Hibbett Sports kicks off business on First Avenue

A new sporting goods store in Newton is seeing steady traffic after its first few weeks of business on First Avenue East. Hibbett Sports has drawn in young athletes and families as it approaches its grand opening.

Store manager Devyn Sacrison said the store is set to have its grand opening on Thursday, and so far customers have seemed to be enjoying the store and are having a good time.

“Hibbett Sports is a family-based store and we strive for young athletes and families to come in and to continue shopping here,” Sacrison said. “We have gotten a lot of great feedback so far.”

Sacrison said many customers have been excited and impressed with the store’s layout and appearance, along with its number of items. Sacrison noted that the items vary in popularity, but the athletic shorts, tank tops and shoes have been a hit.

Prior to moving to Newton, Sacrison worked at a Hibbett Sports in Dubuque, and she was offered the store manager position in Newton right after she graduated from college.

“I graduated with a business administration degree, and this is everything I wanted to be doing,” Sacrison said.

Hibbett Sports currently employs five local workers. Sacrison said the store is still looking to employ more.

Kody Gathercole, of Colfax, is one of those employees. Gathercole said he was working at TPI when he noticed that Hibbett Sports came to town.

“I decided to apply and I got an interview with Devyn,” Gathercole said. “Devyn is a great supervisor and leader and she has already taught me a lot of things.”

The Birmingham, Ala..-based athletic retailer opened its 13th Iowa location on the east side of the Family Video building at 308 First Ave. E. Family Video will continue to occupy the west side of the 6,700-square foot building.

Sacrison said Newton is a great community for a Hibbett Sports store and she hopes people will continue to show their support.

“This is kind of what Hibbett Sports does, they like to bring their business to small towns, and they like to be located in communities that are overlooked,” Sacrison said.

Sacrison said all comments she has received from customers so far have been positive. Sacrison said customers expressed excitement that they won’t have to travel to Des Moines for sporting goods, and they also say they will definitely come back to the store.

“We’re just really excited to grow the city and hopefully be around for quite awhile,” Sacrison said. “People should really come and check us out because we are new and we are excited to assist you.”

Contact Kayla Langmaid at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or klangmaid@newtondailynews.com