Perdue's Addendum

Like Paul, I have many fond memories of Perdue's. I am glad he found a picture of it, a barn converted into a sporting goods store. As I recall, though I may be mistaken on this, it was located behind Mario Ferraro's dental office, which was itself a converted farmhouse.

But back to Purdue's. I remember the interior as dark and woody, like one would expect in a barn, subdivided into little rooms for each sport. Equipment was hanging everywhere, jammed into every nook and cranny. And the stock wasn't the "sporting goods" one would find at Sports Authority. It was a different era, and sporting goods meant lots of fishing gear: fly reels, poles, waders, little wicker bait baskets. I remember buying a little jar of pink fish eggs, which were bait to use in fishing the mighty Saddle River. There was also lots of hockey gear, ping pong accessories, and a machine for re-stringing wood tennis rackets. My father took me to Purdue's for my Little League baseball hats and mitts. We never called them baseball gloves for some reason, only "mitts."

Walt Purdue had some back or neck problems. I remember him in a neck brace several times over the years. But, like Paul, I also remember him as kind and helpful. He couldn't turn his head, but he would happily climb up and pull down a set of hockey skates to try on. And another and another, until you were both happy with the fit.

To this day, when I need running shoes I prefer to go to the local boutique running shop rather than a big box sporting goods store. I pay 5 or 10 bucks more, but the service is more than worth it. And I value that service mostly because I remember Walt Purdue and what he could do to get you just what you needed.