Sports Center Closing

[CoolDawg]

I read today that Sports Center in Starkville is closing. I guess that is the inevitable result of Academy Sports opening in Starkville. It is inherently unfair for the Starkville city leaders to give tax breaks and incentives to large corporations, giving them a huge competitive over a family owned store, and making it virtually impossible for for family owned businesses to survive.

 

[PointAfter]

I hate to hear that, I liked their selection of MSU goods and it wasn't a madhouse like The Lodge. I thought they were updating the store so I am surprised that they are throwing in the towel.

 

[o_dawgnabit]

They need to downsize and focus on just hunting apparel. There’s too many places to get Mississippi State get in town. But they had the best hunting gear in town. If they focused on that they’d be good

 

[paindonthurt_]

It sucks but that’s abt the only way you are getting the big guys to come to town.

 

[Lettucexxxx]

I read today that Sports Center in Starkville is closing. I guess that is the inevitable result of Academy Sports opening in Starkville. It is inherently unfair for the Starkville city leaders to give tax breaks and incentives to large corporations, giving them a huge competitive over a family owned store, and making it virtually impossible for for family owned businesses to survive.

Just a microcosm of what’s wrong with MS. Not enough volume to compete with undercut/half assed equipment/ apparel.
Good family. Bulldogs through and through.

The first one opened in Natchez. RIP

 

[57stratdawg]

Hopefully they can find something else for that space; that shopping center doesn’t need a huge vacant building.

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

Don't blame Academy. Sportscenter release a statement saying their building owner dramatically upped the rent and they told them 17 you we'll just close.

 

[Chesusdog]

Good family. Bulldogs through and through.

The first one opened in Natchez. RIP

Second this. Love those guys. Really bummed that they're closing shop.

 

[WrapItDog]

Don't blame Academy. Sportscenter release a statement saying their building owner dramatically upped the rent and they told them 17 you we'll just close.

 

[dickiedawg]

With the timing of it (they mention it's been 10 years in the notice) I wonder if their initial lease was up and they couldn't reach an agreement to renew.

It's certainly a prime location.

Just throwing this out there, but if anyone here happens to work there and will be looking for a new job, send me a PM.

 

[aTotal360]

I lived around the corner from it for years and rarely bought anything there. Their prices were simply not competitive. I understand the difficulties in running a small business, but you have to give me incentive to shop there. Most of us are not in position to do charity work. I’m not going to pay a 5-10% premium on something because they are “local”. Secondly, the fact their business model relied and low rent and tax breaks to survive is telling.

I know nothing about the family, the property owners, and their relationship. I’m just looking at this from a local consumer standpoint. The one thing I always noticed was they seemed to be over staffed and people would be standing around. I know the cool thing is scream about job creations because it helps the local community, but just as important is maintaining a well run business. That’s equally as important to the local community.

Moral of the story, you can’t have a run-of-the-mill brick and mortar business and expect to survive. You have to be super efficiently run and have over the top costumer service. I don’t feel like Sportscenter was/had either.

 

[xxxWalkTheDawg]

Retail sales is just a tough business to be in overall. It’s not just Academy, is online sales too. If you have a rise in overhead, it just becomes tough to compete.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Mississippi ??? You need to wake up and quit looking for "microcosms" in Mississippi and look at the whole country. Do you really believe this type situation is more prevalent in Ms than other parts of the country or are you just looking for things "wrong" with Ms. ? This what Trump has so crudely tried to address(or at least give that impression) with his tariffs, the undermining of American entrepreneurs/businesses by "undercut/half assed equipment/apparel" from foreign manufacturers marketed by mass retailers on a very unlevel playing field. This is FAR FAR from being endemic to Mississippi.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

Hopefully they can find something else for that space; that shopping center doesn’t need a huge vacant building.

That building could easily fit 10 payday loan stores inside it.

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

That building could easily fit 10 payday loan stores inside it.

Probably end up, 7 payday loan stores, two dollar generals, and a subway.

 

[StillTbonewannabe]

I lived around the corner from it for years and rarely bought anything there. Their prices were simply not competitive. I understand the difficulties in running a small business, but you have to give me incentive to shop there. Most of us are not in position to do charity work. I’m not going to pay a 5-10% premium on something because they are “local”. Secondly, the fact their business model relied and low rent and tax breaks to survive is telling.

I know nothing about the family, the property owners, and their relationship. I’m just looking at this from a local consumer standpoint. The one thing I always noticed was they seemed to be over staffed and people would be standing around. I know the cool thing is scream about job creations because it helps the local community, but just as important is maintaining a well run business. That’s equally as important to the local community.

