Whanganui business owners Lindsay Edwards and Paula Darlington say goodbye to sports retail after 27 years

Paula Darlington (left) and Lindsay Edwards will hand over the reins at the end of June. Photo / Mike Tweed

Two familiar faces will say goodbye to Whanganui's Victoria Ave at the end of the month.

Lindsay Edwards and his daughter Paula Darlington have sold Stirling Sports, bringing an end to 27 years of business in Whanganui's CBD.

Sports retail had changed dramatically over the years, Darlington said.

"When we started we were an 'all sorts' general sports store like Eides or Bourne's was, which is who we took over from. Every sport under the sun was in our store.

"We had fishing and hunting, and I was even selling guns. Nowadays things are much more specialised, whether it's hockey or cricket or camping."

Edwards said Stirling Sports had moved into the realm of sport fashion in recent years.

"It's still anchored in sport, but it's also anchored in fashion/leisure clothing and footwear. It's the bits that make you look good while you play sport or exercise."

The pair went independent from 2005 to 2013, operating as Sports Edge.

"That all happened when Rebel [Sport] came along," Edwards said.

"I'm stubborn sometimes and I wasn't going to have the big boy get rid of us. We would go out on our own terms, which we're now doing.

"That's something I'm really proud of."

It had been fortunate the pair got on so well and that they had amazing staff members over the years, Edwards said.

"That's what I'm going to miss the most - working with my daughter and the day-to-day contact with her.

"Having said that, I'll be able to spend more time with my wife. That's probably what I should have been doing a long time ago."

Darlington said people might remember their radio adverts from days gone by.

"We had so much fun recording those.

"There was a strap line where I would lean back from the mic for an echo and go 'just up from the [Watt] fountain'.

"People would walk past the shop and shout 'just up from the fountain' as they went by."

As for what came next, Edwards said he didn't have any immediate plans.

"I've been asked if I'll be playing a lot of golf, but I think I'd go nuts if I was playing all the time."

There wouldn't be any golf in Darlington's future either.

"I keep saying I'll have to get a real job. I've been working with Dad for 25 years," she said.

"I did a bachelor of science at university so I'd love to use that somehow.

"Community engagement is one thing I'm interested in pursuing."

The business will be taken over by the Joshi family, who own Lindsay's Lotto in Whanganui East.

Existing loyalty programmes would be honoured and kept intact.

"They understand that this is a store that has been here for years. They will do everything they can to continue what we were doing," Darlington said.

"Their intention is to just keep things rolling the same."