As any specialty retailer knows, this is not a decision that’s made lightly. In a two-part series, I’ll be interviewing Kimberly Grogan, co-owner of Dash-Sports, to document the expansion. In this first episode, we drop in on the reasoning behind their decision to expand, why the time is now, and what strategies she and her partner/husband are employing to up the odds for success. The second will be about how the Grogans worked with their key brand partners to make a rolling, month-long grand opening a success.

The Grogans have complete focus on serving their target consumer and this show is a case study of how one specialty retailer was literally pushed by its devoted community for an expansion.

Dash-Sports (currently transitioning from its former name, Gear for Multisport) is also an excellent example of a retailer activating multiple channels toward a single goal: to engage and to be of service to its customer. Every decision they make is oriented toward providing a better experience for their consumer, and supporting and encouraging their consumers’ active lifestyles. Dash-Sports turns customer lifetime value into a guiding philosophy, not just a metric.