BOISE, IDAHO — With big-box stores always trying to expand and online shopping bigger than ever, it's a tough time to try and start a local business, let alone keep an existing one open. But a local sporting good store in downtown Boise has been keeping athletes moving for over 50 years, and to this day, is still known as "the cool place" to work as a teenager or young adult. For this week's Made in Idaho, we wander into McU Sports.
"We always say we love what we sell and we sell what we do," said McU Sports Bookkeeper Kathy Phillips.
That's the motto at McU Sports, the sporting goods shop in Downtown Boise that's been in business for 51 years!
"I started in 94' and I'm not the oldest employee here," said Phillips.
It's always been the "cool" place to work.
"It's amazing the number of people you run into who have worked at McU's. The fact that we've been around for so long and Boise High is right nearby so you always get a kid who, you know, wants to work at McU's!" exclaimed Phillips.
And she has a theory on how the local business has been able to keep it's doors open for over half a century.
"Being a family-owned business and family-run, we are more in tune and connected to the community, we've been involved a lot in the schools over the years doing school uniforms and sponsoring softball teams," said Phillips.
Former co-owner John Klotz makes it even more simple.
"You just have to take care of the customer, better than what the other people were taking care of them. A lot of time when we didn't have what they needed, we got on the phone to somewhere else in town and sent them there, to our competitors. And people really thought that was something, they said wow you did that for me and you saw them come back because you did that. They'd come back to you," said former McU Sports Co-Owner John Klotz.
Though McU Sports was opened in 1972, Klotz, who had been an employee there, bought into the company in 1979 and was a co-owner until 2018 when they sold to a couple other former employees. He says it's always been a family affair.
"You know, in town, there's gotta be a thousand people who have worked there and their kids or they did and their kids are there now. I mean, Danny Tomack, one of the owners, he had a brother who's now a doctor, a sister, and himself all worked at the store," said Klotz.
"We had a grandparent who came in this year who bought her grandkids their skis because she got her skis here and wanted to have that. And it's just something that, I don't know, it's special," smiled Phillips.
Another trait they've had since the beginning...employees who practice what they preach.
"We have really active employees. So we have employees in the bike shop...they bike! Because our employees utilize all the resources here, they're just this fountain of enormous knowledge," said Phillips.
51 years and counting; McU Sports is a Made in Idaho success story that makes the several generations of those involved incredibly proud.
"I'm really proud that we took it forward and made it successful. We went through some peaks and valleys over those years and worked hard and showed up and probably worked a lot more than I should have. We succeeded and it was in good shape and we know that Chuck and Danny can take it forward and it can be there another 40 or 50 years. I think that's what makes me feel the best," said Klotz.
"I feel proud. I get excited when I get to share with somebody that I work at McU Sports. 'Oh you work at McU Sports? Me too!' It's, I don't know. It's a pretty cool club," smiled Phillips.
And for more on the massive history of McU Sports and it's deep Idaho roots, check out their webpage here:
