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Attitudes about safety and performance have resulted in an evolution of athletic equipment over the years.
When Duncan Sports of Thibodaux opened its doors in 1943, football helmets were padded leather affairs resembling aviator headgear.
Today football players wear the familiar plastic version along with shoulder pads so large Betty Davis would be envious.
Duncan Sports has been there all along keeping pace with the times providing athletes with everything they need to compete from the field to the court.
The second-generation store stocks the latest in safety gear, uniforms, balls, gloves, shoes and training aids.
“Every season there’s a different trend and you have to see what the customers are looking for,” part-owner Doug Duncan said.
If a customer is looking for an item not in stock, Duncan Sports will order, it plus a few more to go on display as a test. If it proves to be a winner, it becomes part of the permanent inventory.
Several family-owned and operated Duncan Sports stores have come and gone in both Houma and Thibodaux. The last Houma location finally closed for good after Hurricane Katrina.
Today Duncan Sports’ home base is at 1499 St. Mary St. in Thibodaux.
“We built this store and have been here for 15 years,” part- owner Jerry Duncan said.
The Duncan brothers’ inventory is seasonal. At the moment it’s back to school with baseball winding down and football gearing up.
“Pretty soon we’ll take all of our baseball items down and put up football gear. Right now it’s gym suit season,” Jerry said.
Salesman Sam Battaglia goes to schools and businesses to find out what the store needs to stock up on. He also takes orders for athletic equipment, uniforms and company logo shirts.
“Customers are sometimes too busy to come in person and they like that we go to them. They like the customer service and the fact that we deliver,” Doug said.
Battaglia explained that in the past athletic departments could order what they needed directly. Lafourche Parish now requires them to go through a bid process.
“The parish gets bids from as far away as California. Tax dollars end up leaving the parish,” Doug said.
And those sales dollars never make it to the cash register. To offset Internet and out of state sales, Duncan Sports is branching out.
A rapidly growing part of the business is the Duncans’ embroidery and silk screening shop. The sporting goods store is seeing an increase in demand from non-school related recreational teams as well as the business community.
“We get more orders from outside the schools than in. Companies are buying caps and shirts in multiple colors for each employee. They want them monogrammed or silk screened with their company logos,” Jerry said.
Doug explained Duncan Sports’ quick turnaround has been a major factor in the success of the embroidery department. Jeanne Autin prides herself on next day service. The larger orders make that next day goal a bit of a challenge. In those instances, “We try to have it in three to four days tops,” Doug said.
Duncan Sports also has a custom trophy shop. Kaci LaRose uses her artistic talents to build whatever a customer can dream up. Trophy sizes range from just a couple of inches high to giants four feet tall or more.
“You find out what a customer is looking for. They can look at what we have in stock and we go from there,” LaRose said.
With the New Orleans Saints training camp under way, the “Who Dat?” Nation is beginning to stir. The store is ready for the team to take center stage with Saints merchandise already on display.
“Last year we had a hard time keeping anything Saints in house. We sell a lot of ‘Who Dat?’ shirts and this year we’re going to stock several different styles,” Doug said.
Like many local businesses, Duncan Sports is experiencing a slowdown in customer traffic.
“Back when my dad opened the store there was hardly any competition but now there’s competition from everywhere. We’ve slowed down a bit because of the economy but we’re still doing all right,” Doug said.
When the day comes and Jerry and Doug retire, will a third generation of Duncans take over the family business? The answer isn’t clear.
“It’s in my blood. I’ve been working here since I was 10 years old sweeping out the store. But I wouldn’t recommend my son taking over. It’s just not like it used to be,” Jerry said.
Duncan Sports salesman Sam Battaglia (left) looks on as Sean “PeeWee” Autin inspects a baseball bat. The store has grown over the years to include the latest gear for area athletes. JENNIE CHILDS
