Play It Again Sports' owner, Neil Copeland, reflects on 12 years of business organization.

Information technology was by "pure happenstance" that Neil Copeland purchased Play It Once more Sports nearly 12 years ago.

Spending a lot of time at the Columbia Cosmopolitan Recreation Expanse, Neil collection past the sporting goods store ofttimes. One solar day he stopped in and heard that the possessor was thinking of selling, so Neil decided to give him a call.

"I played sports my whole life, merely I had never endemic a business organization before," Neil says.

He still doesn't know why he decided to go within the store that day, much less why he decided to buy the business. "Everybody asks me," he says with a laugh. "I'm not quite sure."

Budgeted his 12-year anniversary of the purchase, Neil says running the shop for more than than a decade has been a crazy ride. "Information technology went fast. I can tell you that," he says. "It seems like the other twenty-four hour period we just opened and were scrambling effectually trying to figure everything out. It's been fun. We've had a practiced time."

Neil says he had no expectations when he bought the store. He just knew that he wanted to effort owning a business and that he loved sports — he felt like this would be a perfect fit.

"I grew upward in a small town. We were always used to working, so I knew I could keep up with the work," he says. "I just kind of jumped in."

Running a Shop Within a Franchise
The sporting goods store is an independently owned franchise with multiple locations across the United States and Canada. Neil says this makes Play It Again Sports unlike from the bigger sporting goods bondage; unlike them, Play It Once more Sports doesn't take one prepare manner of running stores.

Each store offers new equipment and sporting gear also as used products that they buy from customers and resell at a fraction of the original retail price. "The store has e'er been founded on the principles of buying and selling used equipment that kids take outgrown or no longer need or stop playing with," he says. "We carry a substantial amount of brand-new products now that most people, probably to this day, don't realize that we fifty-fifty have, especially in baseball, softball, and fitness."

Baseball, softball, and fitness are the summit iii reasons people come to the store. "Baseball and softball have been rock solid," he says. "They've grown every year. Fitness is a little choosy, because it'southward weather dependent."

In colder, snowier months, sales for indoor fettle equipment will get upwardly while sales for outdoor goods will go down. The contrary, naturally, happens in the summer. The heavy dependence on atmospheric condition, Neil says, is why he cannot look to another Play Information technology Once more Sports location for complete guidance — there's only one Columbia, Missouri. "I tin can't really draw much from what someone else does in another country," Neil explains.

Doing the Chore Correct
Play Information technology Over again Sports has expanded over the past decade, and Neil says that their growth is what he'due south about proud of. "Retail is a hard business organisation a lot of times," he says. "I'g pretty proud of being able to go on up and grow steadily."

Near the end of 2013, the store was growing larger than its space. By the beginning of 2014, they had relocated to a larger area, just one edifice away from their onetime spot. Neil says the move and the iii batting cages available at their newer location give them everything they demand "to do the job right."

Another loftier bespeak of pride for Neil is the dedicated staff that works there. "Beingness able to observe those people and get them to work hither — I'grand happy with that," he says.

The team has grown slightly, from six employees in 2007 to nearly x now, and the number fluctuates depending on who is in or out of school.

Neil and the employees often grow shut to their customers, learning their names, their kids' names, and the sports they play. Neil likes to provide a fun environment for his customers. "If it's non fun, it's non worth doing," he says. "We like to have fun, joke effectually with the customers, befriend them, actually go to know them, figure out who they are, who their kids are."

Maintain and Grow
Neil says their philosophy is making sure the customers become what they need and aren't wasting coin on products that won't work for them. "Nosotros pride ourselves on making sure that when somebody buys something, it fits them and it's right for them," he says. "Essentially what we try to exercise is help the person well enough that they feel comfortable enough with us and our information that they get our regulars."

Neil says the sporting goods industry in Columbia has been pretty steady over the past 10 years. At that place are changes in the number of boys and girls that play certain sports each year, but in that location have not been any new sports introduced to the city. "It hasn't really changed in a functional style that would require changes out of us," Neil says.

He hopes to keep growing the shop over the next few years by continuing "to provide practiced stuff, good quality products, and helping people the best we can," Neil says. He wants to make sure they stick to the core of Play it Again Sports, ownership and selling equally many used items as possible in a helpful, constructive fashion.

"Retail is ever changing," Neil says, and then the store takes things twenty-four hours past twenty-four hours, making sure they keep up with need and can provide individual customers, teams, or sporting leagues with what they need. "Nosotros try to practice the best we can with what each 24-hour interval presents," Neil says.

Play It Again Sports
1218 Business organization Loop 70 W.
573-442-9291
playitagainsports.com/locations/columbia-mo