Grayson Lead

Tucked away in North-west Austin, dwarfed by the looming Wal-mart nearby, lies a humble storefront. At first glance, the eternal loop forming an O sticks out immediately from the simple and blandly colored sign reading: Play It Again Sports. The windows are crowded with lacrosse sticks and stickers of any color imaginable. Upon entering, the simplicity of the storefront vanishes. A meager path shaped by worn treadmills leads into the depths of the store. There is something in every available spot of wall and floor. Once the overwhelming sense while entering vanishes, order becomes clear. Bats over here, Frisbees over there, on and on and on. With some items it seems as though they have been through everything, some seem to not have been through enough. Some gleam and shine with newness that sticks out among the rows and rows of merchandise. The smell of worn leather and hard work pervades.

Play It Again Sports, while it is a large chain of stores, is actually become a very local store due to an interesting business idea they have. “Random people come in and sell or give us old stuff that we turn around and sell,” says Brad, an employee at the Anderson Lane location.