Ralph “Red” Nelson’s first experience with bowling took place when he was around 10 years old, setting pins in a six-lane center in his hometown of Flandreau, South Dakota. After high school and a nearly eight-year stint in the United States Air Force that permitted him to see “the whole wide world,” Nelson left Andrews Air Force Base, his final military destination, in the mid-1960s and soon worked at Zost’s Pro Shop in the District.
Toward the end of the decade, he got a job with the Southern Railway Yard in Alexandria. The pay was good, but the work was hard—and working the graveyard shift didn’t help matters.
He was a well-known figure in local bowling circles at this time, competing in numerous leagues and also working part-time at the Shelby-Fuller Pro Shop in Silver Hill, Md. When approached by Butch Luther Jr. and his son about the possibility of opening “Red Nelson’s Bowlers World” in Camp Springs, Nelson agreed, and the shop opened April 1, 1974.
In the late 1970s, Nelson and Bob Misenheimer bought out the Luthers, who had opened St. Charles Bowl. Following the death of Misenheimer in 1995, Nelson became the pro shop’s sole owner, and he succeeded his late partner in working full-time on the trophy side of his business.
Nelson recently spent some time to discuss his business with editor Bob Cosgrove.
Describe a typical workday.
This morning, I got here at 15 minutes to 6, and I’ll be here until about 8 o’clock tonight. Yesterday, I was here for 13-1/2 hours. I have to put trophies together, do hand engraving, and get everything ready to go. I handle the paperwork on weekends, Sundays, nights.
This year has been a fabulous year in trophies. I’ve never, in all of 28-plus years, have had as many trophy orders as I have this year. Schools, churches—Rockville, Germantown, Baltimore—they come from all over.
Do you have to ship many orders?
We ship some, but not too many. We ship to the Pentagon, which buys plaques and other things from me.
Did you have trophies when you opened the pro shop?
Trophies came along probably about five or six years down the road—maybe even more than that. We were doing engraving and some little trophy things, but not much, and it got to be a little more, and we noticed there was a call for it. So about 15 years ago, we took over the other [building] here, and we had a lot more space. Then it was trophies, plaques, engraving. Now it’s going crazy! But it’s a good business to be in.
May and June are the busiest times for us on this side because schools are closing and they are giving out all kinds of awards. That time of year is our max turnaround time; we can’t do anything for anybody in less than a week. Normally, it’s two days.
Do you miss working the bowling side?
I was on the bowling side until about the mid-90s. Gary [Parsons] has handled the bowling side of the business for the past eight or nine years. Actually, I’m too busy to miss it!
In any case, I enjoy talking to people. I guess I wouldn’t be in this business if I didn’t. That all I do all day is talk to people.
Were there ever times when you questioned entering the pro shop business?
Yes. Customers were few and far between in the early years. But after a while, more and more people came in, and then Gary took over the bowling side. He’s got a good name; a lot of people know him. He takes his time. Gary’s doing a good job on his side. I just let him run it.
And Red Nelson has his customers?
Oh, yes. I’ve had some customers for 35 years.
How have your customers changed through the years?
They’re probably more demanding now: Everyone wants everything faster. They just don’t want to wait. They want to get it and get out.
What’s the biggest misconception customers have about your business?
They don’t know the demands of the business. My normal week is probably 70 to 80 hours—that’s normal. Sometimes I just go until I can’t go any more and then go home. After 14 or 15 hours, you start getting groggy, and then you start making mistakes!
Has the recent economic slide affected your business?
Not really. After 9/11, nobody was going out, and everybody’s business was down a little bit, but that only lasted like a month or a month and a half at the most and then everything was back to normal.
What’s been your best moment in the pro shop business?
When Gary came in—that made the bowling side blossom—and also when I got Rachel [Maloney] on the trophy side. She handles the engraving. She’s just an asset to the business, and so is Gary.
What’s been your biggest mistake?
Perhaps being a little too trustworthy. I trust people—maybe too much!
Is there a Red Nelson business philosophy?
Try to treat everybody decent. Give them what they want—not necessarily what you want to give them. Try to make them happy.
What’s the biggest challenge facing your business today?
It’s tough job to keep stock on thousands of things that you’ve got to stock. It’s an everyday job, 365 days a year. It never stops because you’re always out of something. But at the same time, you’ve got to be sure not to overstock. As I said, it’s a tough job. Gary and Rachel help me because they see things that I don’t see.
How would you describe your career in the business?
I’ve never regretted getting into the business. I’ve had a good business here and met a lot of wonderful people. A lot of them are still customers.
Have you thought about life after the pro shop?
What would I do? I don’t know what to do on Sunday when I’m off. On Sunday morning, I do the books, do the register, sometimes I engrave, hand-engrave stuff. I’m a worker!
Any closing thoughts?
I try to be good to everybody, and I hope I’ve helped a lot of people. I’ve had a lot of customers tell me, “Don’t ever close. We won’t know where to go!”
When I started here, this area was country. It’s almost 30 years, and there have been a lot of changes—a lot of changes!
EDITOR'S NOTE: Red Nelson is the "Mini-Bio" subject in the October/November 2002 issue of BOWL Magazine.