More than a Business

Howard’s Athletic Goods through the years

Howard’s Athletic Goods, located at 835 Broadway in Cape Girardeau, will close its doors in Summer 2019, after 74 years of business.

Owner of Howard's athletic goods, Terry Slattery, left, speaks with customer Rusty Golightly of Chaffee. Below: A corkboard with photos and articles showing the history of Howard's athletic goods is seen in the store.Tyler Graef - tgraef@semissourian.com

B.I. Howard, Burl Swan and Paul Bray were the original owners. The business’ first location was diagonal from its current spot, what is now the parking lot for the Southeast Missouri State University Innovation Center. The business moved to its current location in February 2009.

According to Al Bisher, longtime customer and owner and manager of Motorsports Unlimited in Cape Girardeau, Howard’s was the place to go for sporting goods.

Published March 28, 1985: Shana Cobble tries out one of the new Sirena suits from Howard’s. The polka dotted suit features the “wet” look and is highlighted by diamond shaped bows set down the sides. (Southeast Missourian archive)

“It was a status, ‘I’ve been to Howard’s,’” he says.

At that time, Howard’s was one of the few places that sold sporting goods in the area. Many of Cape Girardeau’s older residents bought their first baseball bats and gloves there. Bisher says Howard’s also sold gym uniforms and bags for middle- and high-school students.

Terry Slattery has been with Howard’s since 1984 and is the current owner and manager of the store. He says the business had to adjust to the changing market once the building moved.

“We’ve quit carrying bats, gloves and shoes about three or four years ago,” Slattery says. “We’ve always sold a lot of trophies, plaques and did a lot of engraving. … It’s turned into more of helping people pick out the right plaque, trophy or engraving and getting everything set up.”

Published Jan. 25, 1987: Troy Slinkard, store manager of Howard’s Athletic Goods, assists Alicia Sansone of Cape Girardeau with her sportswear selection in the store’s newly-expanded sporting goods department. (Southeast Missourian archive)

It’s the engraving that Bisher praises Slattery for, because he doesn’t just specialize in sports engravings. He has had Howard’s do keychain and flashlight engravings for Motorsports Unlimited during the past five years.

“I didn’t know there was such a place that could put so much detail into the engraving and printing as he did,” Bisher says. “He was very innovative; he had all of these great ideas. He was just really precise at everything that he did.”

Published Friday, Sept. 6, 1957: Seek more laurels, The Howard-Swan Jets, Cape’s state champion softball team, went to Springfield today to meet Lincoln, Neb., tonight in the first round of the regional tournament. The team won the state title last weekend at St. Joseph. From the left, kneeling: Cliff Irwin, Richark Volkerding, Henry Dume, Gordon McBride, Gilbert Logal, Jonn Reed, Bob Miller and Richard Brockmire. In front is the bat boy, Tommy Clark, and the state trophy. Standing: B.I. Howard, sponsor, Beryl Conrad, district commissioner; Louis Weiss, Bob Goodwin, Jack Burris, Claude Kelley, Bob Clark, Tom Ressel and Bill Eskew. (Southeast Missourian archive)

Slattery says he also does engravings on plaques for businesses like the Chamber of Commerce and KFVS-12.

A fond memory for Slattery is the time his brother, Tim, helped him run the store for two years without pay while Slattery dealt with medical issues. He has also really enjoyed helping young children — including Cape Girardeau resident Terry Ashby, who is now 71 — pick out their first bat and glove when the store still sold sporting goods.

“It’s neat to see all of that because this is where I got my first glove, too,” Slattery says. “Then I get to meet people, see all of them come back every year. So it’s kind of like a family.”

The familial atmosphere was Ashby’s favorite part of going to and eventually working at Howard’s. He says the original owners and Slattery are some of the nicest guys he’s ever met.

“B.I. Howard was an absolute saint,” Ashby says. “Mr. Bray had more class than I think maybe anybody that I’ve ever known. And on my list of favorite people in my lifetime, Terry Slattery is in my top five.”

Bisher met Slattery in the original Howard’s building in seventh grade when he was fitted for uniforms. Some of his favorite Howard’s memories include receiving a wood-burnt wine kit that Slattery surprised him with, as well as a T-shirt Slattery made and gave to Bisher’s friend, who is recovering from a stroke in St. Louis.

“It sure put a smile on my friend’s face,” Bisher says.

If someone buys the two engravers Howard’s currently owns, Bisher hopes to continue doing business with the buyers. On the other hand, Ashby doesn’t think anything or anyone can replace what Howard’s once was.

A trip to Colorado with his family is one way Slattery plans to take it easy for a while and “enjoy life a little bit more” once the store is officially closed.

“It’s been fun listening to the stories and solving the world’s problems and just getting to see [the customers] regularly,” Slattery says. “I’ll miss that, getting to see people everyday like that.”