Two long-standing businesses in Tahoe City and Truckee have been bought by longtime employees. Alpenglow Sports on the North Shore and La Galleria in downtown Truckee, both in business for over 30 years, announced their respective ownership changes at the start of this year. The employees, who are both in their 30s, plan to stay true to the stores’ roots while implementing fresh ideas.
Brendan Madigan, who began working at Alpenglow nine years ago, decided to buy the store from his boss, Don Fyfe, who opened it in 1979, as a way to continue doing what he loves.
‘I’ve worked in outdoor retail since college,’ said Madigan, 34, who is originally from Virginia. ‘It’s all I’ve done. It’s what I love and enjoy.’
Alpenglow Sports specializes in backcountry and Nordic ski equipment, snowshoeing, mountaineering, rock climbing, trail running, backpacking, and hiking.
The shop prides itself on friendly, user-based expertise and encourages its employees to play as hard as they work.
Madigan is no exception. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys backcountry skiing, climbing, and running. He has skied down Alaska’s Mt. McKinley, North America’s highest peak, and run the entire Tahoe Rim Trail. With average trail runs of 30 to 50 miles, Madigan hopes to qualify for the Western States Endurance Run.
‘I find great honor in sharing the passion behind the sports we all love — whether a day hike or a big-mountain expedition,’ he said.
While managing Alpenglow, Madigan received Fyfe’s blessing to start trying out new ideas, like social media and free community events, both of which have proven to be successful. Alpenglow’s Facebook page has 1,429 fans, and has become the go-to place for backcountry aficionados to find out about conditions in Tahoe and happenings related to their sport. The store’s free events, like the Lake Tahoe Winter Film Series, the Lake Tahoe Backcountry Vertical Challenge, and free avalanche seminars, have also grown in popularity.
Madigan says he has new community events planned for the future.
‘The Vertical Challenge is the first of some big ideas,’ he said.
Madigan wants to take Alpenglow further into the digital age, starting with e-commerce, while at the same time staying true to Fyfe’s vision of a mountain shop that is a one-stop resource for locals and visitors.
‘In this day and age, especially in a resort town with heavy shoulder seasons, e-commerce is a viable option,’ he said. ‘But I feel a real loyalty to the Alpenglow mentality. I don’t want to stray from that. From a business perspective, it’s worked.’
Fyfe, who was ready to move on after running the business for 32 years, said Madigan was the perfect person to pass the torch to.
‘It’s important to have the next generation take the reigns and continue keeping it relevant as we age and our customer base doesn’t,’ he said. ‘It’s rare to have a situation evolve where [you have] the right person capable of running it and taking it to the next level. It all fell into place.’
Madigan is also the president of the Tahoe City Downtown Association, and is running for another term this month.
A year before Madigan joined Alpenglow, Brooke Bentley began working at La Galleria, first as a sales associate and then as manager. The store, which opened in 1982, sells home and gift products from around the world, including art, clothing, jewelry, and hand-carved sculptures.
Bentley actually began the process of buying La Galleria five years ago, but only recently felt comfortable announcing the purchase once it was final. For the last few years, she had been doing all the buying for the store — the previous owner lives in Mexico full time — while getting her master’s degree in teaching English as a second language to adults at the University of Nevada, Reno. On top of that, she is the mother of two young children, Cortez and Pearl.
‘I had to choose between buying the store or pursuing teaching,’ said Bentley, 36, who hails from Chico. ‘I was doing everything as it was, so I decided to buy it.’
Bentley plans on remaining true to La Galleria’s theme, ‘gifts from around the world,’ and even expanding on it. Along with her husband, Chad, Bentley travels to Bali, Mexico, China, and Hong Kong to discover new products and artists. This year she plans to add Chile to that list.
In addition, Bentley has already taken steps to get the store more involved with the community. Last year, La Galleria was a drop-off location for perishable items for Truckee Community Christmas and started supporting Truckee Thursdays. She is also looking for ways to pair with local nonprofits.
‘I’m trying to open minds to how we can do more for the community,’ she said.
La Galleria will continue to employ the expert staff who are artists themselves, specializing in jewelry design, paintings, and glass. Bentley encourages her employees’ artistic growth by selling their art in the store. Most of all, said Bentley, she is striving to keep La Galleria as unique as possible.
‘My goal is to get stuff in the store no one else has,’ she said. ‘You would have to travel to find it.’
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