What makes St. Bernard Sports different from other ski or sporting goods stores?
A. Our edge or advantage is our fashion. We represent anything from ladies’ dress lines to hiking gear. Even in our ski area, we’re superior. Dick’s Sporting Goods and Sports Authority can’t be very broad or have a representation in the winter sports area because it’s a small retail pie. We’ve just been doing it so long, and we’ve been strong in the fashion side of women’s sports. The fact that we’re not describable sets us apart; we’re a lot of different things. We have great people working at the store, and we give good customer service. We’re aggressive. Q. How has the company been affected by the economic downturn and what are you doing to survive it? A. We really are not in a growth mode at this point. Sales in sportswear and shoes are flat, which is very manageable. We’re just doing a better job of markdowns and sell-throughs and doing so with the same amount of sales. We ended up with too much inventory on the last business cycle. Last year, women quit wearing polos altogether.
