CHESHIRE, Mass. — Cheshire Sporting Goods has opened at the former H.D. Reynolds General Merchandise..

 

Travis Delratez and co-owner Jammie Sears wanted to bring a local community sporting goods store to the heart of Cheshire and chose the vacant storefront on Church Street. The general store closed in 2018 after nearly 175 years of operation.

 

"I sell a lot of different things than what is out there right now and I want to make it more or less a hometown sporting goods store," Delratez said. "I want to bring it back to where people can go back to their hometown instead of shopping on the internet."

 

Delratez said there was some sadness when the longtime and historic storefront was closing shop but they were happy to breathe life back into the property.

 

"There is some nostalgia to it," he said.

 

The store opened earlier in March and carries everything from basketballs to hunting and fishing equipment.

 

The proliferation of large box stores and online shopping hurt many small sports shops, but Delratez said, thankfully, this seems to be changing. 

 

"I think a lot of us did it  ... we thought it was great we could order everything online but I think it is turning back," he said. "People want to hold things in their hands before they buy. They want to hold a pair of binoculars, shoes, or a basketball instead of just taking the word of the online."

 

Delratez said business has so far been good and that the store had become a sort of hub for the outdoor community in Cheshire. 

 

"There are a lot of people who are supportive of it a lot of local outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen," he said. "The youth too we are really supportive of the kids."

 

Business obviously has slowed with the COVID-19 outbreak but he said they have been taking precautions.

 

"We are wiping the door handles every 15 minutes," he said. "We have hand sanitizer ... you have to take these precautions."

 

He said once the pandemic ends and the weather gets a little nicer, he expects the store will serve a real need in town.