. Additionally, we have opened up the space that was formerly home to Alpin Haus Fitness. That area now showcases a state-of-the-art swim and training spa, which is flanked by a variety of other spas and hot tubs on the main showroom floor and is something our customers have asked for.,” said Heck.
Additional highlights of the expansion include:
A coffee nook with Wi-Fi, a television and fireplace;
A ski-tuning machine behind an observation window with a customer seating area;
A selfie spot with a chairlift backdrop;
Staff offices along the perimeter of the showroom to better serve customers and colleagues;
Mezzanine level pool and patio design center adjacent to executive offices;
Pool locker room with cubbies;
A sizeable warehouse area;
Dedicated warehouse space for Amazon order fulfillment;
Historic photos on display throughout customer common areas, including the Alpin Haus original ad circa 1964 announcing the grand opening of the flagship store.
“Throughout the expansion we were determined to use only local vendors, right down to the sign we had custom-made for our new Coffee Haus,” Heck said. “I think customers will reap huge benefits from this project through delivery of streamlined services, showrooms that allow us to have pools, boats, skis and equipment on display all year, faster inventory re-stocks and a more interactive experience overall.
For nearly 60 years, Alpin Haus has served as one of the Northeast’s largest outdoor recreation retailers. With six store locations in the Capital Region, Hudson Valley and Northern New Jersey, Alpin Haus features a full line of RVs, snowmobiles, skis, boats, pools, and spas. Alpin Haus is one of America’s largest RV dealers and has received the Snow Sports Retailer of the Year; National Top Quality RV Dealer of the Year; Ski-Doo District Dealer of the Year; and has been selected multiple times as one of the Best Places to Work by Capital District Business Review. For more information, visit www.alpinhaus.com or call (518) 954-2229.