Born in the roaring twenties, Al’s Sporting Goods has been outfitting outdoor enthusiasts ever since. It all began with a man named Alvin “Al” Moroni Larsen who had $500 and a dream. In 1921, that dream was realized when Al opened a small tackle/bicycle shop in Logan, Utah.

"Many old-timers abound in Logan Utah. Not many of them, however, can claim to have lived through a civil war in Mexico. Al Larsen of Al's Sporting Goods can. In fact, the Mexican revolutionary war of 1912 brought Mr. Larsen, at the age of 17, to this country.

Al's Father came to the United States in 1851 from Denmark and went to Mexico in 1859. Mr. Larsen says there were a lot of LDS people living there in Colonia Diax when he was there, but the revolutionaries destroyed the city, and the U.S. Government helped those people to get back to the united states.

Evidently, he had not intended to develop a complete sporting goods store, but he gradually added fishing tackle, guns, and ammunition; until now he has a complete service center for sportsmen from summer fishing to winter skiing.

Bob grew up helping his father in what was then Al’s Bike Shop. Him and his brothers were seen shadowing Al through the years, learning the ropes and building the store into the biggest sporting goods store in Cache Valley. “All three men see the business as playing an intricate part in Larsen family life. “Some people say, ‘ I don’t know how you can work with your family;” said Bob. “Of course, everyone(s) family has difficult times but we have a real close association. Being in the business we have developed a certain closeness.””

Bob stated that “he always encouraged his children to get into the business but never forced them into it. The shared family secret to Al’s Sporting Goods longevity is simple: “If you don’t treat the customer right, you’re out of business.” This paved the road for his son Kris Larsen to come into the picture, who would later become the next President of Al’s.

Excerpt taken from The Herald Journal – 3/31/1985

Kris grew up working at the family store, starting as a stock boy/custodian and no doubtedly was found following his mentors around before that. Kris said “after school I hopped on my bike and made it to work, while others hopped on their bikes and made it to play.” While receiving his degree in Business Administration at USU, he was able to see the store grow and expand in ways that he and his father had always dreamed of. In the early 80’s they proposed to expand the business to compete with chain stores and in 1997 they opened their first new building in North Logan.

Kris has always emphasized how important it is to not only treat his customers right, but his employees as well. He also attributes a lot of the success of the store to good advertising and to good buying. “We try to participate in many local organizations and clubs. We want to be an active part of the community.” This has really come into play with opening of 2 other locations within the upcoming decade.

In the years that followed, Al’s Sporting Goods was able to grow online and throughout Utah. In 2014 the current Logan store was built and opened on 1075 N Main and in 2017 a second store was opened in Orem. Mirroring the Logan location, the new store is set in the best place for nearby ski-resorts, famous Utah climbing, watersports, hiking, biking... Truly living the motto Every Sport, Every Season.

Opening the Orem store added over 70 new employees and innumerable happy outdoor enthusiasts. Not only was the store expanding across the state, but Al’s website soon made it possible to ship products all around the country. Jason Larson, son of Kris Larsen and now the current President of Al’s Sporting Goods, oversaw als.com around 2008 and has been helping it run ever since. The number of products our store could provide skyrocketed with the opening of the warehouse to help fulfill online orders, making it possible to provide thousands of products.

In 2020 we set our roots across state borders and opened in Idaho Falls, adding even more employees to the family. Yet another amazing location with bike and hiking trails, fishing, hunting, ski resorts and several National Parks surrounding the area to explore.

Even with the vast expansion of Alvin’s original bike shop, we always want Al’s to always be your hometown sporting goods store, wherever you're at. Employees truly know and do the sport they work in to help you make your experience inside and out top-notch. Being a family-owned business, we want to make sure it’s a family-oriented company.