Taken in the late 1970s, this was one of the first teams that Butler Sporting Goods out-fitted
When Jim Butler graduated from college, he had one goal in mind: setting up a sporting goods shop to serve Cape Cod. As an avid sports player, he’d been frustrated with the lack of options on the Cape. “My parents moved to Cape Cod the year I graduated from high school. The first thing I noticed when returning from college my freshman year was that there was no “true” full line sports shop on the Cape,” explained Butler, “Over the next 3 years I set the plan in motion and opened the shop 6 months after graduating from Saint Michael’s College. In 1990 we moved from our original location that was right next door to a brand new shop about twice the size. That move drove our business to the next level because we could expand our offerings and had space to inventory items for the schools and leagues.”
Location was a huge factor. He was adamant that he wanted to work closely with schools to provide a level of service that he felt wasn’t available previously. For the past 40 years, Butler Sporting Goods has been located right across the street from Barnstable High School.
Jim Butler created partnerships with schools and teams across the Cape and Islands and even the South Shore. The unique relationship allows the teams to fundraise through a percentage of sales made at Butler Sporting Goods and parent s to have a one stop shop for everything their child needs. “Team business has increased steadily because stores like ours are few and far between. We will continue to expand our online offerings, especially on the team and spirit wear side. We work with boosters clubs to help them raise funds for their team or group. We are not limited to athletics. We provide screen printing and embroidery services and have many corporate customers who promote their companies and outfit their staff with the products we sell,” said Butler.
Throughout the years, the team at Butler Sporting Goods has seen many changes. Some sports have gained in popularity such as lacrosse. “It’s now the fastest growing sport in the country,” said General Manager Sam Fedele, “I remember when it took up a small area in the store. Now when lacrosse season starts, we stock so much it easily takes up a quarter of our space.”
Although the sports have changed, many of the faces have remained the same. Butler Sporting Goods has become a trusted name to Cape Codders throughout the years. “We now see great-grandchildren of customers coming in to buy equipment,” said Fedele.
The staff have created relationships within the community by ensuring customers have the right equipment for what they which might not be everything they thought they needed or the most expensive. “It’s more important for us to gain a customer than a sale,” said Fedele. This means that they’ll only sell you what you need and even take a look at your old equipment to ensure it’s safe and fits right. “We regrip bats, restring gloves, repair and sharpen skates,” said Fedele.
Butler Sporting Goods has grown with the Cape and moved with the times. They now not only sell equipment in their full service store on West Main Street in Hyannis but also have an interactive website. When customers go online, they’re able to visit the dedicated stores for their team in order to
easily access all the items needed for that team. Even as Butler Sporting Goods changes with the times to meet internet shopping demand, they retain the same in store local presence that has made them a household name over the years. “We are considered an “old school” sporting goods store where you can get anything you might need for team sports,” explained Butler, “We pride ourselves on customer service. Many products are available now online, but people like to touch and feel an item before they purchase. One example would be the fit of a baseball glove. You could have 3 of the exact same model ball gloves in stock, but when a customer tries all 3 on, there is always that one that just feels better than the others. We take the time with each sale to make sure a customer is happy with the product before they walk out the door. You can’t get that when you buy online.”
From repair to advice, there’s a reason they’ve been serving the Cape and Islands for the past 40 years by building relationships through solid dependable customer service. Whether you’re taking up a new hobby or you’re competing on an elite level, they’ll get you outfitted in everything you need. Visit Butler Sporting Goods at 815 West Main Street in Hyannis or online at ButlerSportingGoods.com
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