MASON CITY — Decker Sporting Goods has been a familiar name in Mason City for more than 50 years — and co-owners Bob Lemon and Barry Cory have been part of the success story since their initial involvement in the 1970s.
The store was incorporated in 1954 as Decker Brothers, a family-owned business specializing in hunting and fishing gear.
Lemon joined the sales staff in 1975. Cory came on board in 1979. They became partners in the business with Jay Decker in 1991 and bought out his interests in 1994.
The store was located in downtown Mason City until September 2001 when Lemon and Cory moved it to its current location at 4850 Fourth St. S.W.
Lemon handles the retail end of the business while Cory specializes in working with schools.
They took time out recently to chat with the Globe Gazette.
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Q. What is your background that led you to Decker Sports?
Bob: I was born and raised in Mason City, graduated from Mason City High School and the University of Northern Iowa.
Barry: I am originally from Boone. I graduated from Boone High School and the University of Northern Iowa. Bob and I were at UNI at the same time but didn’t know each other.
Q. How did you get involved with Deckers?
Bob: After I graduated from UNI I was offered a teaching and coaching job but I had started working at Deckers and liked it. So I decided to stay in retail.
Barry: While I was in college I worked for a clothing store and enjoyed it. I got my teaching and coaching degree from UNI and taught and coached at Forest City for three years. I was working on my master’s degree at Mankato State and I started hearing people talk about how the teaching profession was really changing. I loved retail and saw an ad for a job at Deckers and applied for it. That’s how it started.
Q. When you were in high school, what did you think you would be doing today?
Bob: Teaching and coaching and possibly becoming an athletic director or administrator. I like to direct traffic.
Barry: When I was in high school I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. So I went to UNI and got my teaching and coaching degrees but it wasn’t something I thought about much in high school.
Q. What advice would you give to someone who wanted to start a small business today?
Bob: You have to have a niche and you have to cash-flow it. Neither one of those is easy things. Be diversified and never take anything for granted. You have to have a passion and love for what you’re doing, and I still do, but it takes more than that. You also have to have an approach with your customers of “keep them happy and keep them coming back.”
Barry: You have to have a real commitment and you have to be willing to put in the time to make it work. That’s what we look for, too, when we’re hiring new employees. It has to be that way. There’s a lot of competition out there and it’s coming from a lot of different directions.