Mount Kisco Sports: A One-Stop Sports Store

Mount Kisco Sports has been a village staple on South Moger Avenue for thirteen and a half years.

Robert Bernstein and his partners, Justin Abbot and Myron Levine, opened their first sporting goods store together in 1983. They met through tennis in the late '70s.

"We know each other a long time," Bernstein said. "It works out really well."  

The three had owned sport specialty shops together before opening Mount Kisco Sports, their first general sporting goods store.

"We had to learn fast," Bernstein said. 

Now, they own two stores additional to Mount Kisco Sports: Woodbury Sports on Long Island and a tennis pro shop inside the Mount Kisco-based Saw Mill Club. 

Abbot and Levine spend most of their time in the Long Island store, and Bernstein - a North Salem resident - is usually in the Mount Kisco store. He had seen the town change drastically since the store opened. 

"We met somebody about 15 years ago who introduced me to this area, I didn't know anything about it or even how to get here really," Bernstein said. "I thought Mt. Kisco was a nice hub for a local business, but it was sort of a ghost town back then."

Despite the risk of opening in a store in what was then a little-known location, Bernstein, Abbot and Levine went ahead with their plans. 

"We believed that there was a need for this type of store in this area," Bernstrain said. "So far, so good." 

Mount Kisco Sports prides itself on offering customer service at a high level by hiring athletes. Employees range from varsity players from the local high schools to George Milic, the general manager and former competitive runner. 

"This store is not like a general sporting goods store," Bernstein said. "Everyone here is helped, everyone here can give advice on all the sporting goods that we stock." 

The store is wall-to-wall (and floor-to-ceiling) sports galore. From jerseys, baseball bats and women's work out gear to tennis rackets, sneakers and socks. 

"We specialize in running, tennis, baseball and soccer," Bernstein said. "And, seasonally, lacrosse."

Other sports the store caters to inlucde field hockey, ping pong and platform tennis.

"We try to do it all, the best we can, in a very small store." 

Bernstein himself has a background in tennis, and prides himself on being a "tennis go-to." As a child growing up in Brooklyn, he usually played against adults since there were no junior tournaments. 

"I was a maintenance kid in a club, so I got to play tennis for free," Bernstein said. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be playing tennis." 

Now that he has turned his passion for sport into his career, Bernstein is happy and proud. 

"We're doing something that's very honest to the community," he said. "We're not just fulfilling people's needs, we're keeping people safe."