Reeling in the Years at Sports World, Cavan

MEET THE FINALISTS: BEST IN RETAIL

NEXT month marks 50 years since Brian Webber stepped in behind the counter at Sports World in Cavan Town.

Today the shop on Townhall Street is a treasure trove of fishing and gun sports equipment but what sets it apart from the larger retailers is Brian and his personable service and wealth of knowledge.

Like all good fishermen, Brian is patient, considerate and softly-spoken.

Originally from Bristol, Brian moved to his wife’s home county of Cavan in 1976 and soon became involved in many local sports clubs - playing soccer for both Cavan and Monaghan.

Shortly after arriving in Cavan, Val Cassidy from Sports World asked Brian to join him in the shop and there he has remained ever since sharing his wealth of experience with young local fishermen and visitors to the famous lakes of Cavan.Over the past half a century, he must’ve heard every fisherman’s tale. It took “a lot of trial and error” before Brian knew exactly what to stock but today Sports World on Townhall Street is choc-a-bloc with lures, decoys, hooks and reels; flies, rods, weights, wellies and binoculars. You’ll even find a dartboard.

When the Celt visited Brian, he was hard at work engraving 45 trophies for a local martial arts club and says he can often be found at his engraving machine well into the wee hours as he gets an order ready for a club.Brian says the secret to the success of Sports World is personal service“You have to take an interest especially in the young people,” Brian says. “Local knowledge is so important to tourists and so just talking and communicating with them is the service they need.”Part of the shop’s success has been the repeat business that Brian’s wealth of expertise and easy-going customer service has guaranteed.

“We’re that helpful here that we tell our customers ‘if you don’t want to go fishing, we’ll even go for you’,” he quipped.