©2019 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Jill Nagy
After nearly 39 years in the sporting goods business, Randall Wojdyla recently opened a second location for Sievert’s Sports at the Crossings in Clifton Park.
He credits his son, Brennan Wojdyla, and son-in-law, Tim Dada, for steering him to the new location after many years in Amsterdam. They are sales manager and store manager, respectively.
“They knew of it as a young area,” he said.
The family business traces its roots to Walt Sievert, Wojdyla’s wife’s grandfather, who owned a variety store in Amsterdam for many years that also sold sports equipment. He retired in his 70s.
“I sort of took the goodwill of his name. It got me kick started,” when he began his business.
In the beginning, sports trophies and awards were the main items sold. Then, he added team uniforms and then specialty footwear. He built the business by going out to meet with coaches, youth leaders and the like to find out what they needed.
Today, Sievert’s also sells “fan gear” and sports clothes. They silkscreen and embroider. However, he prides himself mainly on the store’s footwear selection and the custom fitting that goes with it.
“We sell shoes to compete in,” he said, including track spikes, wrestling shoes and other hard-to-find footwear. Everything is carefully fitted. His staff sometimes taking as long as 45 minutes to find the perfect fit, he said.
“That’s what separates us from online sellers,” he said.
Sievert’s also works with podiatrists to provide corrective shoes. The shoes are “prescribed” on pads provided by Sievert’s that allow a podiatrist to conveniently specify the customer’s problem and needs.
They are also involved with youth sports teams. “We cover the kids from head to toe,” he said.
At the end of a sport season, teams and leagues come to Sievert’s for trophies, plaques, and other award paraphernalia. His wife, Michele, is in charge of that aspect of the business.
The new store is about 5,000 square feet, much smaller than the Amsterdam flagship store. It includes warehouse space.
For now, “we are trying to shuttle people back and forth,” and have not brought in additional employees. It takes two or three months to train someone new, Wojdyla said. But he expects to have some new employees on the floor in time for track season in the spring.
Sievert’s is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. The telephone number is 518 982-1210.