Since 2005 David Polivy of Tahoe Mountain Sports has been selling quality outdoor gear on the web and out of his Kings Beach storefront. During that time TMS built up a strong local following as well as a sturdy online base. With the opening of the shop’s new location in Truckee, the retailer turns a new page in its sales and service driven journey.

On October 22nd 2014, TMS celebrates its grand opening in the Safeway Shopping Center on Donner Pass Road. In attendance will be Mountain Super Athlete Conrad Anker who will sign posters and host informal discussions on his many adventures in the alpine. Additionally, Polivy and staff are psyched to welcome shoppers with their good old fashion customer service and community focus.

Last week Earn Your Turns caught up with a very busy Polivy via email to discuss his background, the store’s history and his goals for the future.

EYT   What is your background in outdoor sports?

DP   When I was growing up, skiing was my main outdoor sport, outside of youth team sports of which I played pretty much everything throughout my early years. Skiing has always seemed to be a passion of mine and when I got into high school and could drive, I realized I didn’t have to drive to the resort all the time, I could stop at that awesome line through the trees I’ve looked at over the years and dreamed of skiing. It just so happened that my good friend’s brother had some telemark gear and he let us borrow it. We were hooked immediately and I would say that backcountry skiing is my favorite of all outdoor sports.

Now, I love to hike, camp, mountain bike, play disc golf, climb a rock, do a crossfit workout, snowkite or just go for a leisurely stroll down Truckee’s Legacy Trail with my family! I guess my background has exposed me to a lot of options and opportunities.

My outdoor ethics have been shaped by my parents who always encouraged conservation and a NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) trip to Australia where I learned a lot of the practices I put in place today.

EYT   How did these outdoor interests lead to you opening TMS?
DP   I have always loved the outdoors and I am a total gear geek. When I was a kid, I remember my favorite time of year was when I would get new gear for the given season’s sport: skis, cleats, whatever, I was psyched! I think that when I started to spend more time camping and hiking, that really shaped my love for summer sports and gave me an idea of what I wanted to do during my summers.

When I moved out west I left the restaurant industry and looked to the ski or outdoor industry for my next pursuits in life. A few stores, non-profits and adventures later, I found myself sitting around the campfire deciding to take the next steps and open my own business. I have always had a vision to have the perfect shop, the one that flowed the best and invited you in and kept you in with its natural atmosphere. I don’t know if the new Truckee store is going to do that yet, but I sure hope so!

EYT   What’s the store’s history?

DP   Tahoe Mountain Sports was created around a campfire outside Truckee in 2005. We started as an e-commerce operation and a year later, my wife and I bought out the two buddies I started TMS with and opened our first retail store with 1000 square feet in our most recent location in Kings Beach. We started on one side, took over the upstairs and then expanded to the entire building. All through that time we have been investing in our e-commerce platform, mobile optimizations and multi-channel strategy to ensure our virtual and physical presence is consistent. Now, we will embark on the next phase in TMS history with our move to Truckee.

EYT   Why are you moving to Truckee?
DP   The Truckee community is great and we knew we already had customers and a following here. People are always calling and online chatting with us from Truckee and they didn’t want to make the trip to Kings Beach so we would offer free delivery to Truckee for those customers. As our lease came to an end in Kings Beach, we decided to start looking around and primarily focused our sights on Truckee as there are no buildings in Kings Beach that are big enough and vacant that could house our operation. A couple of offers and potential spaces later, we settled on the Safeway Center as our new home.

Contact:
Tahoe Mountain Sports
11200 Donner Pass Rd., Ste. 100
Truckee, CA 530-536-5200

© 2014