1972
Massey’s was founded in 1972 by the father and son team of Darrell and Larry Massey. The original store catered to a wide cross section of both adventurous and team sports, plus competitive non-team sports like running and swimming. During the 70s and early 80s, Massey’s grew at an unprecedented pace to 5 regional locations. The business catered to amateur, collegiate, and professional athletes and operated as a retail outlet for the public and a distributorship for many growing companies such as Nike.

1980-1985
In the mid 1980s, facing increased competition from national firms, the decision was made to discontinue all athletic and team sports and instead focus on growing, non-competitive recreational sports such as snow ski and outdoor adventure. 2 company stores and one franchise were closed and more effort was devoted to growing brands such as Patagonia and North Face.

1985
In 1985, Massey’s opened began selling ski hardgoods like ski boots and skis. We opened a ski repair shop, and began offering simulated skiing and lessons on an indoor ski deck. The first pair of ski boots we sold was a Salomon SX80.

1991
Expanding beyond just outdoor apparel, Massey’s begins selling backpacking and camping gear. The first gear was well received …and that Spring our first sale was a Lowe Alpine Contour pack, a Sierra Designs Meteor Light tent, and a Sierra Designs Light Loft sleeping bag.

1993
In 1993 Massey’s sold it’s first Mad River canoe and Perception kayak. Today we stock and sell hundreds of canoes and kayaks from a large variety of boat manufacturers. The first sale was a Perception Swing that we delivered to Mobile, AL.

1997
In 1997, Massey’s opened the doors on the first new location in over 10 years in Mandeville. This smaller store was opened to better serve the needs of the growing population north of New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. This location has since closed and moved to a larger location.

2000-2001
Sadly, after almost 30 years of loving care, both founders (father and son) pass away in a relatively short time period. The business is taken over by the remaining family members, Sally Massey, Mike Massey, and Bobby Johnson. It is run with the same attention to detail and customer centric philosophy that the original founders had envisioned in the late sixties and early seventies.

2002
The original Mandeville location is shuttered and moved to a more visible location in Covington, LA.

2005
Massey’s opens a brand new, state of the art outdoor store in Baton Rouge at the Towne Center mall. The 8500 sq/ft new store features brand departments assembled, designed, and maintained by many of our vendor-partners. The store is instantly successful and meets the needs of both Baton Rouge residents and LSU students.

2006
Massey’s launches two new websites… theflipflopper.com specializing in (you guessed it) flip flops and gear for a casual lifestyle… and 800-SKI-SHOP.com specializing in JUST alpine ski gear. The websites are designed to feature many LESS products than is now typical with mega-sites that feature tens of thousands of items.

2007
Massey’s begins construction on their new headquarters based in the center of New Orleans. The new location will feature a 7000 sq/ft retail store, central distribution and warehouse facilities and loft-style offices for our growing staff. The site will also feature a state-of-the-art patagonia theme shop. In the Spring, the site will serve as Massey’s paddlesports activity shop will rentals, demos, lessons, tours, and numerous events.