Some local businesses have been around so long that it seems like they can survive eternally. When a store survives the Great Depression and both World Wars, as well as various recessions, and housing crashes, it feels like it will be here forever.

Yet very few retail brands last that long, even on a national level.

Department stores and general merchandise over 100 years old

• Macy’s: Founded 1858 (New York, NY)
• Bloomingdale’s: Founded 1861 (New York, NY)
• JCPenney: Founded 1902 (Kemmerer, WY)
• Neiman Marcus: Founded 1907 (Dallas, TX)
• Boscov’s: Founded 1914 (Reading, PA)

A few other specialty stores make that list, and both CVS and Kroger are over 100 years old, but not many businesses can stand the test of time. 

Sherman’s Sports, which serves North Carolina and tourists, has managed to last and thrive for over 100 years. The company, which does not have a website, is described on its local community tourism page.

Sherman’s, established in 1922 as a general store, has evolved into a premier destination for outdoor clothing and footwear. This family-owned business is also a beloved local gift store, offering a variety of t-shirts, souvenirs, and outdoor gear. Sherman’s continues to serve the community with the same dedication and quality it has maintained for over a century.

The store, which has been a pillar of the community for over 100 years, has evolved and changed owners (within the same family). Now, its current owners have shared that it’s nearing the end.  

Sherman’s Sports timeline

• Founded in 1922 by Louis Sherman as a general store that carried a mix of goods including sporting goods, jewelry, pawned items, and army surplus.
• It became the oldest continuously operating retail business in Hendersonville, NC.
• In the late 1940s, Louis’s son Kalman Sherman took over after returning from Marine service.
• The store later passed to Kalman’s daughter Becky and her husband Rex Banadyga.
• Over time, it evolved into Sherman’s Sports & Army, selling outdoor clothing, footwear, souvenirs, army surplus, swimwear, and more.
• It remained at 126 North Main Street, Hendersonville, North Carolina.
• The store witnessed and took part in local history (e.g. Secret Service inspecting a dummy grenade before President Bush’s visit in 1992) and civic events.
• It celebrated 100 years in business in 2022.

Sherman’s Sports closing

• Sherman’s Sports & Army began a going-out-of-business sale offering 25% off everything.
• After 103 years, the store announced its closure.
• The owners cited retirement as the reason for closing.

Source: Blue Ridge Now

Sherman’s Sports closing forever

Since the store itself does not have a social media page or a website, the news of its shutdown was shared on a community Facebook page.

“After 103 years, Sherman’s Sports & Army is saying goodbye as the family owners retire. Everything is 25% off, so grab something special and take a moment to thank this downtown icon for over a century of memories,” the Hendersonville, North Carolina, Facebook page shared. 

Owner Becky Sherman Banadyga confirmed the closing to the local Times-News newspaper.

“Lots of people sad to see us go have memories…stories of getting their first .22 rifle or BB gun or their Lionel train set, TinkerToys, Madame Alexander dolls, Barbie dolls, Tonka trucks, big stuffed animals,” she said.

She told the paper she was “ready to retire” and none of her daughters wanted to take the store over.

Local residents mourn Sherman’s Sports

Local residents including Melissa Smith shared their tributes on Facebook.

When you walk through the doors, you’re not just a customer. You’re a neighbor, a friend, and part of a story that has been woven into our community for generations. Sherman’s has always been a place where people gather, where familiar faces bring comfort, and where you can count on kindness with every visit.

It’s where conversations happen in the aisles, where kids grow up stopping in with their parents, and where support for one another is as much a part of the experience as the products on the shelves.

In a world where ‘local’ matters more than ever, Sherman’s reminds us that business isn’t just about transactions — it’s about relationships, history, and a deep commitment to the people who call Hendersonville home.

Sherman’s is more than just a store. It’s a piece of who we are.

Linda M. Bridges shared a similar sentiment.

“Thank you Shermans for being there always. I purchased a guitar. I bought clothes, hats, Henderson co tshirts. Boots. You were the dependable store on that end of my hometown…thank you,” she wrote.

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Many people shared the idea that the store should continue under new owners.

“I wish they could find someone to keep it going while they enjoy retirement! It’s a main street institution,” shared Cynthia Adams.

Sherman’s Sports did the near-impossible

Very few businesses last 100 years. Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor Charles O’Reilly calls the ability for any brand to last that long “organizational ambidexterity”: the ability of a company to manage its current business while simultaneously preparing for changing conditions. 

“You often see successful organizations failing, and it’s not obvious why they should fail,” O’Reilly told the Stanford Business School. 

The reason, he says, is that a strategy that had been successful within the context of a particular time and place may suddenly be all wrong once the world changes.

Sherman’s Sports changed with the times and, while that likely happened organically rather than through careful planning, it’s an impressive feat.

Companies simply don’t last 100 years anymore.

“Lifespans of companies are shortening, concludes a recent Innosight study of the S&P 500 index. The consulting firm’s research showed that in 1958, the average tenure of a company in the S&P 500 index was 61 years. The average had dropped to about 25 years by 1980 and was down to 18 years in 2012,” Industry Week reported.

Related: Popular department store closing after monthslong controversy