Jennifer Pinder and Ken Palumbo show off the Soccer Post and Tennis Net’s selection of over 125 different types of soccer cleats.
When Jennifer Pinder and Ken Palumbo were looking to start a business together, they wanted to do something that made sense given their backgrounds: Pinder is an accountant, and Palumbo is a tennis instructor with extensive retail experience.
Soccer Post, which bills itself as “America’s soccer store,” was the perfect fit. The Eatontown-based retailer has franchise stores in 14 states.
“We were also trying to think of something in the sports field, and we were thinking that soccer is a very popular sport. It’s growing every year,” Pinder said.
They decided to go with Soccer Post under the condition that they could adapt their store with their own ideas.
“We started talking to them to see if we could add on to the franchise and make it more our own,” Pinder said. “We’re much bigger than other stores.”
After deciding on Hopewell because of its numerous schools and proximity to the highway, Pinder and Palumbo opened Soccer Post and Tennis Net last August. The store offers soccer and tennis clothes and equipment, including a large collection of soccer cleats, and gift items.
Customers sometimes mention that soccer and tennis is an odd combination. But Pinder said they often leave with products from both sides of the store.
“I think they help sell each other,” she said. “So many parents will come in to get their kids cleats, and they’ll leave with a tennis skirt. I also think that a lot of people play both. They work well together.”
Pinder said soccer has outsold tennis so far, but notes that the major season for tennis sales is just now starting. Cleats, though, are by far the store’s best-selling product. Licensed jerseys and team gift items like hats, scarves, calendars and keychains are a close second, she said.
“People are very into their soccer teams, so they definitely buy a lot of those,” she said. “What people say they can’t find anywhere but here are the team gifts. Things like that are hard to find even on the internet, so people get really excited when they come in and see things like that.”
Another top seller is uniforms. Palumbo said Soccer Post and Tennis Net has outfitted football, golf and baseball teams, so they aren’t limited to just soccer and tennis.
“The team sales division is kind of like a third wing of our business,” he said. “It’s really helped. We can accommodate any type of business or any type of sport.”
They recently installed a heat press in store and are currently waiting on a new graphic design program.
“We can do our own logos and our work in house, rather than farming everything out,” he said.
After opening just as the fall soccer season was starting, Pinder said business has been consistent.
“It’s been very positive,” Pinder said. “The community seems really happy that we’re here. We’re very pleased with the response and how we’ve been doing.”
Pinder and Palumbo hope to keep that going into the spring tennis season.
“We tried to make it a full realm of products,” Palumbo said. “When you come in here, different from what you see in other stores, we have something for everyone.”
Soccer Post and Tennis Net is located in the Hopewell Crossing Shopping Center on Denow Road. They have a Facebook page. Phone: (609) 303-0647.
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