NEW YORK — The U.S. Open is like Christmas at the end of summer for Mark Mason, owner of Mason’s Tennis Market shop in Midtown here.
“We look forward to this time every year because we are very busy these two weeks and the Open brings in our customers from all over the world,” said Mason.
At a time when big sports retailers are opening more stores and smaller players are being gobbled up or squeezed out, Mason’s, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, maintains its niche by offering innovative products and hands-on service.
The store, which has seven employees, generates more than $1 million in annual sales.
An avid tennis player himself, Mason said keeping his business small is the key to his store’s longevity. The 1,300-square-foot boutique carries brands such as Nike, Polo, Fila and Adidas, as well as smaller labels including Tail, On The Line and Kaelin. It serves tennis fans of all ages, from children to seniors. With women making up 75 percent of apparel sales, Mason wishes more designers would focus on creating tennis collections.
“There’s such a big market for it,” he said. “We are looking for new brands.”
Top sellers at the store now include short skirts from Nike, and more people are snapping up dresses similar to the ones Maria Sharapova has been wearing during the Open and at other tournaments this year, said Dana Mason, Mark’s daughter and the women’s apparel buyer. Apparel in bright colors also continues to be robust, reflecting recent trends in the industry, she noted. Dana, who is 22, scours the market for trends and new brands and oversees the fashion direction.
“The Open is like the red carpet now,” Dana said. “Players are really stylish and everyone wants to see what they’re wearing.”
Mason initially opened on 57th Street and Seventh Avenue in 1975 at the height of a tennis boom. The sport picked up even more steam in the years that followed as tennis got more national TV exposure and media attention, thanks to colorful stars like John McEnroe and Andre Agassi. The store moved in October 1999 to its current location between Park and Madison Avenues. Mason said he isn’t interested in opening other stores, and has seen sales growth of about 10 percent each year.
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The boutique features tenniswear that sells for $40 to $200, including warm-up suits, sneakers and separates. Apparel accounts for about half of the business, while the rest is driven by footwear and equipment.
“For the store’s 50th anniversary, I hope to still be playing tennis and working every day,” added Mason, who is in his mid-50s. “There are no retirement plans for me. This is my retirement.”