Plattsburgh Play It Again Sports celebrates 30 years

Aug. 19—PLATTSBURGH — It's early June 1993. The economy looks promising. Plattsburgh Air Force Base is slated for expansion. Life is good.

Local Plattsburgh couple Ed and Janice Freer also decided this was the perfect time for the region to get its own Play It Again Sports store, which was known for buying, selling and trading used and new sports equipment and fitness gear.

"I had been in Plattsburgh for 10 years and my family was young," Ed recalled.

"And this is a franchise ... we discovered and thought it might work here."

Near the end of that June, Ed and Jan were preparing to open their business in just a short period of time. The dream was coming together fast.

"Then we got our financing together," Ed said.

BASE CLOSURE

But that same day, bad news rocked the region.

"That day, the BRACC (Base Realignment and Closure Commission) ... overturned its ruling," Freer said, referring to a decision BRACC made that would lead to the Plattsburgh Air Force Base closure.

"So we just signed up to open this business and they were pulling the Air Force out."

At the time, the uncertainty of how the bases' closure would affect the local economy was scary for both Ed and Jan.

But, with business plans already in place, they persevered on. and on Aug. 23, 1993, they opened the doors to their very own Play It Again Sports in Plattsburgh Plaza, providing local sports teams and players of all ages an outlet for all their equipment and gear needs, whether it was for hockey, soccer, golf, baseball or any other sport.

PROGRESSING AND HAPPY

Now, this week, they will celebrate 30 years in business.

"It's a milestone," Ed said. "But every day is a new challenge."

"Each year we can't say we're up, but we've been progressing and we're happy."

Other trying times, like the 1998 ice storm and the COVID-19 pandemic, also tested the resiliency of Ed and Jan's business over the past 30 years.

Ed said they especially struggled through the first couple months of the pandemic but had adapted to offer curbside service for their customers early on.

"My wife and I would be running out to the cars, grabbing some rollerblades. We were just so happy to ring up a sale," he remembered.

"That was just another thing that happened."

Adapting to the internet and the popularity of online purchasing was another challenge. But Ed says what they offer at Play It Again Sports can't be bought online.

"We can give even better than the internet, because you can bring in ... your goods. We also have now, a rewards program where you get a point for every dollar you spend or bring in to sell," he said.

"I don't care where you bought it or even if you don't buy anything, just bring it in, we'll buy it from you and that is a way to lower the price less than the internet."

"There's a little girl running around having so much fun," Doug Freer, Ed and Jan's son, who has worked at the business for many years, added.

"It's just a fun vibe and it's, we sell stuff, but we also talk to people and it's family and we play games here. So it's just special."

"And give them advice too," Ed said, referring to his employees' extensive knowledge on sports. "That's another thing you can't get on the internet."

ACROSS GENERATIONS

But through it all — every challenge — the community was there to support them, Ed said. Year after year they came back to their shop for all their sports needs and wants.

"We've been fortunate to get good people over the years and one of the things, because it's been so long, we have many people who were kids when they first came in, and now they're in with their kids," Ed said.

"And you can see the family resemblance ... they're just a little version of themselves. That's very heartwarming, I think."

He said he really feels like they've provided a needed service to the community — buying, selling or trading goods at a reasonable price — over the past three decades and looks forward to continuing to do so.

"We really feel we're providing a service then and now to the community," he said.

"And we're proud of that."

Email: cnewton@pressrepublican.com

Twitter: CarlySNewton