THE MAIN EVENT ON PACIFIC STREET
looking for a good life in telluride

A couple who are simultaneously strong and solid are Scott and Sherry Reed, owners of Pacific Street Liquors in the Accommodations Zone of Telluride. The Reeds are champions in living life to its fullest. They go for the gusto in everything they set out to do. They thrive on taking risks, but do so wisely and with a lot of forethought. They are also adrenaline junkies, world explorers, inventors, horse people and business owners who are dedicated to taking on the great American challenge by bringing their client-base the best product for the best price.

More than anything, however, Scott and Sherry are perpetual students. One gets the feeling that their capacity to learn is never-ending. They, as a team and individually, have an insatiable appetite to gather as much knowledge, know-how and experiences one could possibly muster-up in this game of life. Their business exercises their intellects, while their outdoor escapes keep their physical-sides brimming with verve. The Reeds are in balance. They have the intuitive genius and wherewithal to equally use their minds and bodies. They also, seemingly, have a need be connected with the landscape in which they dwell. They attach themselves to it through horseback riding, skiing and nature hikes with their giant schnauzers. You can tell by the glimmer in their eyes, they love the energy the San Juans expel.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, Sherry discovered her first true love - skiing. Her parents had a place in Squaw Valley , which is where she learned to ski. There's something the sport of skiing does to a woman like Sherry. It engenders swiftness, grace and finesse. It also embodies a sense of freedom that comes with an aptitude of selfexploration. Skiing, as so many ski professionals and groupies will attest, can be like an addiction that pulsates through your veins. Its drug-like effects rush adrenaline down the spine giving thrills Starbucks couldn't light a match to. Once it's in your blood and part of your life, it becomes part and parcel of who you are. Enter our protagonist, Sherry, the skier. The skier's skier. Virtually all of Sherry's life has been surrounded by the adventure of skiing and ski racing. Since her first days on the slopes to the present, Sherry has lived near ski slopes, racing through slalom gates, executing precision turns that won her many national titles. Sherry's more youthful years were enveloped by the ski industry. She not only won prestigious race events, she says, "I was the first woman ski rep. I drove around ski towns peddling a van full of ski goods. I worked for Head Ski Company, then as a ski clothing designer for the last 20 years," she reflects. Nothing. Not her five broken legs, twisted knees, broken arms, seven concussions or a bad day at the office can keep Sherry away from the slopes for very long. Mountains forever beckon her. They are interconnected and constantly whispering sweet innuendos to each other.

You can't really blame Sherry; after all, alpine skiing was her first love. Scott Reed met Sherry at a Halloween masquerade at Donner Ski Ranch in Truckee , California , 18 years ago. They were both disguised in ridiculous costumes, quite spirited with the spirited-stuff, and still, their "cosmic energy," or karmas collided like a magnetic force-field. Yin met Yang. Scott found his feminine "other half." Sherry engendered the values, attitude and intellectual capacities that would keep Scott thriving at a level he become accustomed. He found his nemesis and she found hers. Scott reaffirmed it that Valentine's Day by asking her to marry him. In August of '82 they exchanged vows. "Scott was instrumental in developing analytical instrumentation that measures food material for what we see on food labels," says Sherry. "You know the carbs, proteins, oils, sugars, and fibers on most all United State 's packaging. His system calculates nutritional information," explains Sherry. Officially it's called Near Infrared Spectroscopy or NIR.

Scott traveled over four million miles worldwide for Perten Instruments North America of which he was president. He went to such far reaches of the world as Bolivia , Mexico , South Africa , Europe , Australia , New Zealand and more. At one point, he'd travel to Europe four times in a four to six week period. Scott's worldly travels broadened his horizons in the fields of politics, economics, cultures, literature and the fine arts. He got to experience the workings of many societies and visit the most intriguing, fascinating places on earth. He frequented international cities doused with huge doses of high finance, fine cuisine, performing arts and entertainment venues. Having traveled the world over many times, it seems ironic that Scott - and Sherry who would join him on many trips - would find themselves in the teeny, somewhat remote town of Telluride . After Scott's 13-year stint with Perten came to a close, the couple decided to leave California and get into the mountains in quest of purchasing a business and starting fresh.

After much legwork, they traveled the states of Utah , New Mexico and Colorado , they found the charm, sophistication and ambiance of Telluride suited them best. Currently, the Reeds' energy focuses on Pacific Street Liquors. They are on a constant path of bringing in better wines for less, as well as developing a "to die for" internet "wine community" for their patrons. Patrons will be able to rate wines and add them to their "favorites list." Accustomed to the high-tech world, Scott foresees (www.pacstliq.com) their website as one that customers merely pick and choose their libations and Pacific Street Liquors will have them at your doorstep in no time. If you don't want them delivered, you always have the choice of visiting their quaint, well-stocked shop.

Outside the business realm, Scott and Sherry maintain a steady working/riding relationship with their horses. Sherry's horse, Noah, a Freisian, was imported from northern Holland . Noah stepped on Sherry's ankle in April crushing it. Two rods, eight screws and a plate put her foot back together. Scott's horse, Arisha, is a Russian thoroughbred that is a bay and of the Ahkal Teke decent. Scott and Sherry ride together at the incredible Dahlwhinnie equestrian facility in Ridgway. "Next to skiing, horses are my favorite thing." She continues by saying, "Someday, I'd like to have a ranch. I'd call it Horse Heaven. It would be a place for old, sick or lame horses to live out their days." What a beautiful idea. Their other "children," schnauzers Heidi (Hannah, who died this October) and puppy Bordeaux receive much of the Reeds' energy as well. Their dogs are really the "main event" in their dayto- day lives. They are their companions who nourish the Reeds' soul and make them feel complete. Their animals, if you will, are their kids. Heidi and Bordeaux , their schnauzers, as well as their horses, Noah and Arisha, add body, texture and sweet nectars to the Reeds' lives. They are the fruit upon their vines.