After more than four decades in the snow sports business, the owners of Paul’s Ski Shop in Thomas Mitchell Drive are planning their retirement.
Paul and Alison Oberin are looking forward to more time with family and friends, playing golf, bike rides through the mountains, travelling and skiing on snow fields but first they must find a buyer.
“There’s several interested parties, local and interstate; some serious ones,” Mr Oberin said.
“The plan is for me to stay on and do a changeover.”
Mr Oberin, who has three times qualified as a Masterfit boot fitter, and won Australia’s best boot fitter award has customers travel from across Australia to buy boots and have them fitted by him.
“A buyer will make a good go of it if they get the knowledge I have with the ski side of it,” he said.
“Some of the stuff I know about boot fitting, you don’t learn that easily.
Mr Oberin recalls his earlier days working part-time in a competitors ski shop in Wodonga.
“I asked my dad for a $10,000 loan and told him I wanted to open my own shop because after working at one, I knew how things could be improved,” he said.
“I bought 25 sets of skis, boots and poles and hired them out.
“That money grew and grew to what you see here today.”
The business first opened on High St in 1979, next to Bev Hosie who had an antique shop at the time.
“We changed location often in the early years, Tower Place, Astra House and multiple High street locations. Reopening each year in a different spot”
The business had a long stint in Hovell St, opposite the lawn bowling club; we were there for 12 years before deciding to buy a “forever home”.
“A block of land came up here in Thomas Mitchell Drive and we grabbed that and had the shop built for us and we haven’t looked back,” Mr Oberin said.
“We have been here 28 years and it’s an ideal location because it’s easy to find, lots of parking and we are on the road to the snow.”
Paul has fitted many adults and children for ski boots over the years and there’s one encounter from his earlier days that has stuck with him that still leaves him chuckling to this day.
“We had a guy come in with his girlfriend to buy ski boots for her, I measured her foot and brought out the ski boots and the guy started putting them on,” he said.
“I looked at him and said: “What’s going on? I thought she wanted ski boots” and he explained that they have the same size feet if they fit him they will fit her. “I had to laugh at that.”
“We were well known for running buses to the ski resorts. Weekend day trips, schools and social clubs. So many locals were introduced to the snow via our trips.
”But we made mistakes along the way - the most memorable one was filling a bus by mixing a local church group with a group from a local night club onto a bus to Falls Creek. The nightclub patrons literally rolled onto the bus from the nightclubs steps at 6am, much to the displeasure of the church group. The groups didn’t mesh well, we didn’t do it on purpose, but we all learn from our mistakes.“
With 44 years in business, the one-stop snow shop also provides a ski and board tuning service on site and has dabbled in many different summer lines. Surf wear, swimwear, skateboards, roller blades and water skiing.
However, these days the shop only opens in the winter months which works perfectly for Mr Oberin.
“I have always been a believer that life is not all about working,” he said.
“It’s about working enough so you can afford to play.”
Now the couple have their sights set on retirement.
“I just turned 71 so it’s time to look at retirement,” Mr Oberin said.
“I play golf, I am a member of the Wodonga Golf Club, enjoy mountain bike riding on rock and roller, and skiing and snowboarding when I have time.”
Alison is looking forward to retirement just as much as her husband.
“We have talked about retirement on and off for the past several years, we still really enjoy it here, but you have to make a decision and the right time is now,” she said.
Mr Oberin said he and Alison were a great team.
“There aren’t many places where a husband and wife can work together in what is often a busy and intense environment and still stay married,” he said.
“We have our roles, there are certain things I do in the shop and certain things Alison does and we don’t cross over.”
The couple agreed it had been a “good family business” that instilled great values for their now two adult sons, Matthew and Daniel, who both helped with the business from a young age.
Alison recalled an incredibly busy day where there was a huge pile of hire equipment that needed to be put back up in the racks, with six staff in the shop they just couldn’t get time to catch up.
“I called the boys and said there’s a taxi coming, get in and come to work, they were young, only 11 or 12, possibly a bit younger,” she said.
"It has been a great training ground for hundreds of young local kids, many of whom had their first employment opportunities with us.
"We have had amazing staff over the years, many coming back each season that like us enjoyed the work.
“We will miss the shop, the work and our customers.
"It is a wonderful business.”