New shop suits up local hockey goaltenders
Colin Caley has been a goalie for over 20 years and is the fifth generation of goaltenders in his family, so when he opened a goaltender equipment store in his house he was more than qualified for the position.
The 41-year-old, who works for STSCO (Student Transportation Services of Central Ontario), said he would normally have to drive two hours to get goalie equipment for his daughter as there was no longer anywhere in town that sold it.
The shop wasn’t completely his idea. His partner Jenifer Ransier, who is co-owner and also deals with the business side of the store, has known him for 20 years and knew that he loved goaltending and loved going to the shop every time to my new equipment.
Ransier has a lot of knowledge about how businesses operate as she works in retirement home operations for a living.
When she asked Caley why didn’t he open his own store? He said, “I work at STSCO I don’t know anything about running a business.”
But she went ahead anyways calling distributors, putting fiances in order and everything else for him without telling him about it . He eventually named the shop Caley’s Crease.
“He loves goaltending. He loves teaching kids to improve their skills,” Ransier said.
Caley thinks his store couldn’t be in a better spot since local people nowdon’t have to drive several hours away to get the equipment they need.
“Peterborough is a hockey town so there are lots of goalies here and they all need equipment.”
It also helps that I really know what I’m doing when it comes to goaltending, Caley said.
“If you go to some place like Sport Chek then odds are you’re going to get some high school student making minimum wage that has no idea about goaltending or about how that pads should be fastened.”
One thing in particular is the new pad style of butterfly. Most people don’t know how to wear them right. They think they just tighten them up all the way but that’s not true and that’s where I can come in and teach people, Caley said.
At the moment Caley’s store only sells hockey goaltender equipment however, he does plan on expanding to lacrosse goalie equipment once business starts up. Eventually the plan is to move out from the basement of his house where the store currently operates and move into an actual storefront location.
Caley’s crease is located at 1825 Whittington Dr. in the city’s southwest end and is open from Wednesdays to Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. The store’s website is at www.caleyscrease.ca.