Moral of the story, you can’t have a run-of-the-mill brick and mortar business and expect to survive. You have to be super efficiently run and have over the top costumer service. I don’t feel like Sportscenter was/had either.

I think the notice was saying that maybe Academy Sports is getting a tax break whereas they were not so Starkville was giving an advantage to their competition. If they really did have people standing around then they either were overstaffed trying to provide great customer service or they just didn't have great employees that would look for something to do. Good employees in those type of businesses are either with a client or are straightening and/or cleaning.

 

[JML105]

I shopped there often, but rarely purchased anything due to being slightly overpriced and limited selection. They carried good brands, but just not enough. The store inventory always seems to be half full. I agree with the comment about focusing mainly on hunting merchandise. That also is a really large facility for how they used it. Maybe Target will open there.***

 

[blackjackdog3]

City leaders did all they could to prevent Academy Sports from coming to Starkville. City leaders continue to stifle the growth and development of Starkville. Sports Center going OOB had nothing to do with city leaders.

 

[paindonthurt_]

If they signed a 10 year lease without a negotiated option after 10 years, that’s on them.

If the landlord thinks his space is worth more than he is getting, he has the right to ask for more money.

 

[JML105]

He ain't gettin nothin starting in January. Or maybe he is? There's always more to the story.

 

[johnson86-1]

It sucks but that’s abt the only way you are getting the big guys to come to town.

Subsidizing retail is idiotic. I get the pressure to do so because you are competing with nearby municipalities for sales tax revenue, but a huge portion of that sales tax "increase" is just going to be canabalized from existing retail, even if you do get some sales tax revenue that otherwise would have gone to competing municipalities.

I get people want amenities, including shopping in their town, and I like having an academy, but if they can't make it paying the same taxes as everybody else, then maybe you're just not a big enough town to support it, or maybe you are charging too much in taxes period.

 

[johnson86-1]

Mississippi ??? You need to wake up and quit looking for "microcosms" in Mississippi and look at the whole country. Do you really believe this type situation is more prevalent in Ms than other parts of the country or are you just looking for things "wrong" with Ms. ? This what Trump has so crudely tried to address(or at least give that impression) with his tariffs, the undermining of American entrepreneurs/businesses by "undercut/half assed equipment/apparel" from foreign manufacturers marketed by mass retailers on a very unlevel playing field. This is FAR FAR from being endemic to Mississippi.

It is more prevalent in Mississippi because it's more prevalent in low population/low population density areas. If you are in a big enough population center, you will end up with more people that will support niche shops. So most people still support the big box stores, but there are enough affluent shoppers that also shop at niche stores. It's not an indictment against the character of the people in Mississippi; it's just a reflection of demographics.

 

[VegasDawg13]

City leaders did all they could to prevent Academy Sports from coming to Starkville.

How so?

I seem to remember it going this way:

Developer: If you don't give us exactly what we're asking, we aren't coming. It makes no economic sense for us to come if you try to get us to compromise even the slightest bit.

Aldermen: Sorry, we aren't willing to do that. Here's a more reasonable tax incentive that we ARE willing to do.

Developer: We'll start construction tomorrow.

 

[bulldogcountry1]

I've always heard about city leaders working against growth in Starkville, and, as recently as the early 2000s, it was obvious that the city of Starkville was doing little to nothing to embrace Mississippi State. When I was in school then, I always got the impression that the town was run by "get off my lawn" old farts. It's amazing how much that has set us back. We're an SEC school in the middle of nowhere, and the hometown doesn't want to take advantage of it.

It would great if new development could start just east of campus on 82. Heck, create a new town with leaders who want see growth. There's plenty of space, and it's a chance to draw people in from Columbus and West Point.

 

[hatfieldms]

Academy is awesome. I’m glad Starkville has one

 

[paindonthurt_]

I agree, but it’s abt the only way to get the big name stores.

Subsidizing a manufacturing plant that is gonna bring other suppliers to the area makes sense. Exponential growth.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

+1

 

[JML105]

It is more prevalent in Mississippi because it's more prevalent in low population/low population density areas. If you are in a big enough population center, you will end up with more people that will support niche shops. So most people still support the big box stores, but there are enough affluent shoppers that also shop at niche stores. It's not an indictment against the character of the people in Mississippi; it's just a reflection of demographics.

