Pro Image sells sports merchandise in Killeen Mall
Posted On: Sunday, Oct. 11 2009 06:28 AM
By Don Bolding
Killeen Daily HeraldBen Solis and his brother, Joey Solis, long associated with their family's contracting business, were looking to add something with a little more flair to their professional lives. They say they've hit the jackpot with the Pro Image sports gift shop, open since June in Killeen Mall.
The store is the first Texas franchise of the 20-year-old,
28-state company headquartered in Salt Lake City. Ben Solis said it has broken performance records for all previous openings. He said it's partly due to the nationwide representation at Fort Hood.
"It's a family business," he said in an interview attended by his father, Joe Solis Sr., and mother, Dee, heads of the civilian and government contractor Jo Luis Corp., which dates from 1985.
Among other projects of the company was all electrical work in construction of Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport. The company did that work as a subcontractor but does more prime contracting now, Dee Solis said.
"Joey and I had worked in construction all our lives and wanted to try something different. We researched for about two and a half years and settled on this," Ben said. "We're sports fans, but besides that, it was the best option.
"We're the only store in town that carries merchandise for all 32 NFL teams, for example. Some customers call every week to find out what kind of new stuff we've received."
A customer from Thailand went away with $600 worth of merchandise as souvenirs the first week they opened. Among the top customers are military spouses who buy items that represent their home areas for their family members overseas. A veteran who had lost a leg in Iraq kept coming back for Pittsburgh Steelers mementos including an authentic helmet.
Military personnel, their families and retirees — anyone with a service-connected identification card — get 10 percent discounts, as do senior citizens over 55, but 10 percent is the maximum discount.
"We carry Dallas Cowboys and University of Texas merchandise, of course, and demand for that is high, but people are amazed and grateful to find we stock, or can order, from all over the nation," Ben said. "Aside from Texas, favorite teams seem to be from Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Arkansas."
The teams are college and professional football, basketball, baseball and other sports.
"It's like a candy store," said his mother, who takes care of a lot of the bookwork. "People come in and want to just look around to see what all is available. And that's fine. They're getting ideas for Christmas."
She said the store has more than 100 vendors now.
An overhead television is tuned to sports events all the time. Ben said people will crowd into the front of the store on weekends to cheer their favorite teams.
"We're going on a tailgate party in a few days with a bunch of our customers who have become friends," he said.
The show window displays jerseys from local high-school stars who have made it to the NFL, including Dominic Zeigler (No. 17 for the San Francisco 49ers and a Harker Heights High School graduate), Roy Miller (No. 93 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a Shoemaker High School graduate), Tommy Harris (No. 91 for the Chicago Bears and an Ellison High School graduate), Joaquin Iglesias (No. 17 for the Chicago Bears and a Killeen High School graduate) and Charles Tillman (No. 33 for the Chicago Bears and a Copperas Cove High School graduate). Those items are not for sale.
Merchandise ranges from key chains to authentic jerseys with stitching, which go for $119.99. Replicas, with screen prints, go for $80. Among the best sellers are freezer mugs and flasks, which military wives send to their husbands overseas.
"They can't put liquor in them over there, of course, but they can show them to their buddies," Ben said.
The store has sold four recliners at $775 each, two emblazoned with Cowboys regalia and two with Redskins decorations.
Like other retailers, the store has to order seasonal merchandise months in advance. The first Christmas will be a test season to give the family a record of what sells the most so they'll have a better idea of what to order in the future.
"We all still work in the contracting business," Ben said. "Joey is out on a job right now. A cousin is our assistant manager in Pro Image, and a granddaughter helps my mother. But this gave Joey and me what we wanted: a part of the business where we can have fun doing what we like. And it looks like we made a smart decision."
Contact Don Bolding at
dbolding@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7557.