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SALT LAKE CITY — It has been just over a week since the London Olympic Games came to a close. But sporting goods store owners in Utah say they're still cashing in on a post-Olympics sales bump.
During the summer games this year, The Salt Lake Running Company saw an increase in sales. General Manager Travis Hildebrand says both young kids and adults came into the store.
"There's not really an age limit to how inspirational the Olympics [are]," he said.
But Hildebrand says other factors make this time of year more lucrative for them, too. School is starting and student athletes are getting their cross country gear. Plus, the weather usually starts to feel a little nicer.
There's not really an age limit to how inspirational the Olympics (are).
–Travis Hildebrand
"The temperatures start to drop a little bit, so it's nicer to get outside," he said. "In a few weeks, the leaves are going to start turning and it's a great time to get out on the trails. That, in and of itself, is inspirational for a lot of people to get out and run again."
Sports Authority District Manager Rich Kohler says they've noticed an increase in sales for other Olympic sports, like swimming and soccer.
"It involves a relatively low investment to get initially going with it," he said.
Kohler says the bump they get from the summer games is usually higher than what they see for the winter games, possibly because those sports are less expensive to take part in.
"The Winter Olympics involves a little more of a net group, particularly where [you have people] more in the mountain areas, like the Midwest, where hockey is strong," he said.
He says they noticed the biggest spike in sales of archery equipment, but that might not be just due to the Olympics. He thinks popular movies like "The Hunger Games" may have impacted these sales, also.
