MASON CITY | The sporting goods industry has changed over the years but one thing has remained the same for Decker Sports the past 60 years -- the relationship it builds with customers.
"You can buy a lot of product from different places, but what it boils down to is relationships," said Bob Lemon, co-owner of the Mason City store. "The name of the game is service."
Lemon and co-owner Barry Cory said it's those relationships and customer service that have allowed Decker Sports to celebrate its 60th anniversary this month.
The business was first incorporated as Decker Brothers in 1954 and specialized in hunting and fishing gear. It was an outgrowth of a sporting goods, gun and camera store, Decker Brothers Sport Center, started in 1931 by Dudley and J. Emerson Decker, grandsons of pioneering meatpacker Jacob E. Decker, according to Globe Gazette files.
People are also reading…
In 1951, Jay Decker II, Dudley's son, purchased the athletic department and started Decker Athletic Supply as a wholesale school and team business, which was run separately from the retail sporting goods business. Dudley sold the retail business to Jay in 1962.
Lemon and Cory joined the sales staff in 1975 and 1979, respectively, before becoming partners in the business in 1991. They then bought out Jay Decker's interest in 1994.
While both sides of the business overlap, Cory is in charge of school/team sales and Lemon handles the retail side. Both aspects have seen changes over the years.
In 1988 a second store was opened in Fort Dodge, which features retail and school/team sales. At the time, Decker Sports had three sales people traveling the state. Today it has 10 and contracts with three imprinters in Iowa to keep up with demand.
A large Des Moines market also prompted Cory and Lemon to open a showroom in Des Moines for school and team business a little over a year ago. Open by appointment only, it allows customers to order and try on uniforms. Also connected to it is one of the contracted imprinters.
The retail side of Decker Sports has also seen changes over the years, including moving to the current location at 4850 Fourth St. S.W. (Highway 122 West) in 2001.
"The quality of all the product -- from clothes to shoes to sunglasses to baseball bats -- it's changed immensely," Lemon said. "You have to stay on top of that."
Lemon said they have friendly and knowledgeable employees and they always try to get customers whatever they need as quickly as possible, which could include special orders.
He and Cory said that type of customer service has allowed the business to succeed in an industry dominated by larger companies.
"Our competition isn't against Iowa companies," Lemon said. "It's against out-of-state companies with global investors."
That's why relationships are so important, the two men said.
"They can't do that and we can," Lemon said.
Decker Sports also tries to stay connected to customers by maintaining a Facebook page and sending out promotions via email, and on the team side it has Web stores it sets up for students and coaches to order from.
All of the relationships the business builds with its customers has resulted in multi-generation customers, Lemon said.
Cory added that their customers are "tremendous" and, "We appreciate them greatly."