“If you build it, they will come.” That’s what Kevin Costner’s corn field whispered to him in the movie “Field of Dreams,” but the same rang true for Parkland Source for Sports owner Dave Campbell. With his retail business bursting at the seams in its old location, Campbell said he was on the hunt for an existing building in Dauphin that would meet his current and future needs.
“My lease was up in my current space at the end of December and I was looking at the future of my store and wanted to own my own building. It was getting pretty tight and cramped in our current space and it made it hard to display some things or have more products on the floor. We really, really have outgrown the old space,” Campbell said, who has owned Parkland Source for Sports for the last eight years. “When my realtor, Ken Dyck, showed this building to me, my initial thought was that it was a real piece of junk. I couldn’t see anything when he showed me”
That piece of junk, a really big, three floor building, located at 6 First Ave. S.W. In Dauphin, was originally built in the 1930s and was a Western Grocer until the mid 1990s when an antique store moved in and was the last recent tenants.
The building was in need of some serious TLC and sat empty for months. Building a new Parkland Source for Sports wasn’t a realistic possibility for Campbell as the cost of just renovating an existing space just didn’t compare.
Campbell said that nothing he saw after though caught his attention and he started to think the building could be the one for him.
“I did a lot of sitting back and thinking and I slowly, slowly changed my mind,” Campbell said. “It was the next logical step in owning my business – to have my own building and pay a mortgage instead of paying a lease. Even totally renovating this building didn’t compare to the cost of building new. It was definitely more economical. There’s the fact too, that it’s a heritage building in Dauphin, one of the last few really good old buildings in town,” Campbell said.
When Campbell did decide to go ahead with the building, it was a number of the heritage features the building possessed that sealed the deal. What appealed to Campbell about the old run down building in Dauphin was the sheer size, it’s a total of 30,000 sq. feet. as well, certain touches that made the building truly unique, like the flooring, which features solid wood, 2×6 planks going end to end in the building. Campbell said it was the help of Ken Dyck who really made him see the potential, and Ken took over the details of the renovation as building manager for Campbell, as Campbell was still running Parkland Source for Sports at its old location. Campbell said Ken did most of the organizing for the renovations, lining up building inspectors, contractors, plumbers and others. Campbell said while many things had to be cleaned or replaced and certain changes needed to be made to accommodate a large retail space, the developers did their best to keep the heritage feel of the building.
Ken assembled a team of trade’s people to make this project come to life. He contacted Darren from D.M. Eddie Engineering to design the blue prints and plans to make sure the building would meet all current codes. Once all the designs and plans were in place the project could move forward with the plumbing and electrical. The building had to have all the old wiring and plumbing removed and this would not be a small task. Ken hired two local companies Steiner Plumbing and Heating and Korotash Electrical to complete this job.
To bring this building to the modern technology, Baker Computers was the company to do this. They wired in all the telephone, computer, fax, and cashier tills with the newest and most efficient programs.
It was just as important to make the outside reflect the inside and Birss Landscaping was up for the challenge. Just one of the great touches Birss Landscaping added was new stone work for the front entrance to make everyone feel welcome. Another great eye catching element is the 10 foot, luminated, NHL hockey players alongside the building a special touch Campbell wanted to give the building.
Campbell wanted to keep the building’s charm, so instead of replacing the floor they stripped and refurbished the floor, which was dingy and worn from 70 years of wear and tear, to reveal beautiful, shining hardwood. Another feature of the original building Campbell decided to keep was the stunning brick walls inside the building that are now a feature of the retail space. Keeping some of the original components was key in the new design of Parkland Source for Sports and the floor and the brick walls stand out even more with the bright lighting in the store. “We even painted the ceiling a tin colour to give it that old world feeling. It looks really good with the lighting,” Campbell said.
Parkland Source for Sports moved in and opened to the public in it’s new building on August 22, 2013 using 12,500 sq. Feet of it for retail space spread over two floors. The main floor features footwear and clothing, while the second floor showcases the wide variety of sports equipment available.
“I see a lot of potential in the future with this building. Right now it really allows us to spread out and showcase our products. We’ve essentially tripled our retail space,” Campbell said. “I love it. It looks way better than I could have anticipated, better than I could have dreamed.”
Campbell said he’s received quite a warm reception from residents in Dauphin for renovating the old building.
“It’s a good feeling. I have people who come up to me and say I’m doing a good thing renovating this old building, that they thought it would just stand vacant. I’m proud of the fact that we could turn it into something new,” Campbell said.
For more information, visit the brand-new location at 6 First St. S.W., call them at 204-638-7057 or visit Parkland Source for Sports at www.parklandsourceforsports.com.
