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Private company

Dunham's Sports

Logo: Dunham's Sports, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

American sporting goods retailing corporation

Dunham's Sports is an American sporting goods retail chain owned by Dunham's Athleisure Corporation, with stores located in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, Souteastern, Southwest and Western United States. The chain specializes in athletic equipment, apparel, footwear, outdoor sports including camping, boating, hunting and fishing. Dunham's is known for carrying a large assortment of name brand products at low prices.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1937Founded1

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Dunham's Sports (13887814813)
Photo: Mike Kalasnik from Jersey City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

Dunham's Sports is an American sporting goods retail chain owned by Dunham's Athleisure Corporation, with stores located in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, Souteastern, Southwest and Western United States. The chain specializes in athletic equipment, apparel, footwear, outdoor sports including camping, boating, hunting and fishing. Dunham's is known for carrying a large assortment of name brand products at low prices. The chain has over 260 locations in 26 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.2

The story

The first store opened in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan in 1937 as Dunham's Bait & Tackle. It was operated by Ron Dunham on Northwestern Highway west of Telegraph Road. The original store gained exposure through advertisements in Newsweek and fishing shows hosted on radio. The original store burnt down in 1946 but was promptly rebuilt.

Robert L Schmalzried bought the store in 1953 and relocated it to the corner of Northwestern Highway and Orchard Lake Road. American Can Company acquired the chain in 1985. At the time of the acquisition, the chain had eight stores: five in Metro Detroit, one in Grand Rapids, Michigan, one in Anderson, Indiana, and one in Muncie, Indiana. After merging with Primerica, the company sold off Dunham's in 1989. By 1991, the company had 49 stores and was headquartered in Waterford Township, Michigan. Dunham's Sports is currently headquartered in Troy, Michigan.

From Wikipedia’s article on Dunham's Sports, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

  • clothing

Listed on Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1937Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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