Visitors to the CRRC this winter may have noticed a shop open on the main floor. Kyle Johanson, owner of Pembina Source for Sports in Winnipeg but a resident of Niverville, has opened the new location to bring some essential products and services closer to home.
“Officially we opened on November 19 for the U11 tournament, after months of training for the new staff on our skate sharpener,” says Johanson.
He is leasing the space from the town, although last year it was not yet clear how long the lease would extend.
“Let’s just say I don’t see myself moving any time soon!” he adds.
Johanson says that he grew up in a very small town and spent half his life at the local rink.
“Growing up, I wanted to either play pro sports, or own a sporting goods shop,” he says. “So I can say that I guess I have fulfilled one of my childhood dreams.”
He first bought into Pembina Source for Sports seven years ago, and ever since that time he has been working hard to mould it into being everything he always felt a sporting goods store should be.
“I try to keep a positive space that gives everyone the feeling they want when thinking about the sport they love,” says Johanson. “After moving to Niverville seven years ago, I noticed that we were missing a few small town staples—one of those being the buzz of a skate sharpener at the rink.”
In addition to skate-sharpening, the shop offers a range of other game day necessities, including tape, laces, jocks/jills, socks, and various sporting accessories. As for services, they are able to provide the full pro shop experiencing, including rivets and sewing. In the future, they will also offer profiling.
“We also have items for the gymnasium, including volleyballs, basketballs, and shuttles for badminton/pickleballs,” Johanson says. “We even have jerky for a post-game protein fix.”
For now, Johanson is running the shop independently, but he says that one of his goals for early 2022 is to operate it as a direct satellite location for his larger Winnipeg store.
“I have still been bringing merchandise back and forth for customers as a service, to keep more people in town,” he says.
