On game days in Huntington, a sea of green spreads through the city streets. From lawn chairs in Joan C. Edwards Stadium’s parking lot to the hoodies worn in downtown restaurants, Marshall pride is everywhere. And more often than not, that green-and-white gear comes from Glenn’s Sporting Goods.
Since opening its doors in 1970, Glenn’s has been more than a place to buy athletic equipment. It has grown into a cornerstone of the Marshall community as a store built by a graduate, run by graduates and serving students, athletes, alumni and fans for more than five decades.
Glenn’s Sporting Goods was founded by Marshall graduate Glenn Brumfield, who opened a 1,500-square-foot shop with just three employees. His goal was simply to provide quality athletic gear and team goods to the Tri-State area. Over 50 years later, that vision has expanded into a 12,000-square-foot retail space with 40 employees and a reputation as one of the largest independently owned sporting goods stores east of the Mississippi.
“Being in a community where Marshall is everything, we’re kind of interlinked in that way,” General Manager Hannah Young said. “We started out as a sporting goods store selling a lot of shoes, cleats, rackets and equipment, but we’re kind of almost phasing out of that and embracing the Marshall retail side of it.”
The store’s connection to the university is more than symbolic. Glenn’s has sponsored over 1,000 youth teams, outfitted local athletes with more than 200,000 uniforms and sold over half a million pairs of shoes. Among those numbers, the green stands out. Glenn’s has become a go-to destination for Marshall merchandise.
Walking into Glenn’s, the Marshall section is impossible to miss. Racks of sweatshirts, rows of jerseys, shelves lined with green hats and Marco plushies, it’s enough to cater to fans from babies to alumni. The variety, employees say, is what keeps people coming back.
“We have a lot of options. It’s not just focused towards an older crowd or only to the students,” Young said. “We try to keep a good mix of products to kind of appeal to everyone.”
Not only are the products to credit in the success of the store, but generations of families that continue to show up and support the business.
“We have a lot of people in the area that started coming in here when they were five to buy baseball cleats, and they grow up, buy their Marshall gear and then bring their kids here,” said Shannyn Kyle, the social media and marketing manager. “I think that the family atmosphere here helps with that.”
The rest of the staff at Glenn’s echo that sentiment. With a combined 400 years of experience in the sporting goods industry, employees don’t just see themselves as salespeople, but as part of the Marshall experience.
“Basically, all of our part-time workers are students, and not everyone stays, but when they graduate, they go off and do great things,” Young said. “We’ve even had some past employees’ children come and work here as well, so it is kind of just part of a big circle being entrenched in Marshall.”
The connection is visible when the Thundering Herd takes center stage on gamedays. Glenn’s gear fills the stands, a visible reminder of how one local store has helped shape the look and feel of Marshall fans.
Even as the sporting goods industry changes with online shopping and national chains dominating the market, Glenn’s continues to thrive by leaning into its local roots and its commitment to Marshall.
“I think people forget that we’re a small business just because of the physical size of the building, but our attitude and how we approach our customers is very personable and engaging,” Young said. “When you’re here, you’re not in a big retailer where you’re on your own. We’re here to help.”
For Marshall fans, Glenn’s isn’t just a sporting goods store; it’s where game-day traditions begin, where green and white pride takes shape and where the bond between a university and its community lives on.
Ella Hatfield can be contacted at [email protected]
