We’ve been getting a lot of questions about the large building that is being constructed behind our current storefront, and would like to give you the opportunity to read about the future first… Here are the exciting plans.
The new warehouse at 365 Maitland Drive has always been part of the plan since we bought the property in 2018. The expansion was delayed through COVID, but this summer our dream is finally becoming reality.
We need the space to service our online store and professional team partners; for shipping and receiving, and warehousing. However, as a hometown boy, I know Belleville is a hockey town and the area deserves a high quality hockey specific retail space. A large portion of the new building will be open to the public, and it will have an inventory unlike anything else in the world. The new HockeyStickMan Warehouse will feature the largest selection of Pro Stock new, and used sticks, equipment and apparel in Canada. We source these directly from the 175+ teams that we service and work with annually.
It will also be home of the Pro Blackout, where players can get a top of the line stick for under $150. In addition to the huge savings, the Pro Blackout line features sticks for kids all the way through to extended height senior sticks for taller adults. Starting in 2023-24, we will be stocking over 30 different curves in various sizes, from old favorites that you can no longer find, to star player replica patterns all in sizes to fit your game.
The Belleville Warehouse will also stock new release inline retail products that customers are looking for and demand. To provide the best value possible to our customers, we also focus on closeout purchases. When we can source closeout deals and make them available for wholesale prices it has always been a winning formula. Our goal is to save hockey families money on great products, and this has proven to be a tremendous way to do just that. It has already been a busy 2023 when it comes to closeouts with more opportunities in our sights. This also gives us a great opportunity to provide value and selection to our younger customers.
One of the biggest changes is that we are adding the HSM Elite Pro Shop to the Belleville Warehouse. It will be one of the world’s first retail locations with the Elite sharpener and profiling machines. These are fully automated systems used by the Leafs, Canadiens and many other teams throughout pro and college hockey. The Elite profiling machine gives you a precision skate profile and the sharpener is designed to follow and maintain that profile perfectly. Translation - a perfect sharpen every time! Pro shop services have been heavily requested at our Belleville location, but we couldn’t offer anything until it could be done right. With a plan to provide select services to online customers, and to sell pre-profiled steel to our customer base throughout the world, the investment in Elite machines now makes sense.
Interior construction is now underway and we intend on opening the new HSM Belleville Warehouse by August 2023. There is still 2000 square feet of space that is not allocated and we are considering sport related partnerships or rental of the space. A lot of people have said that this warehouse belongs in the GTA, but Belleville is our home and we take pride in doing it here. Plus we know that people will drive to visit us, it's conveniently located just off the 401 for that reason! I invite you to join me in the excitement of what this building can become.