Our Feb. 20th, 2012 guest speaker was Greg Balcom, who told us about his business. Greg and his wife operate Source for Sports on Main Street here in Sussex.
Originally opened as Sussex Sports Shop, Bob Balcom and Gale Jeffrey started in 1983 when there wasn't a sports store in Sussex. Dave Candy managed the store for 17 years.
In 1983 the Blue Unicorn shut its doors, and they cut a hole in the wall and expanded. They were independent in 1983 and joined Western Co in 1986 for buying power. Western went bankrupt in 1988, and that set them back for a while. They were independent again in 1994 when Greg graduated, and Gale was teaching and ready to sell his portion of the business. He did want to see family take over too, so Greg started in 1994. Gale sold in 1995 and subsequently in 1997, they joined Sports Distributors of Canada. Being a member of Source has several benefits. Dave left in 2000 and Greg has been the manager ever since and his wife is second in command...
Like everywhere in retail business has been slower for the past few years, but he is confident that things will come back, and they will be around for another 29 years. They give all the trophies and jerseys for all the Sussex, Petitcodiac and Hampton minor hockey leagues. Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire would be considered their biggest competition. They are good neighbours with Outdoor Elements. Although they have similarities, they are unique and refer to each other's businesses if they are not able to help on their own.
Greg did broadcasting in the past, which is a passion of his. He was hired to broadcast for a professional basketball association in Cape Breton and still announces some of the Dairytown games here in Sussex.
Skates are $200-$500 a pair on average and up to $800.00 in some cases. Harley said his first pair of new skates was $7.50.
Greg loves sports but said the business side of sports has its ups and downs. He has the good and the bad. The part he has a challenge with is the disgruntled customer. He says people are getting harder to please and sometimes unrealistic. The part he likes is the flexibility of being the manager. He can go to sporting events and enjoy the fun side of the business. He also likes the part of being the first to get and test out new products. He was the first in the area to invest in "Crocs," and they sold over 7000 pairs in the first year. They sold over 700 on Mother's Day weekend alone. Crocs are a good boat shoe. Under Armour products are their best sellers currently.