Big 5 Sporting Goods

Big store with a bit of whatever it is that you are looking for.
I needed an exhibitor type 10×10 tent and they had five to choose from. But darn, the one I liked was «just off sale». No worries — the girl sold it to me for the sale price. Oh, and give them your email address and save more.
Why 3 stars?
Selection of women’s workout wear wasn’t up to par. I would have liked to have been able to find matching pieces in a medium size and this wasn’t a possibility.

Cheap deals! I love Big 5! I don’t typically require the top of the line equipment for my sporting endeavors. But I do like using good quality gear. Big 5 scratches me right where I itch, by giving me good quality, name brand, equipment at a fantastic price. I’ts certainly not Wal-​Mart GARBAGE, but it’s also not the the best of the best, professional grade equipment either. I can find all the top brands here and I can escape with enough money left over to buy myself a nice lunch.
Perhaps the best kept secret about Big 5… get your shades here! They have amazing deals on fantatic eyerwear. Nice!
I dig this place!

With Big 5, it’s either hit or miss. And there are some big hits and some big misses.
First the hits. They don’t carry the nicest shoes, so if you’re looking to make an investment in say, hiking boots, then you’re probably barking up the wrong shoe tree. But they do have sweet deals on cheap shoes, and some decent brands as well, so I come cruise here every so often when I’m after a new pair of kicks to spice things up. I’m talking shoe shopping. Don’t judge.
They also seem to have cheaper clothing. Again, some nice stuff and some El Cheapo stuff. Within this hit it’s very hit or miss, but we got a killer deal on some pretty rad snowboarding pants last December so if you’re willing to take a quick dive into the racks you might pick a winner.
And now the misses. The outdoors stuff is woeful. Pitiful. I suppose they carry it because they’re a sporting goods store and they have to carry it, but c’mon. It’s bad. A few off-​brand basics, maybe a couple decent pieces of camping gear. Yeesh. And for the price, head to a discount outdoors retailer and find a better selection.
Since it’s a smallish store, there’s not great selection on a lot of items. I haven’t done much besides cruise the clothing and outdoor sections, so I really can’t comment on the team sports equipment or other gear. But it may be worth a trip.
The staff at this location are competent, but no one seems genuinely happy to be there. The whole place is a little quiet and the location seems like it’s not quite in the hubbub of the other bizzes there along State Street, so it always feels a little Twilight Zone or Invasion of the Bodysnatchers to me. But that’s my own take, and you probably wouldn’t care.
Bonus lots of good parking here. And there’s a few of these around town so if, for some reason, they’re out of stock on the thing you’re after they might be able to pull it in from somewhere else. Cheap alternative to the high-​end stores, but you get what you pay for. Pop in for shoe shopping and see what piques your interest.