The Alpine Sport Shop, a Saratoga fixture since 1941, is more than a retail store; it’s a community hub built on a legacy of family, service, and local involvement. Today, the shop is owned and operated by Jack and Cathy Hay, who met on the Saratoga High School ski team in 1968.
The store’s rich history began with founder Ed Taylor, who opened Alpine in 1941. Cathy’s parents, Dorothy and Thurlow Woodcock, purchased the business in 1966. At that time, it was located on Spring Street near the old Skidmore College campus. Back then, the shop was quite different, catering to the then all-girls school. According to Cathy, the students of Skidmore “were big customers then, and Alpine sold clothing like skirts, blazers, a variety of nice apparel. The ski shop was downstairs.”
