LYNDONVILLE, Vt. (WCAX) – Recent flooding dealt another big blow to downtown Lyndonville. The Village Sport Shop will not reopen its Broad Street location despite surviving three other major floods in that location.
The Village Sport Shop in Lyndonville has been in business since 1978, but because of recent flooding, the ski side of the operation was unable to weather the storm.
In the heart of summer, the Village Sport Shop is all about biking. The parking lot is full at its Darling Hill Road location which connects to Kingdom Trails. But signs of recent flooding remain.
“Pretty tragic, we saw some houses that kind of got sucked into the river on our way up and then definitely some of the trails have some damage from the flooding. Obviously, it’s taken a toll,” said Jocelyn Beach of Lebanon, New Hampshire.
The Village Sport Shop knows that all too well. The business’ ski warehouse was not spared from the rising water. It was flooded by nearly four feet of water.
“It fully saturated our entire season lease ski and snowboard fleet,” said Chris Hibshman of the Village Sport Shop.
That fleet made skiing possible for hundreds of kids annually. For years, the business partnered with seven or eight local schools and their winter ski programs.
“Our main goal was to get the kids in this area who aren’t able to afford ski equipment, get them on equipment,” Hibshman said.
Replacing the waterlogged equipment would have been too pricey. After approaching another ski shop in town to fill the void, the owners decided their ski days are over.
“I think we are all a little scared with the levity some of the impacts these last storms have had,” Hibshman said.
The business started by his father decades ago is now focused solely on bikes. Thankfully, riders say their current location is the ideal spot.
“It’s amazing,” Beach said. “We are lucky to have it in our backyard.”
As for the future of the Broad Street location, the owners are still determining what comes next. However, they say tearing down the building is a real possibility.