(Editor’s Note: Johannsen’s Sporting Goods was featured in this year’s Pigskin Preview. The link is posted below)
What started as a small trophy engraving shop in 1969 has grown to a larger sporting goods store that provides many local schools with its uniforms, supplies and equipment. Employees also do in-house screen printing, uniform embroidery and builds trophies from scratch.
“We pretty much do anything a high school needs. From field paint, to uniforms, to trophies, to equipment. Whatever they need,” said Pat Johannsen, owner of Johannsen’s Sporting Goods, 1116 Broad St. “We probably do business for around 35 to 40 schools all over, Richmond and Columbia County, Greensboro, Warren County, Statesboro.”
Johannsen says that he inherited his shop’s first location from his parents who were optometrists when he was growing up. However, eyeglasses were never really an interest for him compared to sporting goods.
“I just opened a trophy store and went to work,” he said.
Growing up in Augusta, Johannsen fondly remembers playing basketball, football and baseball which strengthened deep connections with peers and teammates over the years.
“I think it’s a big part of kids growing up and they don’t realize it, until they get to be about 55-60 years old, how much they enjoyed what they did and how many friends they made,” Johannsen said.
The father of three says his children are all heavily involved with the store and how he always emphasized to them the importance of honesty when running a business.
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“You always got to tell the customer the truth. If you made a mistake, be truthful about it and own up to it,” he said. “Always tell the truth and stand by your product.”
Johannsen said all his children were involved in sports and he believes this is an enormous factor in shaping children over time.
Johannsen says that video games and the internet has heavily trained kids to stay indoors. He believes sports also teaches children important life skills such as discipline, responsibility and punctuality.
“That’s what’s wrong with this world, you got kids sitting at home while mom and dad are at work, and all they’re doing is looking at a screen. The only thing that upsets them is when the battery dies,” he said.
His son, Steve Johannsen, nodded and said, “They don’t go outside; they don’t play. The internet has been a killer.”
Pat Johannsen said his belief in the importance of sports and its ability to encourage relationships plays a major role in his business.
“It’s all about relationships. If you have a good relationship with a coach, we take care of them the best we can,” he said.
Steve Johannsen said his grandfather brought little league baseball to Augusta which gave his father’s store its first customers for sporting goods. To Steve and Pat Johannsen, the family business started with connections and continues to thrive because of them.
“Today more kids are not involved with sports. I know some kids are not as physical as other kids, but sports play a fantastic role in the community because it keeps parents involved with schools,” Steve Johannsen said. He also said, in most cases, kids’ love for the game and competition encourages them to stay out of trouble in order to keep playing.
“Sports keeps kids off the street, keeps them in school, it’s a huge thing for the community,” said Steve Johannsen. “With sports, you make friendships forever.”
As a result of the business’ wide involvement with various sports leagues, the Johannsens said they prefer to support events and games that benefit several teams within the community as opposed to just one, such as the upcoming 2023 Border Bowl and High School Football Game of the Week.
In addition to supporting local teams within the community, Pat Johannsen also believes in supporting his staff and treating all as though they are family.
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“We’re not one for titles. We just come in and go to work and do business every day,” he said. “Everybody in here gets treated like family. We’re a pretty close-knit group here; everybody takes good care of each other.”
His belief in taking care of his staff made a special difference during the COVID-19 shutdown and quarantine. Even though his store was shut down, through smart saving and some government funding, he was able to not only support his business, but he also kept his employees on a steady payroll throughout the pandemic.
“We were able to take care of our people,” said Steve Johannsen. “People work here for years and years and just become part of our family.”
Due to an encouraging family workplace environment, Pat Johannsen said, unlike a lot of people, he enjoys coming to work every single day. Even though some days might be hard, “I still get up in the morning and look forward to work,” he said.
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
