One year after Hurricane Helene ravaged Western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains with its flood waters, Sherman’s Sports and Army Store, which operates one store in Hendersonville, NC, announced it is closing its doors after 103 years.
Established in 1922 as a general store, Sherman’s evolved its retail business into a destination for outdoor enthusiasts offering clothing, footwear and gear, as well as local merchandise specific to the WNC community.
A metal fish once hung from the ceiling outside the store, when fishing tackle was a major seller for Sherman’s.
Becky Sherman Banadyga, the third-generation owner, told the Times-News that she and her husband, Rex Banadyga, are retiring, and their daughter will not be taking over the family business.
Banadyga’s grandfather founded Sherman’s as an army surplus store in 1922.
“Over the years, it’s had a pawn shop, it’s had sporting goods, hunting and fishing, jewelry. It’s just transitioned with time,” she told the local publication. More recently, it has become a destination for boots, socks, sunglasses, water bottles, daypacks, and other gear for hikers heading to the numerous trails in Henderson, Transylvania, and southern Buncombe counties, rather than trekking to Asheville for REI.
Mast General Store will most likely be the biggest beneficiary of the closing, with its Hendersonville, NC, location located just up the street from Sherman’s.
Sherman’s Sports and Army store is holding a 25 percent-off liquidation sale with no set closing date.
Image courtesy City of Hendersonville
