After 32 years in the Beaches, sports shop owner returns to Regent Park
A shop that has been a staple in the Beaches neighbourhood has closed its doors after more than 30 years.
Tex Thomas, owner of Pro League Sports, has served thousands of customers over the past three decades, including famous athletes and generations of families.
“It’s pretty tough to leave a neighbourhood I’ve called home for the past 32 years,” said Thomas.
“I’ve seen customers as kids grow up at Kew Beach, go to university, come back, and bring their own kids into the store.”
Thomas said the idea to open a sports shop came from his own love of collecting, and his time as a semi-pro football player in Ottawa. Over the years he’s been visited by various celebrities and athletes who have autographed their names at the store’s entrance.
The move is bittersweet, he says, because Thomas also has a special connection to his new Regent Park location.
“As a young man I grew up in Regent Park, and to find out I will be back there with all of the changes that have happened, I wept,” he said, adding he hopes to inspire young kids in the area who visit his shop that they too can achieve their dreams.
“Because of where I’ve come from, it’s always been ‘maybe you can do it, maybe you can’t.’ I want to show kids that whatever you put your mind to, you can do it,” he said.
Pro League Sports’s new location is now open at 136 River St.
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