A main street business that has been growing and evolving over 41 years has just taken another big step in the community.
Sas-Kam Sportsman, founded by Wayne Sas in October of 1978, has just added more square footage to its operation base.
Sas moved into the current Main Street building location, once owned by the Robinson’s store, in 1978 and has been at that location ever since. Ten years later he purchased the adjoining building, a grocery store, and expanded.
Now, forty-one years later, Sas-Kam is ready to welcome a new addition of retail space. Earlier this year renovations started on the building adjacent to Sas-Kam, a vacant store which was once a flower shop, and the amalgamation is nearing completion.
“Keeping up with trends, knowing what is new and in demand and being in a rural area where overhead is low helps us to remain competitive,” Sas said.
Keeping in mind that Sas-Kam is a family-owned-and-operated business, Sas was motivated to purchase and incorporate the empty building next door into much-needed retail space.
“The new space is not so much to enable product-line expansion for now, but rather has enabled us to be able to display our product line better by giving us the space to make our inventory more visible,” he said.
Right now Wayne, son Morgan and full-time employee Colin Tulloch are keeping everything operating on a day-to-day basis, but Morgan still has to find time to operate the silk-screening business which he has been running for the past 10 years.
Sas says e-bikes (electric assist bikes) have remained a popular item. E-bikes are bicycles with a battery-powered “assist” that comes via pedaling and, in some cases, a throttle, he explained. When the pedals are pushed on a pedal-assist e-bike, a small motor engages and gives the rider a boost. One can zip up hills and cruise over tough terrain without getting overtired, and acceleration is much easier.
“The lines we carry are all top-end and they expand every year,” said Sas. One such product is the addition of the “pedal-kayak” to the kayak lineup, a versatile product that may be “paddled or pedalled.”
“Kayaking is an ever-changing and growing sport, but it can be a difficult sport for those with poor upper body strength,” he said. “Pedal kayaks are a great way to ensure the sport is accessible to everyone, no matter what their ability level.
“Because they replace regular paddles with foot-pedals, those types of kayaks are also favored by those seeking a good leg workout, or who want to keep their hands free for fishing, taking some photos, or enjoying lunch on the water.”
“With our added retail space, we can now display our line of bikes and kayaks year round, because they sell year round,” said Sas.
Another niche that Sas-Kam services is the disc golf community.
“The sport of disc golf is becoming more and more popular and we carry a full line of discs,” said Sas. “With a few disc golf courses now available in this area, the sport offers a great, inexpensive outing for the whole family.”
When asked about future plans, Sas says they will concentrate on streamlining the operation of the business and is ruling out future expansion. “But who knows,” he concluded.
