Successful Partnerships: Jane and Ronnie Groom

- By Val Schoger

There are only a few businesses that can claim they have operated in Downtown Panama City for more than 65 years. Since the 1950s C&G Sporting Goods has been a destination for hunting, fishing, and camping enthusiasts. Obvious changes have occurred throughout the years; The building saw minor modifications, the inventory has certainly changed, and the knowledge has grown as much as services have expanded. With the support of eight employees, proprietor Ronnie Groom and wife Jane are handling many of the day-to-day operations.

Only a true local might be able to grasp the significance of this store and the owners’ impact on the community. You would have to look closely at Ronnie Groom’s past, and how he grew up fishing and diving. With his dive companions, he co-authored a book, “Shooter Giggers,” about their early skin diving and spear fishing adventures in Bay County. As an employee at C&G Sporting Goods, Ronnie Groom became Panama City’s first dive instructor and he describes running the store as his “dream job” to this day.

Jane Groom is known as an avid volunteer in the community. When she is not at the store, she cooks for church or women’s club events, or actively supports the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center.
Ronnie Groom’s workday begins at 7a.m. and he is present at C & G Sporting Goods almost every day.

PC Living: When walking into your store, it feels like a different world.

Ronnie Groom: It’s a different store. It’s an old-fashioned kind of store.

Jane Groom: It’s old America.

Ronnie Groom: You don’t find stores like ours much anymore. They’re slowly fading out. The big box stores come in.

PC Living: How do you hold up, compared to the big box stores?

Ronnie Groom: We can offer a world of services they can’t. Personal services. We are a lot more knowledgeable about the area and the merchandise. We’re here in town and all the money that comes in C&G stays in Panama City. And when our customers have a problem, we always provide the best solution for them.

Jane Groom: You’re sitting in our headquarters. We’re not in Bentonville, Arkansas or anywhere else. We’re in downtown Panama City. That makes a big difference in providing good customer service.

PC Living: What does each of you do at the store?

Jane Groom: Ronnie runs the whole business and is the person in charge. My tasks are specific. I handle all the orders for the Boy Scouts and other organizations that are buying their uniforms from us. To my knowledge, we are the only uniform shop for Boy Scouts between Tallahassee and Pensacola. I also handle the engraving of awards.

Ronnie Groom: I do most of the buying and whatever needs to be done in managing the business.

PC Living: Throughout the years, how has business changed for you, when you think back? Do people expect more? Has the merchandise changed? Obviously it has.

Ronnie Groom: The gun business has really increased. People now are more concerned about self-defense weapons. And we sell more hunting equipment as well.

Jane Groom: One thing we’ve seen in our business recently, in the past say three or four years, women have been coming in and purchasing self-defense guns.

Ronnie Groom: Yes, and women are now also avid about hunting and fishing.

PC Living: Do you go on hunting trips? And do you go together?

Ronnie Groom: She used to.

Jane Groom: Yes, I used to, but I’m so involved around the community now with my church and the women’s club and the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, that’s my heartbeat. I spend a lot of my time with community service work.

Ronnie Groom: I used to spear fish primarily, but I’ve passed that stage in my life. I’ll go do a little offshore fishing. A little cast netting or bass fishing.

Jane Groom: On occasion, I like to go to the hunting camp with him. It’s a fun place to be because we get friends together and family and go up there and cook and eat. There’s a little pond at our camp, so you can sit out by the water. We have a good time. One of my favorite things to do is just get in the car, the truck actually, and just ride around in the woods. I love the wildflowers. I have a passion for wildflowers. You can see wildflowers in the woods almost year-round, if you know what to look for.

PC Living: What advice would you give other couples who might have plans to run a business together?

Jane Groom: When we’re here, he’s in charge. At home, I’m the cook. I’m in charge at home, he’s in charge of the business. That’s the way it works for us. There’s no competition. He doesn’t want my part. He doesn’t want to do my work at home and I don’t want to do his work here. I like for him to be totally in charge because that gives me more freedom to do my community service work. It works well. I cook a lot all over town, and he’s used to supper being ready a home. It’s an old business and we’re still old fashioned people, he and I are.

PC Living: It is what made you successful. I think that’s what a lot of people appreciate about C & G Sporting Goods…

Ronnie Groom: We have customers who come from all over the United States vacationing here. Every time they vacation, they want to come visit. We got to know them by name and they just love to come in and see and visit with us. Sometimes they shop. Most of the time they just like to come in. Especially the husbands, because the wives and kids go to the beach. So the husbands visit with us and they’ll spend several hours. We appreciate them. They write us letters. We’ve made a lot of friends from out of town.
One thing that’s good about our business, and why I enjoy being here, we have a very good clientele. They are some of the finest people.

Jane Groom: Ronnie is a very kind person and he’s not one of those people that just drives you. He’s kind and he’s generous and it’s a pleasant working environment.

PC Living: How long have the employees been with you?

Ronnie Groom: Most of them for a long time.

Jane Groom: Several of them for more than 20 years.

Ronnie Groom: After 65 years, we’ve got the best crew we’ve ever had.

C & G Sporting Goods is located at 137 Harrison Ave. in Panama City.
candgsportinggoods.com