This is true, but it is self perpetuating in many rural regions across the country. Here in Mississippi there are more examples of it happening than not. Cleveland is a perfect example. The city officials there are so insane it's just down right silly. They refuse to let any outsider do business there (Wal-Mart is, but they will always get what they want). There are three "home-town" hardware stores there, but people sneak away to Lowes in Greenville regularly. And guess what, they eat at chain restaurants while they are in town to shop too. Thus creating a better economy and higher population for Greenville instead of Cleveland (what they do with that economy is a different story). Starkville used to be just like Cleveland (forcing people to go to Columbus by comparison), but it has seen the light and is progressing at a healthy pace in my opinion. If you understand city economics, its healthy to have the big guys in town because that brings the traffic and revenue in to support the local merchants. Can't have lions without gazelles and vice versa, so to speak.

As far as SC goes, Academy or high rent didn't put them out of business. Their inability to adapt to the market and economy did. When Academy came to town they should've reevaluated their business plan and provided what Academy doesn't, thus creating their own niche within the sporting merchandise market.

 

[StillTbonewannabe]

If they signed a 10 year lease without a negotiated option after 10 years, that’s on them.

If the landlord thinks his space is worth more than he is getting, he has the right to ask for more money.

Pretty big space, I wouldn't think the demand was high enough for the landlord to basically force out a tenant. I guess we will see if the building is vacant for the next few years what the demand actually is.

 

[AlCoDog]

My only issue with Academy Sports is that i talk to people everyday that are dead set on calling it Sports Academy. Annoys the hell out of me.

 

[WutheringDawg]

You have to have competent civil leadership in any of these negotiations. Look at Foxconn and what is happening in Wisconsin as a cautionary tale.

 

[paindonthurt_]

Nobody knows if they were “forced” out. All we know is what a Facebook post said.

Maybe their sales dropped 10% due to academy and maybe he upped the rent 10% and the combo of the 2 did them in.

Lots of things could have happened or could happen, but we don’t really know.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

My grandmother always called Bass Pro “Pro Bass Shop”

 

[Duke Humphrey]

I think the current leadership for the city is the best MSU and friends of MSU could hope for. Could it be better? Probably, but its the best it has ever been and continues to improve. County government is another story.....

 

[Junction John]

This is the most accurate post in the thread.

Nobody knows if they were “forced” out. All we know is what a Facebook post said.

Maybe their sales dropped 10% due to academy and maybe he upped the rent 10% and the combo of the 2 did them in.

Lots of things could have happened or could happen, but we don’t really know.

Your second sentence is very possible, probably likely, but that last phrase is dead on.

I could go on and on about the positives for a city bringing new businesses in, especially national retailers, but there's a certain crowd who would be against it no matter what. I've been on both sides of the landlord/tenant relationship, and the bottom line is, we don't know what happened here.

The good news is, the facebook post appears to say they are scouting other locations, so they aren't going out of business, just moving.

 

[Junction John]

Most of those people also shop at The WalMarts.

 

[johnson86-1]

This is true, but it is self perpetuating in many rural regions across the country. Here in Mississippi there are more examples of it happening than not. Cleveland is a perfect example. The city officials there are so insane it's just down right silly. They refuse to let any outsider do business there (Wal-Mart is, but they will always get what they want). There are three "home-town" hardware stores there, but people sneak away to Lowes in Greenville regularly. And guess what, they eat at chain restaurants while they are in town to shop too. Thus creating a better economy and higher population for Greenville instead of Cleveland (what they do with that economy is a different story). Starkville used to be just like Cleveland (forcing people to go to Columbus by comparison), but it has seen the light and is progressing at a healthy pace in my opinion. If you understand city economics, its healthy to have the big guys in town because that brings the traffic and revenue in to support the local merchants. Can't have lions without gazelles and vice versa, so to speak.

As far as SC goes, Academy or high rent didn't put them out of business. Their inability to adapt to the market and economy did. When Academy came to town they should've reevaluated their business plan and provided what Academy doesn't, thus creating their own niche within the sporting merchandise market.

You think the average city council in Mississippi (or hell, even the ten best city councils in Mississippi) are anywhere close to being able to determine whether subsidizing big box stores compared to local retail provides a positive or negative net return to the city?

If city councils are using the zoning or permiting process to keep out big box stores, that's as bad as subsidizing them. But the point is they just need to stay the hell out of the way. Set your millage rate and run your city government, and don't try to tilt the field towards one type of retailer versus another.

 

[notoriousD_O_G]

Most of those people also shop at The WalMarts.

I'm more of a Kroger's man myself

 

[MadDawg.sixpack]

My only issue with Academy Sports is that i talk to people everyday that are dead set on calling it Sports Academy. Annoys the hell out of me.

I say it wrong all the time and it drives my family nuts.

In my (our) defense though, the name is stupid. "Sports Academy" sounds like a place. "Academy Sports" sounds like you are talking about events, not a place.

 

[aTotal360]

You're doing what a lot of people do. Check it out at in a store and buy it online.