T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Bob, left, and Carole Sabo are retiring as owners of Jenkins Sporting Goods and are looking for a new owner to carry on the store’s 50-year legacy.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Bob and Carole Sabo are retiring after carrying on Jenkins Sporting Goods’ legacy of providing service to the area’s needs for sports items, and they are hoping another owner might step up and take over.

“We’ve only been here for the last five years,” Bob Sabo said. “It’s been here for 50 years. It’s kind of like a marker of the city, and we’d just like to see someone keep it going.”

The Sabos had been familiar with the business and John Jenkins, who opened the store.

“When John first opened the business I helped him open it for a year, so when he found out I had retired from the insurance industry, he had been trying to sell it so we sat down and talked, and were pretty much able to work out the arrangements.”

Since taking over, the Sabos have maintained the store’s quality. They noted some changes since John Jenkins first opened the doors.

“When he first opened the store, it was more designed for actual sporting goods and equipment,” Bob Sabo said. “Over the years it’s evolved to more custom printing and varsity jackets on the retail side are probably the biggest sale, along with customizing T-shirts for individuals.”

The business also sells trophies and other items. Printing is done on-site in the basement.

Bob Sabo added Jenkins Sporting Goods is a well-known name in the area.

“It has a lot of repeat business. Generations of families have been coming in here. We’ve done business from grandma and grandpap down to grandson and granddaughter now,” he said.

They said customers who have heard about the Sabos’ retirement plans want to see the store continue. Bob Sabo hopes for some offers to take it over.

“It’s a pretty well-established, 50-year track record,” he said.

Carole Sabo agreed.

“It’s been here in the same place. In fact hardly anything has changed with it in 50 years, except maybe not as much sporting goods as it used to have. It’s mostly clothing lines and that type of thing now. Plaques, trophies,” she said. “A lot of people come in and are glad it’s like it was whenever they came to buy things when they were younger. It’s just like a tradition here at Jenkins.”

Bob Sabo said personal contact and knowing their customers were qualities that set Jenkins Sporting Goods apart. They operated the store through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Small businesses really suffered,” Carole Sabo said.

“Obviously COVID has taken its toll on a lot of the walk-in business, but we still are able to maintain our bulk screen printing. We do a lot of screen printing for the mom and pop businesses, booster clubs, things like that for different schools,” Bob Sabo said.

Bob Sabo said they were able to step into the owners’ role smoothly and benefited from John Jenkins’ guidance as they started out. They will also offer their assistance to any new owner.

“One of the advantages that we had and somebody new who would take over was it was pretty much turn-key. All we had to do was open the doors. The business was here. It wasn’t like we had to start from scratch,” he said. “We would just like the tradition to continue.”

They will be retiring in September. They look forward to traveling and spending time with friends.

Jenkins Sporting Goods can be reached at 740-695-9300.

The address is 148 W. Main St. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and evenings and Saturdays by appointment.