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Company History
The Stable started as an idea in a dental chair in 1972. My new
dentist had purchased some equipment from me at Morley Brothers Ski
Shop and asked if a backpacking shop would do well in Saginaw. I
informed him that I had been working on my present employer to do just
that. I also pointed out the lack of a good bike, tennis, and ski shop
in the area.
That set the stage for our first
meeting. We gathered two other interested investors and started to
draft a business plan. Once the plan was set, all we needed was a
building that was big enough and we could afford. That's when we
spotted a small "for rent" sign on the door of an old 1860's livery
stable. I will never forget walking into the building for the first
time. Here was this old livery stable that had never been touched or
remolded by anyone. It had high ceilings, pine floors, and large
doublehung windows. This building was a dream come true, great
atmosphere. However, there was no heat or plumbing. The landlord of
the building liked our idea and offered the building for $100 per
month. I can still remember us all glancing at each other thinking
what a great deal that was. We all worked our day jobs then at night
we would meet at the Stable to make the necessary improvements so we
could open the doors.
We finally got things
together and opened on May 1, 1972. Things looked pretty sparce. Our
opening inventory consisted of 12 ten speed bikes, 24 tennis raquets, a
few hiking boots, tents, and backpacks. We sold the 12 bikes in three
days then took the cash to Detroit to buy 15 more. We kept repeating
this for over a month until we finally felt successful enough to have
them shipped to us. That summer we sold over 400 bikes!
That first year our inventory wasn't the best but we listened to our
customers and consistantly improved the selection. In 1975, we joined
a buying syndicate and prices got even better for our customers.
From the onset it has been our goal to provide leading edge products at
very competitve prices and great service. The key to our great service
will always be well trained, enthusastic, polite people who enjoy the
sports their involved in. The Stable has been open for nearly 37 years
and we will continue our dedication to providing the very best products
with the best customer service in the area.
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