Oshman's Sporting Goods Inc. was a

sporting goods Sports equipment, sporting equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear used to compete in a sport and varies depending on the sport. The equipment ranges from balls, nets, and protective gear like helmets. ...

retailer in the United States. Their headquarters were in

East End, Houston, Texas East End Houston, managed by the East End District (EED), is a district in eastern Houston, Texas, United States, located between the eastern edge of downtown to the Port of Houston and South to Hobby Airport. The District is home to Houston's e ...

.Oshman's Sporting Goods
" ''

Bloomberg Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...

''. Retrieved on September 14, 2011. "2302 Maxwell Lane Houston, TX 77023 United States" It operated traditional sporting goods stores and Oshman's Supersports USA megastores.

History

In 1919,About Us
" Oshman's Sporting Goods. February 1, 2003. Retrieved on September 15, 2011. J.S. "Jake" Oshman, an immigrant from

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

,"Founder of Oshman's Chain Dies." ''Houston Post''. Saturday May 1, 1965. Section 1, Page 1, continued on Section 1, Page 3. Available via microfilm from the

Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in 18 ...

Central Library Jesse H. Jones Building. opened a store, Oshman's Dry Goods, in

Richmond, Texas Richmond is a city in and the county seat of Fort Bend County, Texas, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States. The city is located within the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city population was 11,627. It is home to the founder ...

. In 1931 he moved to Houston by buying the stock of a bankrupt army-surplus store known as Crawford-Austin and liquidated its inventory. He discovered in the process that sporting goods, especially fishing and hunting supplies, sold well. In 1933, he opened the first Oshman Outdoor Store, in Downtown Houston at Capitol and Fannin. Founded as a proprietorship, Oshman's business was incorporated as Oshman's Sporting Goods 15 years later, in 1946, as the country emerged from World War II. As business increased, the store moved to a larger location at 902 Main in Downtown Houston. Oshman's opened locations in suburban shopping centers in Greater Houston, and then, in Bay City,

Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * ...

, Corpus Christi, and

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

. Oshman died in 1965. By that year Oshman's was Texas's largest sporting goods chain, and it was the largest sporting goods chain in the southwestern United States. At that time the company had ten sporting goods stores and two wholesale firms located in the Gulf Coast region. In the 1970s, Oshman's was expanding in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

area. In 1978, Oshman's purchased the rights to the trade name of

Abercrombie and Fitch Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on casual wear. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three other offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of Febru ...

from

First National Bank of Chicago First Chicago Bank was a Chicago-based retail and commercial bank tracing its roots to 1863. Over the years, the bank operated under several names including The First National Bank of Chicago and First Chicago NBD (following its 1995 merger with ...

for $1.5 million"Why Abercrombie Is Losing Its Shirt"
''New York''. Retrieved February 12, 2014. ($5.2 million in 2013 dollars). As of October 31, 1987 the company operated 185 traditional stores, one Super Sports USA store, and 27 Abercrombie and Fitch stores. Around December 25 that year it stopped its proposed $50 million sale (of which $20 million could be in banknotes) of the stores to an investor group in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. By the mid-1980s the chain had over 200 stores in the U.S.

Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered to stretch across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the 36th parallel. Several climates can be found in the region — des ...

. In 1993, the company stated that it planned to close 33 stores. In 2001, Gart Sports Company announced that it would buy Oshman's for a combination of cash and stock valued around $82 million. In June of that year it merged into GSC Acquisition Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Gart. Many of Oshman's stores became

Sports Authority Sports Authority, Inc. (formerly The Sports Authority) was an American sports retailer. At its peak, Sports Authority operated 463 stores in 45 States and Puerto Rico. The company's website was on the GSI Commerce platform and supported the reta ...

stores; they have since closed.

Corporate affairs

In 1991, the company stated that it would consolidate the offices of its

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

divisions into its headquarters in Houston. The company said that the competitive conditions of the retailing industry and the slowing economy prompted its move.Briefly Oshman's plans to consolidate headquarters HOUSTON
" ''San Antonio Express-News''. January 31, 1991. Retrieved on September 14, 2011.

References

External links

Oshman's Sporting Goods
(Archive) {{Dick's Sporting Goods Defunct retail companies of the United States Clothing retailers of the United States Sporting goods retailers of the United States Companies based in Houston Defunct companies based in Texas American companies established in 1919 Retail companies established in 1919 Retail companies disestablished in 2001 1919 establishments in Texas 2001 disestablishments in Texas