Major Sporting Goods Store Opens in Sherman Oaks

The year's biggest grand opening so far of a store in Sherman Oaks will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, when Sports Authority opens its doors at 13730 Riverside Dr.

Actually, the 46,000-square-foot store has been open for several days this week and business reportedly has been brisk. "People have been coming in and thanking us for opening a sports store in Sherman Oaks," said manager Matt Wheatcroft.

"We're already selling lots of merchandise," Wheatcroft added.

The new Sports Authority store is the single largest source of new jobs in Sherman Oaks so far this year.

The store hired more than 60 people to staff the two-story retail outlet. It replaces the Linens-N-Things, which shut down last year and laid off nearly 100 people. The large retail space had been vacant nearly a year.

"We had a huge crowd of job seekers when we did our hiring at the Marriott in Sherman Oaks," Wheatcroft said.

"We expect a big crowd at the formal grand opening on Saturday," he said. "We're giving away $100 gift cards once an hour to people who register with us."

The store sells sports equipment and clothing in most major-name brands. The prices for golf balls, shirts and workout clothing appear to be standard big-box-store prices.

"There are no other sports equipment stores in Sherman Oaks that sell the variety of things we offer," said Will Godoy, an assistant manager.

There are more than 450 Sports Authority stores across the country. The chain is owned by Leonard Green and Partners, a multibillion-dollar, Los Angeles-based company that has equity investments in many different industries.