Bass Pro Shops
Founder Johnny Morris fell in love with bass fishing at age 21 and spent five years on the professional circuit before he started selling fishing tackle out of eight square feet in the back of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, MO. He stayed there for 13 years before gradually expanding to become one of the most influential retailers of the past half century.
Morris credits his parents with raising him to revere the great outdoors by taking him hunting and fishing regularly. He channeled his childhood experiences into an empire that helped to pioneer the concept of destination retail and that inspires appreciation for the natural world not just through the products the stores sell but also through brand extensions like the Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium, next to the company’s headquarters in Springfield. Today, Bass Pro Shops has nearly 200 retail stores and marine centers across North America. More than 200 million shoppers visit annually.
Source: Bass Pro Shops
Fleet Feet
In 1976, friends and former college athletes Sally Edwards and Elizabeth Jansen (above) tired of their careers as schoolteachers and resolved to find a new career. Running was a growing trend, but only a handful of stores devoted to the sport existed, all of them owned by men. The two twenty-something women made a bold move: They opened a running store in a dilapidated Victorian house in a shabby stretch of Sacramento, CA, with just $2,000. Despite having no credit, they managed to order $20,000 worth of shoes. They figured if they sold five pair a day, they’d break even.
The plan worked. Runners came not just for the product but for a sense of camaraderie. As the business grew, Edwards and Jansen doubled down on the community-first philosophy, building a racing team, hosting events, and drawing a loyal customer base of fellow runners. Eventually they decided to franchise but were careful to partner only with fellow enthusiasts who cared about running and retail. “We didn’t want people who were just looking for a financial investment,” Jansen has said.
Today Fleet Feet boasts a sprawling 170-plus locations, but it retains its friendly, community-oriented business model, where seasoned runners can bond and where newbies can get coached through their first 5k.
Source: Fleet Feet
Dick’s Sporting Goods
When Dick Stack was a teenager working at an Army surplus store in Binghamton, NY, he approached his boss with a list of fishing tackle products to add to the inventory. He figured that if he wanted to buy them, other shoppers might, too. But the store owner dismissed him as a dumb kid with no head for business. Dick quit on the spot and headed to his grandmother’s house for comfort, as he often did. When she heard what had happened, she asked how much opening his own store would cost. Dick estimated $300. She promptly emptied the cookie jar and gave him her life savings of $300. “Do it yourself,” she told him.
Dick made his grandma proud and proved his old boss wrong by growing his first bait-and-tackle shop into one of the most iconic and beloved brands in the sports world. The company, which acquired Foot Locker last year, is now 77 years old and boasts more than 2,400 retail stores in 20 countries as well as GameChanger, a youth sports mobile platform for live streaming and scorekeeping.
Source: Dick’s Sporting Goods
Elm Shoes
After losing a school bus contract in 1930, Elm Shoes founder J. Ira Eshleman and his sons-in-law—David Lehman and Norman Martin—repurposed the unused vehicles they owned as stores on wheels to serve the community of Greencastle, PA. In 1941, they opened their first brick-and-mortar store, where they sold groceries, hardware, dry goods, and clothing, and had an on-site tailor. In 1957, Norman’s oldest son, Lester, introduced the store’s first shoe department.
Lester and his sons, Lowell and Loren, renovated and expanded the store building in 1983, adding enough space to expand their footwear inventory. They followed this up with another expansion and renovation in 1997. Elm Shoes now occupies more than 6,000 square feet and warehouses 18,000 pairs. Today the company is a fourth-generation, family-owned business run by Loren and his son, Gavin.
Source: elmshoes.com
Tractor Supply Company
In 1938, Chicagoan Charles E. Schmidt Sr. started a mail-order catalogue for tractor parts, working at his kitchen table. Two years later, he had earned enough of a reputation to open a retail store in Minot, North Dakota. From those humble roots, Tractor Supply Company has expanded to more than 2,200 stores in 49 states and become America’s largest rural lifestyle and livestock wellness retailer.
Source: Tractor Supply Company
REI
By 1935, outdoor enthusiasts Lloyd and Mary Anderson (above) were fed up with the high price of quality gear. Ice axes, for instance, cost $20 apiece. Using Mary’s German language skills to translate a catalogue, they ordered a few axes directly from Austria. The cost per item? $3.50, including shipping.
Their friends shared their desire to save money on outdoor gear, so the Andersons formed a co-op. Fellow adventurers kicked in $1 for a lifetime membership, and together they increased their bargaining power. In 1939, the co-op opened its first “shop,” a shelf at the Puget Sound Cooperative Store, a farmers’ co-op near Pike Place Market, while the Andersons’ attic provided storage for extra inventory.
The business grew slowly but steadily. The first full-time employee, Jim Whittaker, joined in 1955. When Whittaker became the first American to summit Mount Everest in 1963, there was so much publicity that REI’s gross income soared to over $1 million.
Today REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) includes almost 200 stores in the U.S. and boasts more than 25 million co-op members. Merchandise includes gear for camping, hiking, climbing, cycling, water and snow activities, travel, and apparel, but not hunting or fishing items. The current lifetime membership fee is $30. Members still vote for the company’s board of directors and receive patronage “dividends” in the form of store credits.
Source: REI
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