Sportsman and Ski Haus marks 50 years; looks to future

A half-century ago a tiny sporting-goods store opened near the junction of U.S. 2 and 93 in Kalispell.

Measuring just 40-by-90 feet, Sportsman’s Surplus was stuffed with military surplus gear, fishing equipment and firearms. Long-timers remember merchandise hanging from the rafters and choking the aisles.

Owners Wally Fowler and Joe Hauber didn’t know it at the time, but they had started a business that would one day become one of Kalispell and Whitefish’s flagship businesses, and include four other similar stores in Idaho and Washington.

At its 50-year mark, Sportsman & Ski Haus is still evolving, Chief Executive Officer Mike Gwiazdon said.

“Everything is kind of changing in the world and we have to figure out how to change with it to sell stuff and keep the store viable,” Gwiadon reflected. “We’re changing, evolving.”

Through the decades, Sportsman & Ski Haus has survived and thrived by staying one step ahead of the competition.

And there’s been plenty of competition in recent years. The addition of a Cabela’s Outpost store to Kalispell’s commercial landscape five years ago was a pivotal moment for Sportsman. Around that same time Sportsman was pushing ahead with a huge expansion of the Kalispell store, adding about 30,000 square feet and broadening retail offerings.

Store executives worried when a Walmart superstore sprang up near the Kalispell store, but the big-box store turned out to be a traffic generator for Sportsman.

These days, competition is still nipping at Sportsman’s heels. REI is building a store in north Kalispell, and Amazon is gobbling up market share. Those are big challenges, Gwiazdon acknowledged, but Sportsman is adapting just as it has for 50 years.

One of Gwiazdon’s biggest strengths during the 45 years he’s been at the store’s helm is his keen ability to spot sporting trends and consumer demands before they kick in.

“We believe stores like ours are unique enough that they’ll continue to draw people on their own,” he said. “Our other advantage is we’ve been here for 50 years. People know us. We contribute to the community on every level.

“We’re keeping our head above water and doing fine,” Gwiazdon continued. “We are where we are because of our relationship with the community. We have a lot of legacy customers.”

As the Flathead Valley continues to grow as a visitor destination area full of recreation possibilities, shoulder seasons have become dramatically busier, and that bodes well for business, he said.

Sportsman & Ski Haus has been a work in progress since Day One.

Sportsman’s Surplus became Sportsman & Ski Haus after Mel James and Don Burks purchased it in September 1968. They added a 260-square-foot addition for ski equipment.

Gwiazdon came on board in 1973 as manager of the ski department and became a partner in 1981 with James and Burks.

Dave Harvey later joined Gwiazdon as a business partner, serving as company president until he retired a year ago.

Sportsman underwent several remodels at the original location near the corner of U.S. 2 and 93. Parking was limited, though, and the owners made the decision in the early 2000s to relocate to the growing north Kalispell area, where an impressive glass-walled 55,000 square-foot store opened in Hutton Ranch Plaza in the summer of 2007.

Moving every piece of clothing, every fishing lure and thousands upon thousands of retail items to the new location was no small task. Employees dug in to get the job done, and on the final evening before the grand opening of the new Kalispell store, friends and family members were recruited to put on the finishing touches.

When the Kalispell store expanded five years ago, two state-of-the-art golf simulators were installed and the store put a heavy emphasis on golf equipment. With the Flathead Valley known as a golf mecca, it made good sense to target that audience.

The Whitefish Sportsman store also went through its own metamorphosis through the decades, moving in the 1990s from a building on Baker Avenue to an anchor position in Mountain Mall. That store also was upgraded in recent years and given an iconic glass wall design similar to the Kalispell store.

Choosing the right employees also has been a key ingredient to continued growth, Gwiazdon said. In 2000, when James and Burks retired, the company began an employee stock ownership plan that gave workers a vested interest in making the business the best it could be.

“We have a ton of legacy partners,” Gwiazdon noted with pride. “Some of our people have been with us 20 to 35 years.”

More change came in 2010 when Sportsman purchased the Tri-State Outfitter stores in Moscow, Couer d’ Alene and Lewiston, Idaho, and Moses Lake, Washington. The company now has 220 employees spread across the six stores.

A focus on customer service has always been a hallmark for the Sportsman brand.

“We’ll match anyone’s price,” Gwiazdon said. “We have manufacturer guarantees and have our own guarantee that goes beyond that. We’ve been doing that a long time.”

Sportsman offers all kinds of services to its customers. If a customer buys a car top rack, they’ll install it for free. The store demo program also is popular. A customer can rent a demo kayak, skis, snowboard or bike, then when they’re ready to buy the product they can apply up to three demo charges toward the purchase price. A trade-in program for children’s equipment is another customer favorite.

Sportsman also is developing more online shopping.

Canadian consumers have figured heavily into Sportsman’s financial viability. During the years-long economic downturn that began in 2008, Sportsman relied heavily on its customers from across the border whose northern economy was flourishing.

“The last three to four years [business has been] down, but it coincides with the Canadian dollar,” Gwiazdon said. “The Canadian [up and down cycles] have happened four times during my 45 years. Canadians were 20 to 30 percent of our business at one time, and they’re starting to come back now and buy houses.”

At age 77, Gwiazdon plans to retire at the end of June, but will stay on a year as a consultant. Joe Power, a 15-year Sportsman employee who has been managing inventory and the four out-of-state stores, stepped into Harvey’s role a year ago.

“Now I’m trying to find a vice president to set the company up for the next years,” Gwiazdon said. “I’ve had a great run. Most of that time everything was evolving. Now it’s getting harder. There will be way more changes in the next 10 years.”

Features Editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.