BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Shelly Newell slapped a high five with a young boy buying his first fishing pole Monday. She knew exactly how he felt.
“He’s gonna have so much fun,” said Newell. “I've been coming here since I was a little girl. I love this store.”
Newell is a clerk at Yeager's Sporting Goods in Bellingham. The family-owned store, founded by Ira Yeager in 1921, turns 95 this week.
“My husband got his first fishing pole from Ira Yeager when he was five-years-old,” said Newell. “It’s a special place.”
Yeager’s has survived nearly a century in the sporting goods world while many others have not.
Three major sporting goods retailers have filed for bankruptcy over the past year. As he chatted with customers, store manager John Westerfield said staying small has made a big impact.
“The chain of command here is short. It's me,” he chuckled. “There’s no board of directors in Chicago to go through. If there is demand for a product we go and get it.”
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Staying small has allowed the business to focus on providing superior service. That, according to Westerfield, is what sets Yeager's apart from big box retailers like Sports Authority, which declared bankruptcy this spring.
“They had 46,000 square feet in Bellingham and 34 employees. I've got 26,000 square feet and 40 employees. The difference is when you walk in this store someone is going to pay attention to you,” he said.
As for mega stores like Cabela's that are gobbling up market share, Westerfield doesn't see them as competition.
Yeager's is doing its own thing.
The store also has a large toy department. It's no fluke. Yeager's caters to kids as part of its business plan.
“They’re the future of the business,” said Westerfield. “When a new kid comes in here and learns to fish or camp, they’re going to do it for a lifetime. We’re selling fun to a new generation.”
A new generation Westerfield hopes will help sustain Yeager's for another 95 years.
