The new owners of the former Towne Bowl building in Kitchener are outlining their plans for the location. Mario Halapir and a team of partners bought the Ottawa Street North building and plan to open a soccer store there by the fall. “We’ve experienced growth over the last bunch of years, and I think it’s necessity more than anything else,” Halapir, president of The Sports Link, said. Halapir first opened the soccer-focused store in 1992. “People thought I was crazy … soccer wasn’t really a well-known commodity at that point in time,” he said. But in just over three decades, the customer base has grown. “We have generational shoppers. The kids I used to serve here when they were kids are now bringing their own kids in. It’s very exciting to be part of that,” Halapir said. Originally, The Sports Link operated out of the top portion of the Ontario Street South building it currently occupies. As the business grew, they opened a store on the main floor and started using offsite and basement storage. Halapir said he thought there would be more of a focus on online sales by now, but that hasn’t been the case. “Our last two years have been our best years of in-store shopping since we’ve been open, which is incredible to me. I think that’s a testament to our customer base,” he said. Halapir said they’re best known for their soccer expertise, but a lot of businesses clients come from a branding division looking for uniforms and other products. “The growth in our corporate end of the business has really picked up. In order to be able to execute the business that we currently have is really impossible out of this location alone.” Moving to the Ottawa Street North location will give the ability for the store to grow from nearly 3,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet. All storage will also be consolidated onsite and there will be more parking options available. “The parking situation will be a lot better. There are currently 34 spots, we’re hoping to make that into about 40. Compared to the eight that we have here – so right off the bat, it’ll be better,” Halapir said. “Just from an efficiency standpoint, it’s going to help our business tremendously. I also think even for our retail component, it’s going to be a lot better. Parking has always been a challenge for us here. We’ve had such loyal customers that they’ve made it work. But going forward, it would be a lot easier for them. I think that will translate, hopefully, in sales as well,” Skylarr Rothernel, a sales manager at The Sports Link said. According to Halapir, the Ontario Street South building where The Sports Link is currently located was once the Oktoberfest building in Kitchener. He said despite looking at several potential buildings to move The Sports Link to, he enjoys the chance to be a part of Kitchener’s history again. “I have an affinity for buildings with a bit of history. This being the old Oktoberfest building and Towne Bowl being really an icon in our area. It’s neat to be able to resuscitate that and bring it back to life,” Halapir said. Halapir is in the process of selling the Ontario Street South building, but there are still some organizational considerations that need to be worked out before The Sports Link can open up again in its new location. They hope to be up and running in the fall.
