At a glance, Aberfoyle Snomobiles doesn’t look like much. Nestled in a somewhat disheveled former blacksmith’s shop near Guelph, Ont., Aberfoyle Snomobiles is a classic case of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover.”
A family business formed in 1971, Aberfoyle has been steadily snowballing, from a humble “ma-and-pop” operation to an icon in Canada’s powersports industry. “My husband always had a dream to own his own business,” said Mary Leachman, who founded Aberfoyle Snomobiles with her husband Glenn Leachman. “It was a booming business and everyone wanted to get on board to sell snowmobiles.”
When Glenn and Mary began the business, they likely didn’t expect it to be such a hit. But word spread, and they became the household name for powersports. It wasn’t just the customers in their beloved community that took note, major industry players were also paying attention the the Leachmans.
Impressed with their results, Arctic Cat forged a relationship with the Leachman’s in the mid 70s, putting in motion a relationship that’s still going strong to this day. Right now Aberfoyle Snomobiles is the second-oldest Arctic Cat dealer in Canada, and among the oldest in North America. “It makes for some unique conversations sometimes when you’re actually giving your dealer number out… ‘that can’t be the right dealer number, there’s not enough digits,’” said Darryl Leachman with a laugh.
Darryl, Mary and Glenn’s son, became fully involved with the business in 2010. His wife Rachel also works at Aberfoyle full time. After Glenn’s passing in 2017, Darryl fully took the reins, ensuring that Aberfoyle maintains the strong family tradition they’ve become known for in their community. “We have customers that have been buying (snow) machines since the 70’s,” noted Darryl. “There’s a lot of people that wouldn’t go anywhere else. That makes you feel good – and they feel part of the family when they come in here.”
Aberfoyle is known for their customer service and unique location, but Darryl and the rest of the team aren’t afraid to head in a new bold direction for the next generation. The family has acquired a sizeable plot of land nearby, and are in the early stages of building a new, modern showroom and service facility – and it’s been a while since they’ve just sold snowmobiles. They’re fully committed to a range of brands such as EZ-GO, Argo and Textron Off Road, offering “four seasons” of coverage.
“We’ve got our customer’s backs,” said Darryl.
At CR Creative Co, we’ve been collaborating with Aberfoyle, developing various print, promotional and digital products. To see more work and client profiles, click here.
