The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP
Rachel and Rodney Gagnon take over R&B Sports World
WINSTED » Rachel Gagnon and her husband Rodney grew up in Winsted, graduating together from The Gilbert School. In their childhood, both visited R&B Sports World, a longtime fixture in town.
The place continued to play a role in Rachel Gagnon’s life as she grew up — she worked there for roughly seven years, from 2003 to 2010, after graduating high school — and became comfortable, as she got to know the owners, Robert and Susan Moore.
Now, she’s in charge of the place. Gagnon and her husband, a police officer in Hartford, recently purchased R&B Sports World from the Moore family.
Standing behind the counter Wednesday, amid baseball memorabilia and an array of colorful snacks, Gagnon said she and Rodney want to keep the chance for fun available for the young people of Winsted.
“Just from working here, I just love the Moore family and this atmosphere. We actually have two small kids now, and there’s really not much for kids to do, and this is one of the places that we used to come as kids,” Gagnon said. “Life just kind of worked out like that for us. We just felt like we wanted to keep it going and keep it fun, and (have) somewhere for kids to come.”
The recreation center pro-
vides a chance for families to come together, she said, in the modern age.
“A lot of people, with electronics, everybody has their own lives, everybody’s rushing around,” Gagnon said. “This brings you back to coming with your family. You can all mini-golf together, there’s go-karts, you can race each other, ice cream — just that family, fun atmosphere.”
The traditional offerings at R&B Sports World, which include mini-golf, go-karts, batting cages, and arcade games, will remain in place, she said, as they take over the business. In the future, they’ll think about adding to the amusements on offer.
“We don’t want to change anything. We want to maybe add to it eventually in a few years, switching some things up, bring some new life, new, different attractions — we’re not sure what yet,” said Rachel.
Marci Moore Fritch, the daughter of Robert and Susan Moore, said Wednesday the business was sold to the Gagnon family on Friday.
Town Planner Steven Sadlowski said Wednesday that he had heard the business had been sold, but the town had not yet received documentation.
The place was a mainstay in her childhood, Fritch said. She and her brother grew up in Winsted, following in her parents’ footsteps. Her dad started the business with a partner 27 years ago, she said, when she was 9.
At the time, it was housed in a 600-square-foot cottage, and open from April to October. The new building is 11 years old, she said, opened to provide a yearround attraction.
“He loved for everybody to have fun, so he wanted everyone to,” said Fritch of her father. “He just drew this up at home one night.”
Her mother, Fritch said, decided to let the responsibilities that come with running business go after her husband’s passing, in favor of spending time in warmer climates.
Fritch said she was excited to see a vibrant, young family take over the business.
“I’m excited for them. I’m glad that it’s going into some young, fun hands... (Rachel) was a great employee, she had a lot of fun here — everyone does,” said Fritch. “They’re an exciting, young couple that are going to do great with it.”
For the near future, as one Winsted family takes over the community institution from another, Fritch plans to help Rachel grow accustomed to running the place.
“I’ve been friends with Rachel forever, so I told her I’d transition her for as long as she needed to,” said Fritch. “I’ll gladly help them for as long as they need it.”
“They’re super-supportive, and we’re friends, so they are helping in every single way imaginable,” Gagnon said.
More information about R&B Sports World, including hours and contact information, can be found on the business’ Facebook page.