1972
Massey's was founded in 1972 by the father and son team of Darrell and Larry Massey. The original store catered to a wide cross section of both adventurous and team sports, plus competitive non-team sports like running and swimming. During the 70s and early 80s, Massey's grew at an unprecedented pace to 5 regional locations. The business catered to amateur, collegiate, and professional athletes and operated as a retail outlet for the public and a distributorship for many growing companies such as Nike.
1980-1985
In the mid 1980s, facing increased competition from national firms, the decision was made to discontinue all athletic and team sports and instead focus on growing, non-competitive recreational sports such as snow ski and outdoor adventure. 2 company stores and one franchise were closed and more effort was devoted to growing brands such as Patagonia and North Face.
1985
In 1985, Massey's opened began selling ski hardgoods like ski boots and skis. We opened a ski repair shop, and began offering simulated skiing and lessons on an indoor ski deck. The first pair of ski boots we sold was a Salomon SX80.
1991
Seeking to expand beyond just outdoor apparel, Massey's begins selling
backpacking and camping gear. The first gear was well received ...and
that Spring our first sale was a Lowe Alpine Contour pack, a Sierra
Designs Meteor Light tent, and a Sierra Designs Lite Loft sleeping
bag.
1993
Continuing to expand our outdoor gear selection, we sold our first
Mad River canoe and Perception kayak in 1993. Today we stock and
sell hundreds of canoes and kayaks from a large variety of boat
manufacturers. The first sale was a Perception Swing that we delivered
to Mobile, AL.
1997
In 1997, Massey's opened the doors on the first new location in
over 10 years in Mandeville. This smaller store was opened to better
serve the needs of the growing population north of New Orleans and
Lake Pontchartrain. This location has since closed and moved to
a larger location.
2000-2001
Sadly, after almost 30 years of loving care, both founders (father
and son) pass away in a relatively short time period. The business
is taken over by the remaining family members, Sally Massey, Mike
Massey, and Bobby Johnson. It is run with the same attention to
detail and customer centric philosophy that the original founders
had envisioned in the late sixties and early seventies.
2002
The original Mandeville location is shuttered and moved to a more visible location in Covington, LA. Massey's enters e-commerce with their first site; masseys.net
2005
Massey's opens a brand new, state of the art outdoor store in Baton
Rouge at the Towne
Center mall. The 8500 sq/ft new store features brand departments
assembled, designed, and maintained by many of our vendor-partners.
The store is instantly successful and meets the needs of both Baton
Rouge residents and LSU students.
2006
Massey's launches two new websites... theflipflopper.com
specializing in (you guessed it) flip flops and gear for a casual
lifestyle... and 800-SKI-SHOP.com
specializing in JUST alpine ski gear. The websites are designed
to feature many LESS products than is now typical with mega-sites
that feature tens of thousands of items.
2007
Massey's opens a third specialty site; wegotyourpack.com
The site specializes in footwear, gear, and clothing for hikers
and backpackers. Also that year, masseys.net
turns into MasseysOutfitters.com
and is redesigned substantially.
Late
that year, Massey's begins construction on their new headquarters
based in the center of New Orleans. The 25,000 sq/ft location will
feature a 7000 sq/ft retail store, central distribution and warehouse
facilities and loft-style offices for our growing staff. The site
will also feature a state-of-the-art patagonia theme shop. In the
Spring, the site will serve as Massey's paddlesports activity shop
will rentals, demos, lessons, tours, and numerous events.
2008
Massey's opens the new store, warehouse and distribution center
in the heart of Katrina flooded New Orleans.

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