Relocated Mt. Kisco Sports Braces for Modell’s Competition
Mount Kisco Sports has been a fixture in the village since it opened on South Moger Avenue in 1997.
While soaring rents may have forced owner Rob Bernstein to recently move to another downtown storefront on East Main Street, Bernstein ultimately thinks he’s better off, with the store more noticeable in its new location and in close proximity to other sports and activity-related businesses. The relocated Mount Kisco Sports is next to a yoga studio and a boxing and karate facility.
“It’s more visible (with) better parking, next to Bicycle World, which is a phenomenal retailer,” said Bernstein, a North Salem resident.
“We just have a lot of great neighbors here and there’s a lot of great energy right here in Mount Kisco,” he added.
Bernstein’s move comes at a time when he is bracing for the arrival of Modell’s, the large sporting goods chain that is scheduled to move into the former Border’s space down East Main Street this spring.
He was somewhat reluctant to talk about comparisons, in part because he’s not entirely familiar with all the merchandise Modell’s sells.
“I’m not sure that I’m going to do anything really that different,” said Bernstein, who spoke out against Modell’s during planning board meetings last year. “I’m still going to continue to give 100 percent to the customer.”
Bernstein said a hallmark of his business is the individual attention his customers receive, particularly with tennis and running shoes.
“There’s a lot of nuances in both sports where you need professional advice and that’s what we offer,” he said. “We also offer the same thing in baseball and soccer. So we specialize in mostly those four sports and that’s what we do very, very well. It’s like having specialty stores in one location.”
Bernstein, who played baseball and tennis growing up, said for many years he was in the tennis pro shop business
“That was a natural progression from me being a tennis player and then an instructor,” he said. “And then I just went into business instead of going in the career path of being a tennis instructor or a coach.”
Whatever the immediate future holds, Bernstein knows how to run a successful sporting goods store, and with the help of his staff, will continue to give customers the best service they can provide.
“I’m the owner, I put everything into this store,” he said. “My staff is extremely, extremely knowledgeable. They can give answers to every product that we sell. How it fits. How it’s cut. What’s better, what’s not better. What’s going to fit you better.
“I’m still going to just go about my business the same way. However we have to react to other retailers being in the marketplace we’ll react.”
Mount Kisco Sports is located at 13 E. Main St. For more information call 914-666-9600 or visit www.mtkiscosports.com.
