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Kent's Sports Store, photographed Thursday, July 3, 2025, closed its doors this week after 76 years.

Ryan Aston, Standard-Examiner

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Jeff Spencer, owner of Kent's Sports Store on Washington Boulevard, helps a customer measure a bike frame Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018.

BEN DORGER, Standard-Examiner file photo

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Kent's Sports Store on Washington Boulevard, photographed Sept. 27, 2018, is closing after several decades of business.

BEN DORGER, Standard-Examiner file photo

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Jeff Spencer, owner of Kent's Sports Store, stands in front of the store on Washington Boulevard on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018. The store is closing after several decades of business.

BEN DORGER, Standard-Examiner file photo

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Kent's Sports Store, photographed Thursday, July 3, 2025, closed its doors this week after 76 years.

Ryan Aston, Standard-Examiner

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OGDEN — Kent’s Sports Store, one of Ogden’s longest-running and most recognizable businesses, closed its doors for good July 1, marking the end of a family-run operation that had served customers for more than 75 years.

Jeff Spencer and his late uncle, Randy Stanger, purchased the business in 1989, but it was founded 40 years earlier by Spencer’s grandfather, Kent Stanger. And while saying goodbye to that history hasn’t been easy — Spencer briefly closed the store in 2018 before reopening — he told the Standard-Examiner the time has finally come to move on to the next chapter.

“I have six grandsons, and I’d like to put some miles on a Harley-Davidson that doesn’t have near enough miles, and I’ve got two camp trailers that haven’t seen near enough time in the mountains,” Spencer said of his decision to retire.

Originally situated on Ninth Street and Washington Boulevard, Kent’s Sports Store later moved down the road to 15th and Washington, then returned to Ninth. Since 1963, the store has been a fixture at its current location near the Five Points area at 307 Washington Blvd. The store sold outdoor recreation and sporting goods — primarily firearms, bicycles and associated supplies, before shifting its focus to safes, vaults and barbecue/smoking equipment.

Spencer says that working at the store has been a rite of passage in his family. He started working there in 1976 as a teenager, sweeping the floors, while other family members spanning multiple generations have followed in his footsteps.

“I’ve had nephews, I’ve had cousins, I’ve had lots of family members, as well as lots of other just really great employees,” Spencer said. “We’ve had hundreds of employees over the decades. In fact, my grandsons come in every Saturday and polish safes and sweep floors and help me stock the barbecue pellets out front.

“That was the one time that probably brought a tear to my eye was last Saturday when my grandsons left for the last time after helping me. … My son and my daughter have both worked here. Yeah, it’s been a family business from the day it started and family has been such an integral part of it.”

Chad Frew, Spencer’s cousin, worked at the store while attending college in the 1990s. He views the store’s closing as the end of an era.

“It’s kind of sad because these mom-and-pop-type stores are just so hard to find nowadays,” Frew told the Standard-Examiner. “Everything is a big box now. So, to be able to get the kind of quality service that you got from (Spencer) and his uncle and his grandfather, it was just kind of unheard of.”

Frew joked that the store could be cluttered at times, but that there was no better place for hunters, gun enthusiasts or cyclists to go for a rare part, or even just friendly conversation.

“They knew where everything was and they could always find it for you or get it for you,” Frew said. “They specialized in hard-to-find ammo or gun attachments and so on. They were kind of known from all over, and when black powder or muzzle loading became popular, they were kind of the go-to place for that.”

For Spencer, keeping the business running for so many years wasn’t solely about products or profits, but also relationships — some of which were built across decades.

Over the years, Kent’s Sports Store provided him with opportunities to get closer to his family and make new friends.

“The highlight was, No. 1, working with my grandparents and my uncle early on and then developing some incredible friendships both with my co-workers, but also with my customers,” Spencer said. “Many of my customers are lifelong friends, and some of my very closest friends today are people I met through the business. That’s what brought me back for the last seven years was those relationships and I look forward to hopefully maintaining a lot of those relationships.”

One of the changes Spencer instituted after reopening in 2018 was to close the store Fridays for “Papa Day,” during which he could have his grandsons over and spend time with them. He hopes to enjoy even more of that in retirement. However, he holds no regrets about devoting himself to the business.

“Well, I can say with surety one thing — every time I’ve stuck the key in the door in the morning to open the store, I’ve never done it with a chip on my shoulder or felt like it was a drudgery. I’ve done it with a smile on my face. I’ve been excited to be here,” he said. “The interaction with the incredible people I’ve done business with, both employees and customers, it’s made my life complete and I’ve enjoyed every minute of being in this store.”

Spencer says he’ll continue to sell the store’s remaining inventory of Browning safes and vault doors by appointment only. To set an appointment, call 801-940-6556 and leave a message.