Sport Chalet had a humble start
A map listing Southern California recreational opportunities is seen outside a Sport Chalet store in downtown Los Angeles on April 16.
Sport Chalet got its start in 1959 when German immigrants Norbert and Irene Olberz bought a tiny ski and tennis shop in La Cañada Flintridge for $4,000.
During the company’s first two years, the couple worked and lived in the store, sleeping on rollaway beds and showering with a garden hose. In 1981, the couple opened a store in Huntington Beach and steadily increased its locations. In 1992, Sport Chalet became a public company.
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The sporting goods store covered basic sports needs such as basketball and baseball but also carried equipment for more extreme sports such as surfing and mountain climbing.
Sport Chalet marketed itself as the go-to for outdoor equipment — its one-time slogan, the Experts, referred to its staff of marathon runners and experienced hikers and divers.
In 2014, the retailer was sold to Connecticut-based Vestis Retail Group after years of steady losses.
Norbert Olberz died in 2011 at 86 years old.
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