Play It Again Sports store closing at Duck Creek Plaza
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By Jennifer DeWitt | Tuesday, February 19, 2008 |
After 16 years in the sports equipment business, the owners of Play It Again Sports are giving up the game.
If the franchise owners — Jack, Mary Ellen and Terry Peeters — cannot find a new owner for the business, the last day at the Bettendorf store will be Feb. 23.
Located at Duck Creek Plaza for the past three years, the retail store — which specializes in new and used sports equipment — is falling victim to increased competition, particularly online, for used equipment, said Jack Peeters, who runs the store with his son, Terry.
Peeters, who at 75 plans to retire when the store closes, said the big box stores have taken away some business, but another factor is that “we’ve become a more throw-away society.”
Play It Again Sports has provided an outlet for athletes to sell their used equipment as well as to buy new. But Peeters said many customers now are using e-Bay to sell their own equipment and are shopping his store to determine prices and sizes.
“We have people come in getting fitted up for hockey skates and then two weeks later they’re bringing in a pair for us to sharpen (that they bought online),” he said.
Peeters said his son’s decision to leave the family business for another job also played into their plans to close.
Play It Again Sports got its start in 1992 at the Spring Village shopping center on Kimberly Road in Davenport. The Peeterses opened a second store in East Moline’s Ridgewood Shopping Center in 1995, selling their Davenport store two years later.
They relocated the East Moline store to Duck Creek with the idea that it would be more centrally located for all the Quad-Cities. “We’ve had a lot of loyal Illinois customers that still frequent our stores,” Peeters said.
He said they unsuccessfully attempted to sell the franchise last fall but still are hopeful someone will be interested in purchasing the business.
According to Peeters, about 60 to 70 percent of its business was new equipment although sometimes customers did not realize the store offered new equipment. Golf equipment was its best seller, followed by baseball and softball items, and fitness equipment.
“We want to thank all of our customers who have been with us all 16 years. We’ve seen kids going from buying their first pair of soccer shoes to graduating from college,” he said.
Jennifer DeWitt can be contacted at (563) 383-2318 or jdewitt@qctimes.com.
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