Sport Chalet Opens 42,000 Square Foot Store in Hacienda

By George Walsh, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

New Facility at 4555 Rosewood Drive Offers a Vast Array of Sporting Goods

Sport Chalet, an operator of full-service specialty sporting goods superstores in California and Nevada, recently opened the doors of its new store 42,000+ square foot store in Hacienda, including an on-site pool, at the Metro 580 Shopping Center. Sport Chalet offers over 40 services for sports enthusiasts, including backpacking, custom golf club fitting and repair, team sales, racquet stringing, and bicycle tune up and repair. By the holiday season, Sport Chalet expects to have around 100 employees in Pleasanton.

"Our products address pretty much anything relating to fitness, team sports, extreme sports, and the outdoors," says Craig Levra, chairman and CEO of Sport Chalet. "We've got a great assortment of running products, including treadmills, footwear, and apparel, from all the major brands. We also address the needs of SCUBA enthusiasts. We have a pool inside of our building for SCUBA training and charter excursions off of the Pacific coast. We're the largest SCUBA retailer west of the Mississippi river. In our heritage categories like skiing and snowboarding, we have machines to grind, repair, and tune up skis and snowboards. We also offer a complete rental program that lets you try before you buy. If you rent a product, the first two days of rental apply toward purchase if you decide to take up the sport. We have alpine training classes, and teach people to kayak and rock climb. In addition, we have the capability to silk screen and embroider uniforms, jerseys, and shirts for sports teams and leagues. We try to offer a complete selection in the sports that we serve. We cater to baby boomers in categories like running and walking and we serve younger people as well in things like baseball and extreme sports."

Sport Chalet was founded in La Canada, California in 1959 by Norbert Olberz. In 1981, Olberz doubled the size of the company by opening a store in Huntington Beach, California, and began to build a loyal following of beach customers. In 1992, Sport Chalet went public, trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market. In 2001, Sport Chalet expanded beyond Southern California for the first time, entering Nevada. In 2003, Sport Chalet opened stores in Northern California. Today, with its new stores in Pleasanton and Roseville, California, the company has a total of 33 stores in California and Nevada.

"Pleasanton is a great community to be located in," Levra says. "There are so many outdoor activities located nearby. It's a growing community and we like the young families and the number of children here. There seemed to be a need for the products and services that we offer."

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