Country Sports Closing It's Doors

After sixteen years of being a fixture in Town, Greg and Trisha Blair owners of Country Sports in Canton are closing their doors on January 1^st 2009. The husband and wife team fist met each other when they were dating at Curry College in Massachusetts. After graduation, they went into retail and started their own outdoor retailing business. Now according to Greg, he and his wife will now spend the next year traveling.

Greg and Trisha met when they were students at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts. Greg was a business major, Trisha a literature major. The two started dating and after graduation moved to New Hartford, CT where Greg had grown up. They opened their first store at the current location with just a space of 3,000 square feet. Four expansions later, the store encompassed 10,000 square feet.

Over the years, Country Sports has been a gathering spot for Rock Climbers, Mountain Bikers, Watersport enthusiasts, and hikers. Before the Internet took off, many people did their networking at the store. People would leave notes on their bulletin boards if they were looking for partners.

Over the years, Country Sports had many well known outdoor athletes give slide shows presentations. Greg cites off the names as if they had just come in yesterday.

Rock climber Barry Blanchard who assisted in making motion pictures such as Vertical Limit, K2 and Cliff Hanger was one such guest.

Ski mountaineers Kasha Rigby and Hilaree O'Neil also were visitors to their store.

"These two women are some of the most extreme athletes I've ever seen," Greg said. "The places they've been and things they've done is incredible.

The Blairs have met other famous outdoor athletes. Greg and Trisha recalled when one of their retailers flew them out to Colorado to go camping and rock climbing with legendary alpinist Alex Lowe.

"Alex Lowe was a nice guy and a legend in the sport of mountaineering," Greg beamed. He climbed many of the most difficult mountains in the world."

Lowe died at the age of 40 in October of 1999 from an avalanche at Shishapangma which is in Tibet. He left behind a wife and three sons.

"Unfortunately tragedies happens," Greg said. "Meeting

"For the last two years I had been thinking about a new venture," Greg said. "The economy had very little to do with our decision to close the store. I was thinking of doing something different."

His wife Trisha took some prodding to think about it but she eventually agreed with Greg and in early September they decided to close the store.

"I'm going to miss our employees and our customers," Trisha lamented. "That is what I will miss most. But we made a lot of friends through this business so I can take that with me."

For many the closing the store will leave a hole in the outdoor enthusiast community, but Greg insists they will still be a part of the Farmington Valley area.

"As sad as I am to close the store. We're still going to be around," Greg said. "It was a good run and we had some good times and met some great people. We're looking forward to traveling for the next year. After that we have plans for a new venture. Once that is all set we will let everyone know about it."