Meet Felicia and Matt—Bringing Snowboarding Culture Back Home
Walk into Hometown Board Shop—now operating inside Inside Edge in Queensbury—and you’ll immediately feel a difference. Owners Felicia and Matt Lynn have created a space that is warm, friendly, and rooted in community, not just commerce. They opened the business in early November with a clear purpose: restore the kind of snowboard scene many people in the region once knew. Their goal is not simply to sell equipment, but to give riders a home base again.
That idea began before a business plan existed. After returning to the area, Felicia realized that despite many stores offering gear, there was no longer a true board-shop environment. Years ago, young riders could stop in, talk about equipment and conditions, meet others, and become part of an active network. Over time, that faded as those riders aged, moved away, or stopped participating regularly. When Felicia walked into her former workplace and found that snowboards had disappeared from the inventory, she recognized that something meaningful had gone missing.
She and Matt—both longtime riders and former coaches—decided to fill the gap. With Inside Edge offering space in-house, Hometown Board Shop launched with the ability to sell boards, boots, bindings, apparel, wax, and more, while leaning on Inside Edge for tuning, service, alpine, Nordic, and race-focused offerings. It is an arrangement that benefits both businesses and, more importantly, benefits local riders.
From day one, the shop built its identity around education over salesmanship. Felicia does not describe herself as a salesperson at all, but rather someone who helps riders make informed decisions. Instead of pushing top-priced gear, she takes the time to learn about ability level, frequency of riding, terrain preference, and goals. Customers often find that she steers them toward more affordable equipment when it fits their actual needs. Matt shares that approach; their priority is getting people into the right setup rather than the most expensive one. As he explained, the question is not “What costs more?” but “What matches your style and progression?”
The shop launched with two brand lines that reflect both tradition and emerging trends in snowboarding. Nitro, an established brand with decades of influence in the sport, represents the long-standing culture that shaped many riders. Public, newer and based in Minnesota, is tied closely to street and park riding—two styles gaining renewed interest locally. Together, these brands signal that the shop embraces both experienced riders and young newcomers looking for accessible progression.
What truly sets Hometown Board Shop apart is what Felicia and Matt plan to build beyond the retail counter. This winter, they will begin inviting riders to informal Thursday evening gatherings, where people can talk about conditions, swap knowledge, and organize weekend trips. With Indy Pass access, the owners plan to coordinate visits to different mountains, turning individual outings into group experiences. They also hope to bring back local competitions and introduce clinics, including tuning workshops that help riders take care of their own equipment.
Those events mirror what once existed here. Years ago, the region hosted rail jams and community-style gatherings, including the well-known Hometown Hero event at West Mountain. Felicia and Matt see value in reviving that culture—not only because it was fun, but because it helped young riders learn, improve, and find belonging. For many, that was how lasting friendships were made.
Perhaps the strongest message coming from the shop is that every form of riding belongs in the same community. Felicia has been involved in nearly every discipline—skiing, snowboarding, tele, Nordic, and coaching—and believes the divisions people often talk about are artificial. In her words, “It’s all just sliding on snow.” Whether someone prefers rails in the park, fresh groomers, glades, cross-country trails, or big-mountain conditions, the experience remains shared.
Hometown Board Shop does not simply offer a place to purchase gear; it offers a place to reconnect. For parents now returning to winter sports with their children, for riders who drifted away from the sport, and for new participants discovering it for the first time, the shop is already becoming what it set out to be—home base.
Those interested can visit hometownboardshop.com or stop into Inside Edge to learn more, browse merchandise, or simply talk riding. And for those who ask ahead of time, the shop will even let you know if Sheldon, the unofficial shop ambassador, is on duty that day.
In a moment when small businesses matter more than ever, Hometown Board Shop represents something more than local buying. It represents local belonging. And for the snowboard and free-ski community in the Adirondack foothills, belonging has finally found its place again.