New chapter for Magnum Sports store

The new owners of Magnum Sports David Hartley and Raylee Blair.

Magnum Sports has been purchased by Stratford couple David Hartley and Raylee Blair from its previous owners David and Leanne Frandsen who ran the shop for more than 30 years.

Located on Broadway, the shop is complete with mounted animal heads and a taxidermied pheasant.

David has spent the past five years working for Central Milking and Pumping building and fixing cow sheds. Before that he worked in the oil and gas sector after spending eight and a half years in the army serving in Timor and Afganistan for some of that time.

He has always been keen on hunting, fishing and guns and during his time in the army picked up in-depth skills on fixing and maintaining guns as well as artillery and light armoured vehicles.

"I have just always been interested in guns and my dad was in the forest service and used then in his job. It's just the mechanics of them and how they are made and put together that intrigues me."

He says running the business is a huge learning curve and is grateful to have previous owner Dave working in the store for a few weeks to guide him through the nitty gritty of the business.

"He's been really good at showing us the ropes — there is an awful lot to learn."

The shop sells a range of hunting, fishing and sports goods as well as clothing, boots, guns and camping gear.

David says he doesn't want to make any major changes to the business yet and wants to keep its authenticity alive.

"It's been such a good business we don't want too mess anything up — there are big shoes to fill and we have been thrown in the deep end in regards to business."

Raylee has worked in retail before and says it's an exciting prosect to own a business.

"There is something different about having your own business as as opposed to working for something else — you appreciate things a bit more."

She says elderly people who have shopped at the store for decades have been popping in to check things out and say hello. The store first opened 82 years ago and was known as Clarkes Sports.

"People come in reminiscing. I even remember coming in to the shop as a kid and it hasn't changed at all."