Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Fashion & Style

Shop Class – The Sporting Gent

Christopher Blomquist
By

Dedicated to dressing its clientele from the early morning hunting or fishing trip to when they sit down to enjoy that night’s freshly bagged dinner, The Sporting Gent in Charlotte, NC offers outdoor and indoor wear for men who are as dashing in their orange safety vests as they are in more formal gear later that night as they merely shoot the post-meal breeze. Owner Marc Williams, who features numerous local labels in the store, recently explained his shop’s wide-ranging appeal….

What is the background of The Sporting Gent?

I worked in sports marketing branding and wanted to try something new. I just always had this idea in the back of my mind and one day we just thought: Let’s do this thing and it kind of just materialized into this retail store. I wanted to make it the absolute coolest place that I can absolutely possibly think of and I want to do everything every day that can make it even cooler and create this destination shop and carry all these brands that I love. And it just kind of materialized. We opened October 1, 2013. We outfit people from all over the world for hunting and fishing trips and we sell some amazing brands in our store.

Related

Your website says you carry everything from bow ties to dry flies.

Recommended Videos

Yeah. That’s our spectrum. And we even make now under own our own label anything underneath that spectrum. You can walk into the shop in the morning and say you’re going to a quail hunt and I can outfit you with everything you need minus the firearm and the ammo and then you can say I need to go out to dinner with those same people. And if you need a new sportcoat and tie and shirt and we’ve got you covered there.

What is the breakdown of your sports gear versus regular gear?

The point of the sporting lifestyle – and it’s something we’re talking about a lot these days – is having a field day. And having a field day is not necessarily just the sporting portion of it. It is not specific to the hunt; it is the entire thing. Especially in this region. It is hunt and the social aspects after the hunt. The Sporting Gent is again the spectrum. We curate goods for the sophisticated sportsman. I’ve learned things in school and from reading but I’ve learned more about life itself from hunting with my prior generations. The sporting life is as much as an educational tool is something about the pure hunting aspect of it.

What has been your favorite part of running the store?

It’s just the relationships that we’ve built. I’ve met a ton of really good friends since we’ve opened the shop and it is a really nice club. I’ve never met a stranger a day in my life. It’s a really nice club. Think of it as the Augusta National but one that anybody can join. That’s what the fun part is. We have these cookouts and parties. Give me a reason to throw a party, even if it’s just Tuesday, and we’ll have a really good time. A long time ago I heard a quote that was “I want a life that I don’t have to take a vacation from” and that’s what’s we are trying to do here. I think I’ve cooked 5,000 tons of oysters and a metric ton of pig.

Do you sponsor trips?

Yes. If you came to me said, “Marc, I want to go on a fly-fishing trip,” I could pick it out. If there is a season or a country, I could send you to that.

Do you plan to open other locations?

We are really focused on making this location an incredible destination and serving our community here. If we open another store that would be great but for now we are focused on this place and having a lot of fun and getting our online store opened up.

Describe the store’s overall vibe.

Sportsmen are the biggest storytellers in the world: “I once caught a fish and it was this big.” And we have a really good time with it. People come in and I shoot the proverbial. If they find something, fantastic, and if they don’t, fine, we’ll see you on the next trip. We’re really focused on taking care of people who come through the door and showing them a good time. My Golden Retriever is here every day. Her name is Quinn. If you want to talk about someone who has never met a stranger….

Editors' Recommendations

Christopher Blomquist
Christopher Blomquist
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Christopher is a native New Yorker who lives and works (mostly) in Manhattan. A longtime fashion journalist, he served as…
Extreme Sports Players Drop Fresh Watch Vibes – These Are the New Watch Designs
Funky Watch Drops From Summertime Sports Firms
Staple x Fossil sundial watch with green pigeon hologram.

Purchasing a watch can be a daunting task, given how many quality horological choices are out there. Why are you wearing it — for mountain skiing and adventure sports or in the boardroom? What circumstances describe watches for all occasions? The questions can be endless, which is why it is good The Manual is here to break down new watch drops.

The sun is high in the Pacific and Mediterranean sky, so let’s break out the auto, skate, and surf watch designs. These odes to extreme sports will comfortably fit into any social occasion.

Read more
Spruce up Your Space for Spring: With Urban Outfitters Bedding Shop
Shop The Urban Outfitters Spring 2022 Bedding Shop
The Trindra bedding set from the Urban Outfitters Spring 2022 Bedding Shop.

Spring is approaching (and depending on where you live, you might have already been enjoying some unseasonably warm weather). Most guys put away their fall and winter clothes and break out their shorts, tees, and polo shirts as March rolls around, but too many of us don't do the same with our bedding. If you're stuck in the habit of using the same set of sheets year-round, now's the perfect time to change that, as the
Urban Outfitters Spring 2022 Bedding Shop
has something to spruce up any space. You can check out the entire collection for yourself, but we've gone ahead and picked out a few of our own favorites.

Washed Cotton Duvet Cover

Read more
The Best Men’s Suit Deals to Shop For January 2022
the best black suits for men your next wedding date or work event

Suiting up requires care, attention to detail and of course, finding the right option for the right occasion, and that's particularly true as we move through January into a new year. Some call for more adventurous patterns and seasonal fabrics, while others demand a more traditional suit, to say the very least. Yes indeed, you need a great suit. Where's a guy to start? With our picks for the best suits, of course. Before you can do that though, be sure your tailoring is in fine form. If it feels as if you're out of practice, that's where we come in with our picks for refreshed suiting. You're going to have to put on a suit eventually, no doubt. And not just any suit: One of the best suits for men is the only way to go. On that note: Has there ever been a better time to buy one of the best men's suits? In our view, no, because there are plenty of men's suit deals worth shopping. The great thing is, you can save your hard-earned cash and still get the quality you need, even as you add a cheap men's suit to your wardrobe. Getting dressed should feel good and leave you looking good, and when it's good for your wallet, that's all the better. These are the best men's suit deals on the market from the best men's fashion brands right now.
Today's Best Cheap Men's Suit Deals

How to Choose a Men's Suit
Finding the Right Suit: Let's start things off by keeping it simple. Your suit should ideally reflect your lifestyle. If you wear suits frequently, or if you want to slowly but surely up your tailoring game, it's hard to go wrong with a classic, multi-season suit. While there are suits made for colder weather, with heavier fabrics, materials like cotton or lightweight wool (also known as tropical wool), with stretch, are going to be your best bet for day-to-day versatility.

Read more