How Huntington’s favorite sporting goods store defied the odds and flourished in the heart of the city’s downtown
By Molly McClennen
HQ 111 | AUTUMN 2020
When it comes to athletic wear, there’s one name in Huntington that stands above all others. Glenn’s Sporting Goods opened in 1970 with three employees and a shoe selection that was limited to the famous high- or low-top Chuck Taylors by Converse. Customers had their choice of black or white.
Today, Glenn’s carries a broad selection of athletic apparel that includes more than 600 styles of shoes, plus school jackets and uniforms, sweatshirts, Marshall University gear and more. The store now has 40 employees, has expanded in size to 37,000 square feet and is one of the largest independently owned sporting goods stores east of the Mississippi.
Owner Jim Brumfield was a sophomore at Marshall University when his father Glenn opened the store. At that time, many sportswear brands that are now household names were not yet in existence, sportswear had not yet become something people wore as they went about their daily activities and teams had yet to start licensing sportswear for their fans. Brumfield says his father wanted to bring the best in sporting goods sportswear to the Tri-State, a commitment that has continued to this day and has established Glenn’s as one of Huntington’s premier businesses for 50 years.
“My father firmly believed that people in Huntington wanted the best sporting goods and athletic footwear,” says Brumfield. “If something was selling in California, there was no reason it would not sell in Huntington, so we had to go out and really search to find the best products. We wanted to have what the public wanted, and we wanted to have a lot of it.”
Glenn’s benefited from the athleticwear trends of the 1980s and 1990s, when women’s sports became popular and the running craze hit. Also during this time starter jackets and jerseys became a craze. People wanted to buy name-brand athletic shoes like Nike and Adidas, so Glenn’s expanded the store to meet that demand.
“We wanted to sell every athletic shoe out there. Glenn’s was one of Nike’s first customers. You had to have a six-month lead time on ordering at that time, so we would order 50 pairs per size so we would never run out of product,” says Brumfield. “Shoes became so important, we created a separate athletic shoe store within a sporting goods store, which is the business model for Foot Locker today.”
Retail has changed through the decades, and Brumfield notes that manufacturers now want their customers to buy directly from them instead of from small businesses like Glenn’s. But Glenn’s has found ways not only to adapt to the changing athleticwear market but also to thrive, with 2019 being its most profitable year so far. As much as 70% of its business now comes from contracts Glenn’s holds with the federal prison system. Glenn’s sells athleticwear, shoes and electronics to about 75% of the commissaries of the federal prisons in the country. Brumfield says his business partner and brother-in-law Jerry Adkins is responsible for the success of that division of the business, one that allows Glenn’s to continue to provide full-time jobs with benefits to many of its employees.
The Glenn’s team and lettering departments have also been important to the business. They are recognized as an Elite Adidas and Under Armour Team dealer, selling to high schools, colleges and corporate accounts.
Brumfield gives credit for the store’s continued success to its employees who, combined, offer several hundred years of sporting goods experience: Glenn’s has four employees who have been with the store more than 40 years, five who have worked there more than 30 years and an additional six who have worked there more than 15 years.
Brumfield is proud to have employed at least 500 Marshall students in 50 years, helping them pay for their education by providing them part-time jobs with flexible hours.
“Our relationship with Marshall is very important to us,” says Brumfield. “Glenn’s has been the retail destination for Marshall fanwear. People who come to town for games come to the store to shop. In the 1980s and ’90s, when Marshall was playing for national championships, people would line up outside waiting to buy gear commemorating the games. We would be printing all night long. That was a magical time. We would work night and day to print those sweatshirts and T-shirts. That solidified us as the place for Marshall gear and exemplified our strategy — to always try to anticipate the needs of our community.”
Brumfield credits the loyalty of the shop’s customers for keeping Glenn’s in business for so many years. He sees children shop at Glenn’s for their sportswear just as their parents and grandparents did in years past. And Glenn’s returns that loyalty. The store has sponsored over 1,000 youth teams in the Tri-State and supported numerous community events and charities.
“We are committed to downtown Huntington,” Brumfield says. “We have never wanted to leave the area. We may be known on a national level, but we are proud of the fact that we have survived and flourished right here in Huntington. Our customers throughout the Tri-State have contributed to our success, and I think we have been able to contribute to the community in a positive way in return.”
The pandemic has forced Glenn’s to postpone its 50-year anniversary celebration three times, but Brumfield says the community can still celebrate knowing that Glenn’s will continue to serve the Tri-State for decades to come.
“It is very unusual for a store like ours to survive and prosper for so long, and I feel strongly that we have a very bright future.”
