Oshman's Sporting Goods

Oshman's Sporting Goods Inc. was a sporting goods retailer in the United States. Their headquarters were in East End, Houston, Texas. It operated traditional sporting goods stores and Oshman's Supersports USA megastores.

History

In 1919, J.S. "Jake" Oshman, an immigrant from Latvia, opened a store, Oshman's Dry Goods, in Richmond, Texas. In 1932 he moved to Houston by buying the stock of a bankrupt army-surplus store known as Crawford-Austin and liquidated its inventory. He discovered in the process that sporting goods, especially fishing and hunting supplies, sold well In 1931 he opened the first Oshman's Sporting Goods location, in what is now Downtown Houston. As business increased, the store moved to a larger location in what is now Downtown, and a second store opened in what is now Downtown. Oshman's opened locations in suburban shopping centers in Greater Houston and then in Bay City, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, and Pasadena. The company Oshman's Sporting Goods, Inc. incorporated in 1946.