Sun & Ski Sports

Sun & Ski, originally named Tennis & Ski Warehouse, was founded in 1980 by Barry Goldware.^[1] Based in Houston, Texas, the retailer operates 30 stores in ten states: Texas (12 locations), Oklahoma (3 locations), Massachusetts (2 locations) Virginia (2 locations), Tennessee (2 locations), Georgia, Maryland, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Ohio, New York, North Carolina, and Florida (1 location each). Sun & Ski also operates a store in Washington, DC

Store & Website Services

The retailer offers gear – including apparel, footwear, food supplies, electronic equipment and more - for the following categories:^[2]

• snow sports – including skiing & snowboarding
• water sports- including water skiing, wakeboarding, and kayaking
• skating – including inline and skateboarding
• running
• cycling
• camping

Sun & Ski Sports carries many outdoor sporting gear brands, including Burton, The North Face, 686, Columbia, Liquid Force, Yakima, and more.^[3]

In addition to its product offerings, Sun & Ski stores provide service shops in which employees provide maintenance care and tips to customers on all makes and models of bikes, skis, and snowboards. Sun & Ski also operates a retail website (located at www.sunandski.com). Similar to the physical store locations, customers can find sporting gear but also have access to additional services, such as the Ship to Store service, the company enewsletter, gear buying guides, and interactive packing lists.

Charitable Contributions

Sun & Ski Sports is actively involved in a variety of charitable organizations, including:

• The MS Society – Sun & Ski is an active participant with the MS Society and contributed over $360,000 for the Houston 2010 BP MS 150 bike ride alone^[4]
• The Star of Hope – Sun & Ski also runs a program called “Share Your Warmth” in which customers are invited to donate gently used warm clothing, blankets and other supplies.^[5] Since 1998, Houston stores have collected more than 22 tons of warm clothing and supplies.^[6] The Star of Hope, a homeless shelter in Houston, Texas, is a major beneficiary of this initiative.

References