Paula Richardson, Ski Royalty

Some people come into your life and forever alter its course. When I was a young shithead at Owl’s Head this woman was royalty. Paula owned and ran the Boutique at the mountain with grace and class… and from the first pair of gloves we bought from her I was fascinated. She knew what she was talking about, she would tell you WHY these were the gloves that you needed to buy, she made selling gear honourable, she wasn’t a sales-person, she was a consultant, an advisor, a professional, an authority… As a kid, in my book, there were doctors, mechanics, firefighters, vets, and Paula. You know, people who did things that were IMPORTANT. I was mesmerized. I became a shop rat. I found something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I can still see her taking care of her customers in a way that made me want to do that too. I would ask her about every product in her store and she would patiently explain to me why she had bought each item, why they had value… all the while taking care of her real, paying customers. She didn’t suffer fools very well (I was one of those fools) but always remained kind, courteous and professional. To me, decades of going to the mountain were as much about skiing, racing, coaching, patrolling as it was about going to see Paula.

As a young hammerhead and later as a freeloader (Bob’s nicknames) I would sit outside her little shop and watch her gear-up people, give measured advice and affect everyone’s Owl’s Head experience in a positive manner. Because of her I found my calling. Because of her, hundreds and hundreds of folks own kick-ass gear that they love. Gear they bought not only at Owl’s Head but by extension in Winnipeg, Banff and Sutton… Paula was the first to teach me that you don’t sell garbage, you leave the garbage-selling to others. Out of that little shop she took care of an entire mountain. Out of that little shop she taught me utopic retail.

Today, Saturday, is her birthday and it’s fitting that schools are closed because they sure as hell should be. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this little tribute, Paula Richardson is ski business Royalty.

Bonne fête Paula, thank you for everything.

Long live the Queen!