Sporting goods store sees exponential growth

Rick Walker said there are certain aspects to Replay Sports that are “counterintuitive” to the established retail model, such as keeping a warehouse full of out-of-season merchandise or displaying one piece of “oddball” consignment gear.

But that hasn’t stopped the store from growing at a pace that would be the envy of most traditional retail establishments.

In about three and a half years, the used and new sporting goods store at the corner of U.S. 2 and East Reserve Drive in Evergreen has undergone five remodels.

It has expanded from its initial 1,600-square-foot space to its current 16,000 square feet. It started out with no employees except owners Rick Walker and his wife, Carol, but now has 11 total.

And it’s all been done without outside financing.

“It’s grown organically,” Rick said. “The renovations and the additional staff — it has all been funded by the company itself.”

He said he believes the Kalispell area was in need of a place like Replay Sports, where people can make money selling their no-longer-used sporting goods or purchase clean and functional used gear.

“When we were young, we always shopped at used sporting-goods stores,” Carol said. “Then there wasn’t anything, and the valley needed a place where kids could get stuff at a reasonable price so they can participate in sports.”

Replay Sports now has about 30 percent of its stock in new items to supplement the recycled gear, which Rick said helps make the store a one-stop shopping experience. He is obsessive about making sure the used goods look as shiny and composed as the new gear.

“We have crews who clean gear relentlessly,” Walker said.

arol, who does all the bookkeeping for the business as well as customer service and “anything else that needs to be done,” said she constantly hears comments on how clean the store is.

“That doesn’t happen by accident,” she said. “We pride ourselves on it, and it takes a lot of labor to get the secondhand gear looking good.”

Though it accepts and sells goods for any outdoor, sports or fitness-related activity, the store has carved out a niche for itself in the whitewater boating community.

“We’re probably the largest whitewater shop in the state of Montana,” Rick said.

Now that the season is approaching, Rick said about one-third of the space in Replay Sports is devoted to new and used boating and whitewater gear, not counting what is displayed outside the store or stocked in the warehouse.

Customers looking for river gear are part of a “very large family,” he said. He sees the “crazies that travel all over to find whitewater to families who want to get down the river safely.”

While Rick has extensive knowledge of whitewater as well as other gear, he said the rest of his staff all have their sports and outdoor passions, so each specialty area has its in-house expert.

The store won’t purchase anything for resale that is not carefully vetted for relevance and functionality. The quality standards don’t only help the store, Rick said, they also help maintain the value of everything on the floor.

“People will get a better price because of the good, clean gear that surrounds their goods,” he said. “Junk will just bring down the value.”

Though the staff does prepare most of the gear, any outdoor clothing or outerwear items have to be brought in newly cleaned and ready to be hung on the racks.

People can either consign or sell their items to the store. Rick said he really doesn’t push either option, though consigners will probably make a little more money.

He encourages people to leave it to his store to set the prices.

“We see 20,000 to 30,000 used items cross the counter a year,” he said. “We know what is a fair price.”

ick is proud of the recycling aspect of his business, for what it provides environmentally and providing opportunities to try new activities without investing a huge amount of money.  

“Gear does have a life span to it, and there’s no reason to let it sit in the garage until it’s worthless,” he said. “Especially when you can use the cash.”

In fact, the Walkers opened Replay Sports by doing what brings many sellers in — trying to clean out the irrelevant sports items from their own garage.

“My husband had too much stuff at home that we needed to get rid of,” Carol Walker said. “That’s how the store got started.”

Rick had worked as a real estate broker and developer in the valley for 20 years. The Walkers built the 31,000-square-foot facility in which Replay Sports is located to rent out to other businesses and retire on the money they would make.

Bad timing altered the plans, though, when the recession hit and the Walkers couldn’t get tenants. They opened their initially small used-gear space as a way to help fill the building.

They eventually did find some renters, but then as adjoining renters moved on, Replay Sports knocked down walls and expanded into their spaces. They now share the building with three other businesses — Mountain Physical Therapy and Fitness, Cellular One and Far West Cabinets.

he Walkers hope the store has reached its growth limit for the time being. They’re both already on site six days a week, often for 10- or 12-hour days, just to keep up.

But, Rick said, the energy and enthusiasm of the store’s customers help make up for the long hours.

“Most people are in a good mood when they come in here,” he said. “They’re either going out to play or they’re back from playing with a good story. That makes it fun.”

Carol agrees that the customer experience makes the fact that they are at work “all the time” less of a sacrifice.

“Every day I get up and look forward to coming here, we have such a good time with people,” she said. “Everyone is happy when they come in and looking for an adventure.”

Replay Sports is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information, visit www.replaysportsmt.com or call 752-5005.

Business reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or by email at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.