Getting out of hardware and focusing on sporting goods has paid off. "We also knew we couldn't be everything to everybody," he said. It helped prompt his 1989 move to join a national buying group based in Lewistown called Sports Inc., giving him greater buying power and previously impossible product relationships with major vendors. Lupton already had introduced footwear by then, and started bringing in more boats and marine products.īoth customer demand and his personal interest in sports accounted for the product-line shifts, he said. Snappy's had gotten out of the service station business in 1976, groceries were dropped around 1978, then hardware and building supplies were dropped in 1985. Verne Lupton stayed very active in the business for another few years after B.J.'s return, then the younger Lupton bought the store in 1977 and accelerated the sporting-goods growth. He loved it, he said, and the years stretched into decades. came back from four years of college and service in the Navy to help out his dad for a short time. A new 5,200-square-foot store opened a year later just to the south, with its front door facing Kalispell to the west. The original north-facing building was razed in 1965 to make way for the new four-lane highway. Well into the 1960s he increased the sporting goods focus and shrank other merchandise lines. In 1954, Verne Lupton bought out his partner and continued to grow Snappy's inventory. As the years accumulated, so did their inventory of fishing tackle, hardware and other household and handyman needs. Inside the station, Engelbach and the senior Lupton kept some basic groceries and a well-stocked candy rack - making it one of the first of the area's early general store/gas stations. The triple-S moniker turned out to be an identifiable marketing tool that kept the name memorable well into the next century. In 1947, Robert Engelbach and Verne Lupton, B.J.'s dad, put in a gas pump and started a fuel-oil distributorship called Snappy ServiSenter at the corner of what is now U.S. The practice of making relationships the most important consideration in daily life and in business has shaped Snappy's as much as it's shaped Lupton.įresh off the Evergreen sporting goods store's 60th anniversary celebration, Lupton took a look back at Snappy's journey from a 1947 service station to a thriving sporting goods store in 2007. "I guess I figured that out a few years ago. "It is our absolute top priority - people first," Lupton said. Lupton, owner of Snappy Sport Senter for half its six-decade existence, learned that the strongest foundational ethics never change. Seeing a concert at Severance Hall is also worth it for the art deco architecture alone.Evergreen store evolved from 1947 gas stationīut B.J. We also have one of the top symphonies in the entire world. Locations have included weaving factories, secret parks, blocked-off courtyards-anywhere. They do pop-up concerts in weird venues, and only tell you where the concert will be about a day before. But if you’re coming to town, sign up for Sofar Sounds, or Sounds from a Room. Then The World Famous Agora is quite popular for lesser known bands. It’s in limited supply and people line up on the day of release to get their hands on it.īest place to see live music? One of the best venues is the House of Blues, which has three stages and welcomes big and small acts. It’s dark brown and rich, with notes of coriander, cloves, cinnamon, and a head that makes you want to lap it up. The third is Great Lakes Brewing, which has a more upscale menu, but is best known for its Christmas Ale. Both are part of the Sam McNulty group, which is opening a “palace to fermentation,” a new brewery space that will brew and bottle. Many of those use Cleveland-based ingredients. They make this sausage sweet potato ball surrounded by mushed plantains then deep-fried like a Scotch egg: it’ll knock your socks off.īest brewery to hang out at? Market Garden Brewery, which has about 10 to 15 beers brewed in house in their tap room at all times. There are empanadas, pintxos, shredded pork, shredded chicken, and you can mix and match. Then Caribe Bake Shop, which is a Latin American food restaurant that isn’t exactly a bakery the way its name says. Which restaurants do you frequent? Superior Pho for one serves hands down the best pho in town. It’s a hipster hot dog hangout that serves great beer and a hot dog menu with wacky toppings like Sriracha, Froot Loops, and peanut butter. I also should mention Happy Dog in Gordon Square. On the more upscale end, there’s a French restaurant called L’Albatros that is absolutely to die for. Also, I’m most excited about The Arcadian, which is trying to get as close to farm to table as it possibly can. The Southern Café serves awesome Southern food. It’s a Michael Symon project that’s reimagining Cleveland-style barbecue. Hottest new restaurant in town? First, Mabel’s BBQ.
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