Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 12, 1 December 1994 — Maui entrepreneur kicks off soccer store [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Maui entrepreneur kicks off soccer store

bv Patrick Johnston Before Theresa Fernandez started laying the foundation for her soccer shop Pitch and Boots, she did something every sensible business person should do: she asked Maui residents if they wanted one. The questioning took a bit of doing to carry out. She sent a questionnaire out to the Maui soccer community - some 3,500 strong - asking how they felt about the idea of a specialty soccer store on their island; the community said they wanted one. "Only a few said they were satisfied with the soccer selection offered at the

general sporting shops," Fernandez says.

Fernandez with help from partner Jim Morrison, Alu Like, and OHA loan fund staff then put together a

business plan. By April 23, 1993 their loan was approved. Pitch and Boots is a specialty store with a laid-back Maui twist. It offers the service of a shop run by two soccer experts, but also has a friendliness and familiarity hard to find in similar big city shops. "Because we're a specialty store we ean tell customers what they're getting," says Fernandez. "We know a lot about soccer. ... But because the (soccer) community is so tight the shop is very personable. People will eome in and just talk story." Fernandez doesn't hesitate to take

advantage of their idling customers. "If friends eome in and stay we get them to work." The shop also acts as a center for the island soccer community. Coaches eome in to get ideas, and the store carries registration forms for youth leagues. Teams also use the store as a spot to get together for meetings.

Surprisingly, Fernandez didn't become a soccer afficiando until after college when she met up with Morrison paddling canoes in Maui. Fernandez was looking for a sport to do in the off-season and Morrison, a long-time soccer player, suggested soccer. She started kicking around the idea of starting a soccer shop in 1991 after realizing she wanted to work in the soccer field but didn't want to work for someone else. But running a business is no pienie and Fernandez says she has had her share of hard days. "It's your best and worst all tied up in one," she explains. "When it's good, it's good, when it's bad it's bad. ... Overall though it is positive."

The hard work began well before the doors opened. The loan fund applieation process was a long and drawn out affair - as it is for all applicants - and tested her resolve to go through with opening the store. In the end, she appreciated the disciplined process demanded by the loan fund program. "It's a test of how serious you are about opening a business. ... We realize it is a big responsibility. If the process was easier, there would be more defaults and less money for others." Pitch and Boots is located in Wailuku and ean be reached at 244-5301. For information about the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund eall 594-1888.

"Because we're a specialty store we ean tell customers what they're getting. We know a lot about soccer." - Theresa Fernandez

Theresa Fernandez inside her new soccer store Pitch and Boots. Photos by Patrick Johnston

Theresa Fernandez and Jim Morrison behind the counter at Pitch and Boots.