Wilson, MacGregor and Louisville Slugger on display in the baseball themed window display of The Sport Shop but not a Nike product to be found. I don’t have any information about this particular photo and have not been able to track down anything on the business. Anyone out there remember anything about The Sport Shop and where it was located?
Update: After a search of a 1958 Jacksonville City Directory I found The Sport Shop Inc. listed at 44o West Forsyth Street which would be about where the Greyhound Bus Station is currently located.
Tags: advertising, baseball, Lousiville Slugger, The Sport Shop, Wilson, window display
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As a kid we always went to Finkelstein’s ……for our sporting goods..
Bob, if you want the location, call your local library and ask them to check a City Directory of the time. Joan
Thanks Joan, I’ll do that. Please feel free to Contribute/Comment/Critique any time! Bob
I have a photo of my dad in front of the Sports Shop. The “owner” of the shop, “Mr. (Alton) Meeks”, is congratulating my dad for catching the Tarpon fish pictured hanging in front of the store.
The building across the street with an AAA sign, perhaps a mechanics garage is visible in the photo. Also noted a reflection in the window saying “Hotel Greg…..”. Could be 1949-51ish but not sure.
If you would like to share it please send it to me in an e-mail and I would be happy to post it. Thanks, Bob Self/Vintage Jacksonville
Harry, I believe that Ellis Fernandez owned the Sport Shop and Alton Meeks ran the fishing department and Coy Welch ran the gun department. I fished with Alton on several occasions during the early 1950s. Those were the days.
The Sport Shop was a wonderous place for a 10 – 12 year old boy to visit with his father. There were guns of every make and model (at least it seemed that way) as well as fishing tackle and camping gear for local or distant safaris. I have no proof, but I think they started the practice of displaying their customers’ trophies all over the shop. There were masterpiece examples of the art of taxidermy (especially handpainted fish) by the late Rollo Robinson, whom I had the honor of working for one summer as a 14 year old kid on his first job. He chewed cigars instead of plug tobacco and gave me my first “chew”. He never told my folks why I was sick for two days afterward.
The picture of the sporting store window is Harry Finkelstein at 633 West Bay Street.