Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
BOB ZEHENTNER'S SPORTING GOODS COMPANY
BOB ZEHENTNER'S SPORTING GOODS COMPANY. Robert ZEHENTNER opened his first sporting good store on Central in 1945. Confronted by the images of the destruction he and other bomber pilots created during WORLD WAR II he returned to Dubuque to start a "sports world" to help people live a better life. He opened another on Main in 1948. Family members and more than two hundred young men and women worked in the business over the decades. The store supplied team uniforms for high schools and some colleges. Departments within the business included tennis, bowling, baseball, and trophies.
In the 1950s, Outdoor Life magazine honored Zehentner's as a top recreation-oriented store. Scenes from the motion picture Field of Dreams were shot in the store, but were later cut from the final version.
In 2002 Zehentner's failing health forced him to sell the store and its contents. The large signs were saved by the DUBUQUE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
The 1955 and 1957 Dubuque City Directory listed 920 Main and 1572 Central.
The 1959 through 1980 Dubuque City Directory only listed 920 Main.
The 1983 through 1993 Dubuque City Directory listed Zehentner's Sporting Goods Company at the same address.
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Source:
Nevans-Pederson, Mary, "Sporting Goods Store Immortalized," Telegraph Herald, April 23, 2003, p. 2