
Stadium Outfitters staff, from left, Chuck Grant, manager, Marti Cunningham, retail sales, and Nolan Gordon, assistant manager.
Debra A. Aleksinas
Stadium Outfitters staff, from left, Chuck Grant, manager, Marti Cunningham, retail sales, and Nolan Gordon, assistant manager.
NORTH CANAAN — Stadium System Inc.’s retail store at 297 Ashley Falls Road, which for the past several years has only been open during the holiday season, has reopened with expanded hours and merchandise under the rebranded name Stadium Outfitters.
New signage has yet to be erected, but meticulously arranged shelves, racks and displays offer an array of men and women’s apparel, footwear and accessories representing popular brands like Caterpillar, Carhartt, Red Wing, Muck Boot Company, Irish Setter, Shinesty, Hey Dude, Oakley, Under Armour, Merrell and New Balance, among others.
While the apparel is front and center, Stadium Outfitters, which made its debut on Black Friday, has also stayed true to its roots as a sporting goods store by offering a scaled-down, seasonal sports section at the rear of the store.
“We have tons of hockey stuff out right now,” said Nolan Gordon, assistant store manager, pointing to an array of hockey sticks, equipment and accessories.
Stadium System’s Merchandise Manager Chuck Grant, who is managing Stadium Outfitters, noted that sporting goods will rotate seasonally, freeing up space for the expanded clothing lines.
“We are still stocking for sports. Right now, it’s hockey and basketball, and when summer rolls around we will have baseball gloves and bats,” Grant said.
Customer response to the retail store’s reopening has been overwhelmingly positive due to the fact that there is nothing like it around, said Gordon.
“Everyone desperately wanted it to open,” he said. “People don’t want to drive to Great Barrington or Torrington. They want to shop locally.”
Stadium Outfitters is the retail arm of Stadium System Inc., the largest independent reconditioners of athletic equipment in the United States, and the largest team dealer in the northeast region.
The company, which specializes in refurbishing football helmets and gear and has an in-house screen print shop, is based at a sprawling facility on Church Street, where it has been owned and operated since 1948 by the Schopp family and is currently being run by brothers Ed and Mike Schopp.
According to Grant, the retail store, formerly the site of Canaan Auto, was purchased in 2016 and had been operating until about 2020, when it was forced to close due to a double whammy of a worker shortage and then the arrival of the global pandemic.
News that the retail store is once again up and running has been the talk of the town, said Grant, who has been employed by Stadium System for 25 years.
“Everyone around town has been very happy,” he said as he offered a tour of the store, which included a “Close-Out Corner” where clearance and off-season items are marked 30% off.
Footwear, too, fills an area near the front of the store where work boots, hiking boots and athletic shoes, as well as trendy, lightweight canvas shoes in a variety of designs by Hey Dude, are displayed.
The bright and airy store also has a small section featuring children’s clothing, several glass cases filled with stylish sunglasses at all price points, shelves featuring hats and caps, and a display stand loaded with leather work gloves.
Marti Cunningham of Great Barrington rounds out the staff at Stadium Outfitters. On a recent visit she did double-duty ringing out customers in the store and attending to Christmas tree shoppers.
Cunningham recalled the hectic week before Black Friday when she and the store’s managers arranged not only the stands of Nova Scotia Balsam Firs, but all the merchandise floor to ceiling, a task that she said “took forever, but it looks good now.”
Nearby, neatly stacked plush throw blankets in nature prints by Carstens shared space with a gift bundle of six pairs of socks and a CAT logo baseball cap for under $25.
“It’s so easy to not spend so much money here,” Cunningham said, noting that all merchandise is 10% off through December.
“I’ve had customers walk around for an hour,” he said. “They’re psyched, and they stay forever.”
December store hours are Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed on Christmas Day). Beginning Jan. 3, Stadium Outfitters will be open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
FALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley Regional High School girls basketball won 52-29 against Shepaug Valley High School in round one of the Berkshire League playoff tournament Feb. 19.
The Mountaineers established a lead early in the game and maintained a double-digit buffer throughout all four quarters. Housatonic's relentless defense completely stalled Shepaug, forcing numerous turnovers that paved the way for victory.
Olivia Brooks plays point guard for HVRHS.Photo by Riley Klein
HVRHS seniors Kylie Leonard and Daniela Brennan each posted five steals in the game. Leonard led the team in scoring with 13 points and Brennan added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Shepaug battled until the end, but the young Spartan squad struggled to build momentum. Sophomore Eliana Ostrosky scored a team-high 10 points. Emma O'Dwyer scored eight points.
Elian Ostrosky, right, led Shepaug Valley in scoring with 10 points. Photo by Riley Klein
Housatonic advanced to the semifinals to play the reigning champs, Northwestern Regional High School. On the other side of the bracket, top-ranked Gilbret School will play Thomaston High School.
Berkshire League girls semifinals games will be played Friday, Feb. 21 on neutral ground at Nonnewaug High School. HVRHS and Northwestern play first at 5 p.m. and the Gilbert versus Thomaston will follow immediately after.
The BL girls basketball championship game is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. at Nonnewaug.
The home section of the bleachers looks on with anticipation as a three-pointer by Olivia Brooks finds the hoop.Photo by Riley Klein
The Lakeville Journal and Millerton News are seeking young journalists for an educational internship program.
The six week program provides training in the everyday operations of a community weekly. Interns will learn the news-gatheringprocess from pitch to print through regular workshops with industry professionals on topics such as photography, libel and copy-editing.
Interns will also work closely with the papers’ staff. Editors will collaborate with interns to develop stories and provide feedback throughout the program. The papers’ reporters will take interns into the field for shadowing opportunities, teaching interviewing and photography in action.
By the end of the program, interns should be capable of reporting and writing a hard news story or feature fit for print, and should have an article clip and a photograph to start a reporting portfolio. Interns should finish the six-week program with an understanding of current community journalism best practices, interviewing techniques and news-writing skills.
Interested students can find the application online at lakevillejournal.com/education-internship-programs or on our social media accounts.
WOODBURY — Housatonic Valley Regional High School boys basketball was eliminated from the Berkshire League tournament Feb. 18 after a 76-62 loss to reigning champion Nonnewaug High School.
Nonnewaug's triple-threat offense found success both in the paint and on the perimeter against Housatonic. Lincoln Nichols, Brady Herman and Matt Shupenis combined for 64 of the Chiefs' points in the quarterfinal game.
Housatonic's Jesse Bonhotel, left, sets up a play against Nonnewaug.Photo by Riley Klein
After falling behind early, the Mountaineers refused to go down without a fight. HVRHS cut a double-digit lead to seven points in the third quarter before foul trouble stalled offensive momentum.
HVRHS juniors Anthony Foley and Wesley Allyn each had season-high scoring nights with 21 and 16 points respectively. Defensively, Owen Riemer forced repeated turnovers through steals and swatted shots.
Anthony Foley scored 21 points for HVRHS Feb. 18.Photo by Riley Klein
After the game, Housatonic coach Kurt Johnson reflected on the season, calling it an "improvement but we didn't hit our ceiling." He described graduating seniors Jesse Bonhotel, Mason O'Niel, Sam and Jacob Marcus as "the toughness of the team, so that's the challenge that the young guys will have to figure out" next year.
Nonnewaug advanced to the semifinal round Feb. 20 against Thomaston High School. On the other side of the Berkshire League bracket, undefeated Shepaug Valley High School got matched against Lakeview High School. Both games will be played at Northwestern High School back-to-back beginning at 5:15 p.m.
Housatonic coach Kurt Johnson.Photo by Riley Klein