Arlberg closing

After one the very best years in the three decades Jon Rock has owned the Arlberg Ski and Sport Shop on Cherry Valley Rd (Rte. 11B), he announced that the business would close at the end of the month.

Rock, who owns and operates similar shops in Freeport and Scarborough, Maine said that he started working at the Gunstock store when he was 20 and had begun to tire of the 82 mile drive from his home on Cape Elizabeth. More important, he said that the property, which includes a restaurant, lounge and inn as well as the shop on a 10 acre tract, was "underutilized." "It's been 13 years since the restaurant operated," Rock said, "but I didn't want to get into the restaurant business."

On Rock's initiative, the property was recently rezoned from residential/agricultural to resort/commercial and is listed for sale at $649,900. "It's one of the older buildings in Gilford," Rock noted. "I'd love to see someone reopen the restaurant and the inn." He said that there are dormitory-style quarters on the top floor and more than a dozen rooms with private baths on the second floor, above the restaurant and lounge. "The property has a lot of potential," Rock said, adding that several developers and restauranteurs as well as a major ski retailer had shown interest in the property.

The Arlberg was built by Fred Knachbauer, an Austrian, shortly after World War II. Rock said that Knachbauer laid out a ski slope with a rope tow on the west face of the range of hills on the north edge of the property. "He soon discovered why all the ski slopes in New England face to the northwest," Rock said, recalling that Knachbauer once told him of his mistake. In its heyday, the Arlberg boasted a thriving restaurant, lively lounge, busy gift shop and full bedrooms.

Rock said that the Arlberg's fortunes were tied to Gunstock. "We're at the mercy of Gunstock," he said. "When there was lots of snow and Gunstock had a good season, we did well too."

Rock said he intended to turn his energies to his stores in Maine. "Nothing's forever," he remarked, "and we're going out on a high note. We've had the best February and March in my 30 years."