What began as a humble little bait and tackle shop is now a world-class boat and sporting goods empire.

Most educators usually extol the path of attending college in order to secure a white-collar job as the sole road to fulfillment. And with so much pressure to follow this traditional path, it may seem like there’s no other way to succeed in today’s world. However, there are plenty of happy, successful professionals like Charles Ayer who are proof positive that there’s other ways to go in order to succeed in life.

As founder and owner of The Sports Center, a full-service boat and sporting goods dealer in Perry, Georgia, Charles believes his success can be attributed to a lot of hard work as well as good old American tenacity. “Hardwork never bothered me, and I tried to make a hobby into my livelihood. Also, if you surround yourself with good people, then it makes for an easier time.”

Born and raised around the Perry area, Charles originally had planned on becoming an electronics technician after high school, but as with many things in life, fate dealt him another hand.“ After graduation, I went into the Civil Service to work at Robins Air Force Base under their 36-month apprenticeship program,” he recalls.“ At just 18, I was attending their technical school while working on the radar system for the B52 bomber. To be honest, my heart wasn’t really in it, but I couldn’t leave the program early or I’d have to pay for the schooling. After the required 36 months, I needed to find something else to do.”

Charles was also married by this time and had a young bride at home to support. “We were married in December of 1965,and I was fresh out of high school,” says Dianne, his wife of over 50 years. “He knew that what he had been in training for was not what he ultimately wanted to do, so he borrowed some money to go another route. I wa sonly 18 and a little naïve, but I supported him in his decision because I trusted him.”

“I don’t remember ever not working,” he says. “Since I was 10, I picked cucumbers, okra and all types of produce.”

As a result, he felt more at home driving a tractor than servicing a fighter jet. Thus, after his apprenticeship a tRobins AFB was over, Charles had to make a critical decision, one that would affect his life in a profound way. “I had always hunted and fished as a kid, so naturally I thought it would be wise to pursue that line of work.”

Luckily for Charles, a friend named Sonny Heard happened to own a small paint store and was in need of some help. “Sonny’s partner was pulling out at the time, and he needed someone to assume half the business. I began renting out half of his store. I sold bait and tackle while Sonny handled the painting end of the business. At that point, I was just trying to make a living.”

“From the beginning, he was totally committed to making it work,” says wife Dianne. “My husband has always been the type of person to look forward, not backward, and was very motivated to succeed. He worked some very long hours for seven days a week to get things off the ground.”

Sonny and Charles stayed in the original location for about a year before moving to a vacant BP service station.“ The station luckily required no rent.” Slowly but surely, Charles’ fishing business began to grow. In 1975, Sonny and Charles moved to another service station on Sam Nunn Boulevard, where they gradually began selling boats as well.

It wasn’t long before Charles bought his friend, Sonny’s, part of the business and then built a larger building on Valley Drive in order to stock even more boating inventory, and by the early 1980s the Sports Center had actually become the largest Johnson outboard motor dealer in the world. “We were actually the largest boat dealer for several different manufacturers.” In 1988, the store received the “Boat Dealer of the Year” award from Boat and Moto Magazine for being one of the largest boat dealers in the world.

It was also around this time that Charles purchased a pecan orchard. “I wanted to make money with my hobby rather than spending money on it,” he explains. “Also, when you have three children at home, you do whatever you have to do to make ends meet.”

In 1993 The Sports Center’s sales department moved across the interstate to Sam Nunn Boulevard, where it’s currently located. A former Kmart store, the building was roughly 52,000 square feet in size when Charles acquired it, adding another25,000 square feet for a showroom, and 20,000 square feet for a warehouse. It was also around this time that Charles also sold the parts and service department on Valley Drive to Jack Nash, which operates as a separate entity. “We used to rig all of his boats,” explains Jack, “and now we provide all the parts and service for the sales department. When I initially started out of high school, I was Charles’ employee, and I’ve since become the Sports Center Parts and Service department. It’s been a great relationship for nearly 50 years, and we’ve both been very fortunate.”

In addition to its success, the Sports Center has always been a family affair. Dianne works part-time in the store’s office, while son, Chuck, works on the family’s pecan farm when he’s not in the sporting goods department. “My grandson ,Charlie, also comes in from time to time to help in the store, but he also works on the pecan farm,” says Charles. The couple’s daughters, Kimberly and Cristi, have also worked for the Sport Center in some capacity.

Since that time, The Sports Center has grown exponentially, and Charles attributes its success to being consistent with both service and inventory, as well as hiring the right people. What started out in 1970 as a humble business venture that sold crickets, weights and tackle boxes, has now become a sporting goods empire. “I’ve been doing this for over 50 years, and I still enjoy it,” he says proudly.

Ironically, Charles says that he doesn’t go out on the boat as much as he used to. With his work week averaging 60 hours, he says there’s little time for fishing. “Until 2020, Charles worked seven days a week,” says Dianne. “I’ve never known anyone with a better work ethic, so he’s not the type to sit around and do nothing.”

Former attorney and State Legislator Larry Walker has been a loyal customer since the very beginning and has become close friends with the Ayer family. “I’ve been going to Charles’ stores since they opened. Now I go down there to just visit and listen to some of his wisdom. I’ve done a lot of legal work for him, we attend the same church, and I just think he’s an amazing person. He’s the walking embodiment of the American dream, but it’s not really a dream since he put so much time and effort into succeeding.”

“We started back when a handshake was as good as your word,” says Charles with a grin. “I’m proud to say that, like Larry, some of our customers have been with us for well over 40 years, and we truly appreciate their support.”