Disco Sports at 1400 Starling Drive in Henrico. The sporting goods shop has listed its property for sale and plans to relocate. (Jack Jacobs photos)
The building that Disco Sports has called home for nearly 20 years has hit the market as the retailer plots its next move.
The long-running sporting goods store recently listed for sale its two-story, 9,500-square foot shop at 1400 Starling Drive, across the street from Regency.
Gail Held, who co-owns the business with husband Lew, said that after the building is sold, Disco Sports intends to relocate with a greater focus on its team sales, the company’s arm that outfits local sports teams with uniforms and equipment.
“We do a lot of Little League and travel teams. That keeps us busy,” she said.
Disco Sports is asking $1.4 million for the Starling Drive building, according to a LoopNet listing.
Built in the 1980s for restaurant chain Darryl’s, the building has been owned by the Helds since the early 2000s. They paid $625,000 at the time. The property was most recently assessed at $861,800, according to online county land records.
Gail Held
The less-than-an-acre parcel is zoned B-2C. Nathan Jones of Dominion Commercial has the listing.
Gail Held said the plan is to sell the property and then move Disco Sports to a new, smaller location. There isn’t a specific timeline on when the move will happen, which she said would be dependent on when a buyer for the Starling property can be found.
Disco Sports also hasn’t yet settled on where it would relocate. Held said the company would plan to stay in the same general area in western Henrico.
The company wants to focus on selling gear to sports teams and move away from retail sales to individuals amid increased competition from online sellers, particularly since the pandemic. Held said the store is looking to downsize because it doesn’t need the amount of sales floor it now has.
“The retail business is so different than it used to be. You have to adjust,” said Held. “With our team division, we don’t need this big retail space.”
Held said there still could be a non-team retail component in the next location, though it would be smaller than the company’s current offerings. Disco Sports now sells swimwear and fan apparel as well as gear for baseball, gymnastics, football and other sports.
Wherever Disco Sports ends up next, it would be the latest of several locations the store has operated out of over more than 50 years.
The store’s origins date to 1970, when the Helds bought a local sporting goods shop for $15,000. They soon landed on the store’s current name to give the business some pizazz with a reference to the popular music of the day.
In 1973, the store moved to Parham Plaza shopping center and a couple years later moved to Regency, the mall known then as Regency Square.
Disco Sports relocated again in 1996, this time to the Westbury shopping center near Freeman High School. It was around the same time the company got into selling uniforms and equipment to schools, Little Leagues and church sports leagues.
It moved to its current location on Starling Drive in 2006.
Disco Sports at 1400 Starling Drive in Henrico. The sporting goods shop has listed its property for sale and plans to relocate. (Jack Jacobs photos)
The building that Disco Sports has called home for nearly 20 years has hit the market as the retailer plots its next move.
The long-running sporting goods store recently listed for sale its two-story, 9,500-square foot shop at 1400 Starling Drive, across the street from Regency.
Gail Held, who co-owns the business with husband Lew, said that after the building is sold, Disco Sports intends to relocate with a greater focus on its team sales, the company’s arm that outfits local sports teams with uniforms and equipment.
“We do a lot of Little League and travel teams. That keeps us busy,” she said.
Disco Sports is asking $1.4 million for the Starling Drive building, according to a LoopNet listing.
Built in the 1980s for restaurant chain Darryl’s, the building has been owned by the Helds since the early 2000s. They paid $625,000 at the time. The property was most recently assessed at $861,800, according to online county land records.
Gail Held
The less-than-an-acre parcel is zoned B-2C. Nathan Jones of Dominion Commercial has the listing.
Gail Held said the plan is to sell the property and then move Disco Sports to a new, smaller location. There isn’t a specific timeline on when the move will happen, which she said would be dependent on when a buyer for the Starling property can be found.
Disco Sports also hasn’t yet settled on where it would relocate. Held said the company would plan to stay in the same general area in western Henrico.
The company wants to focus on selling gear to sports teams and move away from retail sales to individuals amid increased competition from online sellers, particularly since the pandemic. Held said the store is looking to downsize because it doesn’t need the amount of sales floor it now has.
“The retail business is so different than it used to be. You have to adjust,” said Held. “With our team division, we don’t need this big retail space.”
Held said there still could be a non-team retail component in the next location, though it would be smaller than the company’s current offerings. Disco Sports now sells swimwear and fan apparel as well as gear for baseball, gymnastics, football and other sports.
Wherever Disco Sports ends up next, it would be the latest of several locations the store has operated out of over more than 50 years.
The store’s origins date to 1970, when the Helds bought a local sporting goods shop for $15,000. They soon landed on the store’s current name to give the business some pizazz with a reference to the popular music of the day.
In 1973, the store moved to Parham Plaza shopping center and a couple years later moved to Regency, the mall known then as Regency Square.
Disco Sports relocated again in 1996, this time to the Westbury shopping center near Freeman High School. It was around the same time the company got into selling uniforms and equipment to schools, Little Leagues and church sports leagues.
It moved to its current location on Starling Drive in 2006.
I bought a shirt from them a few months ago for an NFL game and Mrs. Held was the sweetest lady. I’m glad to hear they’ll still be in business, even if it’s in a refocused direction.