Idaho Falls

44 IDAHO FALLS MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2020 Al's Sporting Goods, a full-line specialty sporting goods retailer based in Logan, Utah, announced it is opening its third store inside the 30,000-square-foot- building in September of 2020. The Toys 'R' Us building is an ideal location in the heart of the retail district, Al's Sporting Good President Jason Larsen says, which is why they chose this location specifically. Al's Sporting Goods offers a wide vari- ety of brands catering to biking, hunting, camping and team sport crowd. They have gear from all the major brands, including Patagonia, The North Face, Vortex Optica, PrAna, and Adidas. "Believe it or not, people come to Al's Sporting Goods on date night. We love retailing. We're passionate about what we do," Larsen says. "One thing that makes us unique is that we will partner with a number of vendors and do concept shops inside the store." There is often a Patagonia display inside the store featuring all kinds of Patagonia offerings. Partnerships with numerous vendors in every category are featured throughout the year, he says. "If you engage in any sport, we will get in to price points and offer merchan- dise in an elevated tier of product that you might not find in a general sporting goods store," says Larsen. "If you haven't been to Al's on Black Friday, you haven't truly done Black Friday shopping." Al's Sporting Goods first opened in 1921 in Logan, Utah and is the oldest full-line sporting goods retailer in Utah. A second location opened at University Place in Orem, Utah three years ago. The Idaho Falls store will be its third location. The store will bring 75-95 new jobs to the area and is expected to open in September next year. A specific date has not yet been determined. An opening date and grand opening celebration will be announced as the date gets closer. "We just haven't found anything that's felt right until this, and we're really excited," Larsen says. Al's Sporting Goods will open at 2395 East 17th Street. Its hours of operation will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. IF When Jason Weaver attended BYU-Idaho he took a class requiring him to spend his own money to cre- ate and advertise a business. Weaver broke even that semester selling HDMI cables, but felt the fear of having his own money on the line. Today, 10 years removed from college life, Weaver has found a career in freelance marketing, this time helping other people put their money on the line. Weaver considers his business a lifestyle business, one that consists of consultant work, giving back to BYU-Idaho through internships for its students, and promo- tional opportunities. Part of that promo- tional work included writing a book. Fix Marketer was written over a 6-month span, laid out simply enough for even business owners with zero previous mar- keting knowledge to understand. It also includes information you would never otherwise think about, including the sug- gestion that 4.2-4.5 stars may be the most believable rating range for a business. "It's only 170 pages because I wanted to respect people's time," Weaver said. "You can go down the rabbit hole, but I want- ed to make it simple for people, get rid of all that marketing jargon that confuses people." The book introduces a 7-step plan for a Bizz News BY SETH HARPER Al's Sporting Goods Coming to Idaho Falls 7 Steps to Marketing Success Fix Marketer lays out simple business plans SPECIAL SECTION | East Idaho Business PHOTO COURTESY AL'S SPORTING GOODS

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