From teacher to student, local educator – and her family – running popular sporting goods stores

Janis Antonio spent 20 years as a teacher.

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Now the new business owner is a student learning how to run two local sporting goods stores with her husband Jamie.

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“The logical moves in education would be principal or co-ordinator at the board office, and I didn’t think those were necessarily for me, and so here we are,” she said. “We love sports, our kids play lots of sports, and so we do. We grew up in Stratford and have a nice connection with things going on and coach our kids and are involved in lots of ways.”

The Antonios had talked before about buying the business Jamie managed when it opened a Stratford location 20 years ago. Dunny’s has been in St. Marys for more than 40 years.

Teaching elementary school students presented daily challenges, Antonio said, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted to try something new and was able to take a two-year leave of absence to “learn and figure it out and make mistakes.”

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The couple took over April 2.

“The timing wasn’t right whenever the opportunities were there before, and now it was,” she said. “I was looking to do something different for a bit. It’s an amazing opportunity to try something else and (see) if I like it or not. So far, so good.”

Antonio completed the Starter Company Plus Program, a provincially funded initiative run by Holly Mortimer from the Stratford Perth Center for Business. With no previous business experience, Antonio learned about different types of marketing, financing, grants and legal advice, among other topics.

“It’s an awesome program for people starting out,” she said. “It was a crash course in a little bit of everything.”

The biggest lesson, Antonio said, was to lean on experts in particular areas and ask for help when needed.

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“It’s good advice.”

Antonio can also rely on five full-time and 10 part-time employees between the stores. That includes her daughter, who has worked at the Stratford location for two years.

“They’re patient and can teach me lots of things,” she said.

Jamie, who kept his day job, also helps run Dunny’s while the couple’s 12-year-old son has pitched in to give the Stratford location’s shed some extra care.

Having the entire family involved is “fun and crazy,” Janis Antonio said.

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“It has been rewarding and challenging at times. There is a shared commitment to the success of the business, and it’s not just a job. We are learning to balance family dynamics and professional responsibilities. Patience, understanding, a willingness to work together and good communication are key.”

Some learning curves are steeper than others, like payroll and bills, but the business has already expanded its online flexibility and has other plans in the works.

Like everything over the past several months, those will happen when the timing is right.

“When you’re ready for change, you can feel it,” Antonio said. “When you get into something, you know right away if the decision is right or not. I’m a bit of a risk taker, and it felt like it was a time I needed something different. Go for it. You never know unless you do it.”

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