FINALY, THE TRUTH

As most of you know, in the late 40's what is now referred-to throughout the free world as Gord's Ski and Bike was originally named Gord and Phélipés's house of sandals and imported macramé.
That is until Gord fell in love with stuff like Skis and Bikes... Phélipé's soul, however, was never wooed by mundane things like the great outdoors and human interaction... So in the summer of 1953 Gord and Phélipé had a falling out. Partially motivated by Phélipé's desire to get into the anti-wrinkle cream business and fueled by a lingering bitterness that the business was never named Phélipé and Gord's House of Sandals and imported Macramé... In the simple interest of making a long, convoluted story short, a story that guides us through Gord's brief yet fascinating career as a pearl diver off the coast of Dubai to Gord's glory years as a young cliff diver in Acapulco with a pit stop in Malaysia where he reportedly invented Red Bull while working on his third novella entitled, suprisingly, "Short Skis Suck". Let us mercifully jump ahead to 1961, when Gord's started What is now called Gord's Ski and Bike... and we're glad he did. Thanks, Gord... and man, are we happy we're not in the anti wrinkle cream business!

No but seriously:Established in Winnipeg, Manitoba by Gord Reid in 1961 in the coat check of the historical Winnipeg Ski Club with the help of a $1000 loan from Dr. Schluderman who, in a previous life, co-invented the metal ski edge... Gord's Ski Centre has been the driving force behind skiing and biking in Central Canada for over 40 years now! Our primary focus has been, from the very beginning, customer satisfaction and a commitment to highest levels of customer service and product excellence.

Gord’s was incorporated in 1968. In those early years Gord’s sons Eric and Jeff and daughter Ruth were the key employees. In 1975 Ruth began working full-time and in 1976, Brian Lowen (current owner) became an employee. In 1977 Gord’s re-located to 7 Donald in and began to operate year-round. Clothing sales increased dramatically after the move to the Donald location. A year after the move Brian Lowen left to open a competing retail operation called “Top Buckle”. In 1982 Gord’s expanded it’s Donald Street location and began diversifying, offering Windsurfing equipment as well as cross-country skis, tennis, and footwear. In the early eighties Gord’s Ski Centre LTD was managed primarily by Gord’s sons Jeff and Eric as well as Gord’s daughter Ruth. By that time Gord had taken the mantle of ambassador for the business as well as the driving force behind the sports of Skiing and Cycling.

By 1987, Jeff and Eric had left the store, and Ruth was left as sole manager. In 1988, Gord’s Ski Centre merged with Brian Lowen’s Top Buckle Ski Shop. At that time Brian and Ruth Lowen (since married) purchased Gord’s Ski Center from Gord and Joan Reid, affording the founders a well deserved retirement. At that time the decision was made to operate under the Gord’s banner from the Donald Street location and that marked the end of “Top Buckle”. The next expansion at 7 Donald occurred in 1990 where additional retail space was incorporated to the dated building. Immediately before and during this chapter, Tennis, Water sports and footwear were gradually phased out as the business began focusing its energy towards the core segments of clothing, bikes and skis.

After the addition of Snowboards to our product mix in the early nineties Gord’s Ski and Bike then continued it’s commitment to bikes both road and off-road (ultimately becoming Manitoba’s largest bike retailer).

In 1999, A young man, after being encouraged by a certain Gord Reid to apply, J.F. Ravenelle was hired to eventually fill the role of General Manager.

In 2000 Gord’s embarked on a complete revamp of it’s web presence, creating an award winning website that is widely regarded as a benchmark for culture-based sports retail web presence. In the same year, Gord’s Bike Club was re-launched with tremendous success.

In 2001, still recovering from a recent stroke suffered as he was preparing to go out for a bike ride, Our founder, Gord Reid was enshrined in the Manitoba Alpine Ski Hall of fame in for his many contributions to skiing in Central Canada.

On May 12 2006 our beloved patron, Gord Reid, passed away at the Riverview Health Centre where he had been living since his stroke. That same summer saw Gord’s Bike Club membership top 300 members. Quite fitting a tribute to the man who had given so much to the two sports he loved.

In October of 2006 Gord’s Ski and Bike opened a second location in the burgeoning retail Mecca that is the Southwest corner of Winnipeg. This 8000 square foot flagship store was the first step in the evolution of Gord’s as a dominant force in retail

Absent since the mid eighties, the winter of 2007/2008 saw the much anticipated and quite successful return of Cross Country Skis to Gord’s product mix.

Recipient of numerous awards, Gord’s most recent accolades included the SIA’s (Snowsport Industries of America) coveted 2007 “Snowsports Retailer of the Year” award as well as Uptown Winnipeg’s (a local publication) “Best Bike Shop in Winnipeg” as voted by their readers.