In 2006, Christine Martin found a need for sports equipment for her three children who played sports. However, the only sporting goods store in Longmont at the time was Sports Authority. Wanting to buy used equipment first, Martin would make frequent trips to Fort Collins to visit the Play It Again Sports store. This led her to wonder why there wasn’t a Longmont location and decided to take matters into her own hands by opening her own branch.
Martin and her husband have operated Play It Again Sports in Longmont for a total of 17 years. However, their plans to retire in 2020 have been put on hold due to the pandemic. A combination of COVID-19 restrictions and complications with the store’s former location made it difficult for them to sell. Instead, they decided to ride out the storm and ended up moving the store to 1067 S. Hover St.
After moving in 2021, Martin considered selling the store again. However, she wanted to make sure the new location was a good fit before making any decisions. Fortunately, the Longmont community responded positively to the new location and sales began to pick up.
Despite facing competition from Dick’s Sporting Goods and the now-shuttered Big 5, Martin believed that Play It Again Sports could always sustain itself because of its franchise status. When it came time to put the store up for sale again, two dedicated employees, Chris Otero and Zach Matthews, expressed interest in purchasing it. With a combined 17 years of experience at the Longmont location, Otero and Matthews were seen by Martin and her husband as the perfect candidates.
“We wanted them to have that.” They were enthusiastic, young, full of energy, the store needed that. I wanted to see it succeed. “We wanted to keep it local,” Martin said.
On May 1, the store officially changed hands, allowing Martin to take a well-deserved retirement.