World Cup Sports kicks it to Lewes

After 10 years in Pelican Square shopping center, World Cup Sports has scored a new location just a few miles north in Lewes, at Dartmouth Drive.

Now behind Wawa, owner John Daltry said he wanted the store to be more visible from the highway. He said the expansion of the Marshall's store made it difficult to survive at Pelican Square.

“When they took over two [units] to expand, they blacked out the windows, and it made it look like the whole corner was shut down,” he said. “That hurt us.”

He said the location of Cold Stone Creamery and Game Stop, along the highway, also hurt the store.

“This location offers us much more visibility, and also you can tell people we're right behind the Wawa,” he said. “Everybody knows where the Wawa is.”

Daltry bought the business 10 years ago, when the owner of a chain of Soccer Mania stores wanted to sell the Rehoboth location. He changed the name of the store and immediately expanded the merchandise to include equipment for all sports.

“When I came in and found out people were going to Dover for baseball pants, I was like no, no, no, that needs to change right now,” he said.

Daltry's biggest clientele is children from youth sports up to high school, but also many Hispanic soccer players searching for equipment without driving to Salisbury, Dover or Wilmington.

World Cup Sports moved from a 9,000-square-foot unit to a smaller 6,000-square-foot store. Daltry said the challenge was to make sure everything fit without looking cluttered.

“I'm very happy with my staff and my assistant manager Hadgui [White] who is fantastic at merchandising,” he said. “That makes a huge difference, because how you present the product makes a big difference with the customer.”

Daltry was born and raised in the Northwest and attended Gonzaga University before starting his career at the Nike corporate offices, working in retail at a Niketown showcase store. He eventually moved into sales in the soccer section of the company. In the end, rain 300 days a year took its toll and he decided it was time for a change. He said he remembered Ocean City, Md., as being a nice area from visits as a child during the summer, so he made the move.

He said he's happy with his decision because it allowed him to do something he loved while providing the area with something it was in dire need of.

“The problem with the area is that there's Dick's in Salisbury and Wilmington, and Dick's won't come to this area because it needs to operate year round,” he said. “Unfortunately, they still look at this area as a seasonal.”

Still, having a stranglehold on the sporting goods market in the Cape Region doesn't come without its challenges. He said he often orders his merchandise well in advance and has to anticipate what will be popular many months down the road. He is also limited to the merchandise he orders, such as gear for professional teams. He said he tries to stay stocked on the teams in the region.

World Cup Sports is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 302-645-4688.