Living in Western Colorado likely means you’re accustomed to the presence of gondola cars, but in the past year a surplus of them have loosened from their wires to find new homes on solid ground. This is largely due to the restorative efforts of people like Dominique Bastien, owner of the Gondola Shop in Fruita.

“This past year the business really took off,” Bastien shares. “We’ve had inquiries for bars all the way in New York.”

Bastien’s success can be partially attributed to her 22-plus years of experience in the industry. Her first business, Sunshine Polishing, was founded in 1998 where she restored/polished equipment for ski resorts. It wasn’t until the last three years that she began to dabble in the restoration and transformation of gondola cars.

“That part of my business is so much fun,” she says.

In fact, the more creative aspect seems to have saved her company in the wake of COVID-19.

“It saved my business this year,” she confesses. “I lost all my contracts for polishing and restoration within three days last year and had to let go most of my staff. Now, The Gondola Shop makes up about 90% of my business and I’ve been able to rehire about half the staff.”

The process to restore a gondola is no small feat. The team buys the 30- to 35-year-old gondolas and completely disassembles them upon arrival. Each part is cleaned, polished and painted before the gondola is reassembled to begin creating the final product.

“It takes about 100 hours in basic restoration,” Bastien explains. “We’re really detail oriented; we want to do things right.”

That dedication is evident in their work. The Gondola Shop team has completed about 250 restorations and currently have 100 more lined up. Their work ranges from ornamental pieces for inside bars and restaurants to functional outdoor dining cars, some of which can be enjoyed in Telluride. The outdoor dining cars come with nice tables, upholstered seats and personal heaters. They’ve also done work with a dog shelter, providing a home for multiple pets within multilevel compartments in the car.

“I’ve learned a lot these past three years,” Bastien shares, from upholstery skills to woodwork for their sauna gondolas with the help of a local woodworker. That’s right, the team has refurbished an old gondola to be a functioning sauna, which has quickly become one of their most exciting offerings. Three of the saunas they’ve refurbished and sold are now located in hotels in California.

Bastien has even turned a gondola into a cute photobooth for weddings or parties. Her creations are available both for purchase and for rental, ensuring you can partake in the fun, even if buying an entire gondola isn’t in your budget.

Bastien still wants to concentrate her business on restoration for ski resorts (she’s currently working on a project for Breckenridge), but is grateful diversifying her company has allowed her to stay in business. At the end of the day, she’s most appreciative of the team that put in so much hard work and dedication for the company.

“I’m really blessed with a great team. Each project is really a team effort,” she says.

See more photos or inquire about purchases/rentals at thegondolashop.com.

Originally published in the Spring 2021 issue

The Gondola Shop: Fruita Company Gives New Life To Old Equipment