Mailbag: Money interests spelled the end for Sport Chalet

Money interests spelled the end

Why does the closing of Sport Chalet not surprise me? Sport Chalet was, under the direction of Norbert and Irene, the destination spot where everyone went for outdoor gear. People drove miles to shop at a place that had top-quality gear and a knowledgeable staff who were experts in all phases of outdoor equipment. For instance, if you wanted a tent, there would be an experienced outdoorsman/backpacker on staff who could discuss all the features of all the tents, all of which were on display.

Then the MBA “bean counters” came in and convinced Norbert they had better ideas. They took over and that was the beginning of the end. Sport Chalet became nothing more than a glorified clothing store. You could see the demise coming. The bottom line became more important than service to the customers. You’d ask about a tent. “Over there on those shelves” (in boxes) was all the expert advice you ever got.

Memories: I worked at Sport Chalet, 1961. That was when Norbert and Irene were living in the back room of the shop. I was there the day Dick Kelty came in with his backpack. As soon as he met Norbert and heard Norbert’s Austrian accent, he said he’d found the place to market his backpacks. And the rest is history — I still have my original Kelty pack, which has been all around the world, several times!

So sad to see this happen. But it always does when the bottom line becomes more important than service to the customers.

Trent Sanders

La Cañada

Drug story is a wake-up call

RE: “Nipping Drug Use in the Bud” April 14. Thanks so much for the great article in the Valley Sun last week covering our drug trends seminar. The article by Sara Cardine was really thorough and highlighted the intensity of the kids’ involvement in the drug scene. I personally was not aware of most of this along with the paraphernalia used as a vehicle for administering the drugs.

My hope is that parents who didn’t come will read the article and attend a future seminar, which we plan to present in the fall. The story of the courageous young man sharing his involvement with drugs should be a wake-up call for all parents.

Thanks again to you and your staff for the great coverage as it’s our best way to distribute the information to all parents and residents.

Mary Smith
Community Advisory Committee Member
La Cañada Flintridge

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Voting registration is easy online

It’s easy. Even fun. Students love it. Witness: People between the ages of 17 to 25 made up more than 33% of the 562,238 Californians who registered to vote via the secretary of state’s new online system between January and March. That’s pretty remarkable, given those young voters make up only about 8% of the registered electorate.

The League of Women Voters is smiling.

Anyone with a cellphone, iPad or computer can register easily. No more downloading and printing a form, finding a stamp and then remembering to mail it. Simply go to registertovote.ca.gov, check the language box, fill in the blanks, give permission to use the signature on your driver’s license. Submit and done. Easy as 1, 2, 3.

Next, we need to get to the polls in June and November. After all, voting is what makes democracy work, isn’t it?

Marge Nichols
President
League of Women Voters Pasadena Area

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Candidate would keep up his fight

I first got to know Andrew Blumenfeld while he was still a student at our local high school. We hoped to engage young people as we sought to raise additional funds for our schools, and he was quickly identified as the man for the job. Even then, when he was asked to step up and serve our schools and community he did so with an energy and focus you couldn’t help but notice.

When Andrew was later elected to serve on the La Cañada Board of Education, he knew how important it was to deepen public confidence in the direction of our schools, so that there would be an appetite for greater public investment in the work they were doing. He was also a passionate advocate for the value of locally controlled budgeting. He had seen firsthand how our state so often intruded upon local decision-making, and left our community vulnerable to special interests and politics out of Sacramento. It came as no surprise, then, when he eagerly helped lead the team that secured an additional $17 million of locally controlled funds for our schools through Measure LC, just when we needed it most.

Andrew is now continuing his fight to serve our community and for greater local control as a candidate for state Assembly, and I’m looking forward to voting for him on June 7. He has been an effective champion of the well-being of our community, especially its kids. And he knows that the best decisions are ones that are made by the communities impacted by those decisions. Our state Legislature desperately needs that perspective.

Barry Reed
La Cañada Flintridge