# Dunham's Sports > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dunham's_Sports > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dunham's_Sports.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunham's_Sports > Source revision: 1356766313 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American sporting goods retailing corporation Dunham's Sports Formerly Dunham's Bait & Tackle (1937–1953) Type Private Industry Retail Founded 1937 (89 years ago) (1937) in West Bloomfield, Michigan Founder Ron Dunham Headquarters Troy, Michigan , U.S. Number of locations >260 stores (2026) Area served Midwest, MidAtlantic, Southeast, Southwest and Western United States Key people Jeffrey G Lynn (CEO)[1] David Lynn (President) Products sports equipment, Apparel, footwear, exercise equipment, firearms, ammunition, camping equipment, boats, fishing equipment. Revenue US $1B Owner Dunham's Athleisure Corporation Number of employees 6,000 (2026) Website Official website **Dunham's Sports** is an American [sporting goods](/source/Sports_equipment) retail chain owned by Dunham's Athleisure Corporation,[1] with stores located in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, Souteastern, Southwest and Western United States. The chain specializes in athletic equipment, apparel, footwear, outdoor sports including camping, boating, hunting and fishing. Dunham's is known for carrying a large assortment of name brand products at low prices. The chain has over 260 locations in 26 states, including [Alabama](/source/Alabama), [Arkansas](/source/Arkansas), [Georgia](/source/Georgia_(U.S._state)), [Illinois](/source/Illinois), [Indiana](/source/Indiana), [Iowa](/source/Iowa), [Kansas](/source/Kansas), [Kentucky](/source/Kentucky), [Maryland](/source/Maryland), [Michigan](/source/Michigan), [Minnesota](/source/Minnesota), [Missouri](/source/Missouri), [Montana](/source/Montana), [Nebraska](/source/Nebraska), [New Mexico](/source/New_Mexico), [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina), [North Dakota](/source/North_Dakota), [Ohio](/source/Ohio), [Oklahoma](/source/Oklahoma), [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania), [South Dakota](/source/South_Dakota), [Tennessee](/source/Tennessee), [Virginia](/source/Virginia), [West Virginia](/source/West_Virginia), [Wisconsin](/source/Wisconsin) and [Wyoming](/source/Wyoming). Dunham's store in [Athens, Tennessee](/source/Athens%2C_Tennessee) Dunham's location at the [Grand Traverse Mall](/source/Grand_Traverse_Mall) in [Traverse City, Michigan](/source/Traverse_City%2C_Michigan) ## History The first store opened in [West Bloomfield Township, Michigan](/source/West_Bloomfield_Township%2C_Michigan) in 1937 as Dunham's Bait & Tackle.[2] It was operated by Ron Dunham on [Northwestern Highway](/source/M-10_(Michigan_highway)) west of [Telegraph Road](/source/U.S._Route_24_in_Michigan). The original store gained exposure through advertisements in *[Newsweek](/source/Newsweek)* and fishing shows hosted on radio. The original store burnt down in 1946 but was promptly rebuilt.[3] Robert L Schmalzried bought the store in 1953 and relocated it to the corner of Northwestern Highway and Orchard Lake Road.[4] [American Can Company](/source/American_Can_Company) acquired the chain in 1985.[5] At the time of the acquisition, the chain had eight stores: five in [Metro Detroit](/source/Metro_Detroit), one in [Grand Rapids, Michigan](/source/Grand_Rapids%2C_Michigan), one in [Anderson, Indiana](/source/Anderson%2C_Indiana), and one in [Muncie, Indiana](/source/Muncie%2C_Indiana).[6] After merging with [Primerica](/source/Primerica), the company sold off Dunham's in 1989.[7] By 1991, the company had 49 stores and was headquartered in [Waterford Township, Michigan](/source/Waterford_Township%2C_Michigan). Dunham's Sports is currently headquartered in Troy, Michigan.[8] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Bloomberg_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Bloomberg_1-1) ["Dunham's Athleisure Corp - Company Profile and News - Bloomberg Markets"](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/3668397Z:US). *Bloomberg*. Retrieved January 24, 2022. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-About_Us_2-0)** ["About Us"](https://www.dunhamssports.com/aboutus.html). Dunham's Sports. Retrieved January 24, 2022. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Vogel, Don (December 19, 2014). ["It started with a tub of minnows"](http://www.dunhamssports.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/RonDunham.pdf) (PDF). *[The Oakland Press](/source/The_Oakland_Press)*. Retrieved September 7, 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Rossiter, Joe (September 23, 1988). ["R. L. Schmalzreid started sport shops"](https://www.newspapers.com/image/99674304/). *[The Detroit Free Press](/source/The_Detroit_Free_Press)*. p. 6D. Retrieved September 6, 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["COMPANY BRIEFS"](https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/13/business/company-briefs-024504.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. February 13, 1985. Retrieved 6 September 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Eugster assumes sporting goods role"](https://books.google.com/books?id=WyQEAAAAMBAJ). *Billboard*. March 2, 1985. p. 24. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["COMPANIES TO WATCH TURNAROUND AT PRIMERICA The stock has jumped by one-third, even though some people still don't understand the company"](https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1989/12/18/72885/index.htm). *Fortune*. December 18, 1989. Retrieved 6 September 2018.[*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Stephen Brede (August 30, 1991). ["Dunham's sports opens in Bay Mall"](https://www.newspapers.com/image/554996255/). *Petoskey News Review*. p. 14. Retrieved January 28, 2020. ## External links - [Official website](http://www.dunhamssports.com) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dunham's Sports](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunham's_Sports) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunham's_Sports?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.