AUBURN — When Jeremy Petrocelli started snowboarding 25 years ago, it was such a novelty that he remembers riding the chairlift at Sunday River with his father and his dad pointing out, “Look, there’s another one.”

Today, more than a quarter of the people hitting those same slopes are snowboarders and he’s selling boots and boards fit for 2-year-olds.

It’s been an evolution for the industry and for his shop, Backwoods Snowboards & Skateboards, filled to the ceiling now with winter gear and accessories in anticipation of his busiest season. Petrocelli has a view of it all from the second-floor crow’s nest, accessible only by a ladder, that doubles as both his office and the layaway department.

“When I was a kid, you certainly weren’t riding product that was created for a 10-year-old, you were riding whatever you could get your hands on,” Petrocelli, 37, said.

He and his wife, Erin, started Backwoods 10 years ago in a residential home-turned-pet grooming shop just off busy Minot Avenue. Five years ago, they bought the property and rebuilt, expanding from a 700-square-foot space to 1,700 square feet with a vaulted ceiling and cabin look and feel.

Petrocelli, who grew up in Mechanic Falls, had worked in a snowboard shop in Falmouth as a teen and in college. 

“To see where people were coming from, there was always a strong presence and demand from this area,” he said.

He left that store after graduation — he’d majored in accounting and finance — and within a year, knew he wanted back into the industry. Backwoods was born 18 months later.

“We’re super dedicated to what we do,” he said. “Having inventory, it’s obviously a risk and it takes cash flow to do, (but) inventory is definitely one of our assets, what draws people to us.”

The shop walls are lined with goggles, boots, bindings and jackets that he started ordering for stock last January and February. Freestanding racks carry boards, more clothes, gloves, helmets, hats, earbuds and even bumper stickers that include the cheeky “I (heart) ASS.” It’s a brand of snowboard wax, Petrocelli said, and yes, gets its share of double takes.

Snowboarding and skateboarding have been natural seasonal compliments. He sells gear for both year-round but flips the store layout to emphasize one or the other. 

Petrocelli spends an average day talking to vendors, bookkeeping and forecasting what the shop needs next to grow.

“I still try to be on the floor as much as possible,” he said.

On Sunday mornings this time of year, before opening at noon, there’s also an important staff tradition: They go snowboarding together. It’s a chance to see customers, test new gear and just have fun. 

“It sounds really corny, but high-fiving a customer in a lift line is a big deal — they want to know you’re riding,” Petrocelli said. “They want to hear a snow report from you, not from SundayRiver.com. We see a lot of the (same) people come through our door that afternoon.””

He and Erin, who live in Poland, have three kids. Their oldest son was snowboarding at 2, their daughter at 20 months. The youngest is 1. He’ll be on the slopes soon enough.

“I’m doing what I love,” Petrocelli said. “I feel extremely lucky for that, but I like running a business just as much. Everyday I’m doing a variety of things and I love them all. That keeps me going.”

kskelton@sunjournal.com