ONWARD & UPWARD
ABBY PRICE
MANAGER OF PRO IMAGE
BY SUE MORRIS ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Abby Price has had to prove she’s a good sport and that she knows about sports - what teams are hot, what players kids like and who their parents want on souvenirs and apparel they buy for their families.

When Price started as the manager of Pro Image at Northwest Arkansas Mall in December 2003, she was the only female manager, and the youngest manager, at corporate meetings of franchisees. Now there are several more female managers and she is recognized by her peers as someone who keeps up with what’s going on with sports and its fans.

That doesn’t mean first-time customers don’t ask questions of her father first, but John Price usually defers to Abby’s expertise. Since he bought the existing Pro Image franchise, Abby Price, 25, has been the manager and sole buyer for the store. She keeps up with national teams to suit the interests of fans who moved to Northwest Arkansas from all over the country as well as local loyalists.

“It’s up and down all the time. That’s part of what makes it fun,” she said of the popularity of teams.

Price says that parents like to buy items featuring Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts because they believe the football player is a good role model for their kids. On the same beat, she says parents might buy merchandise by Terrell Owens of the Dallas Cowboys because they like the controversial wide receiver, but not necessarily for their children.

Price has added more sports apparel for women and children, featuring national teams as well as local. Price has said increasing interest in sport novelty items used in game rooms and home decorating rather than just the T-shirts, sweatshirts and other apparel. She expects to add to the lines of novelties, which currently include team-specific pennants, license plates, photographs, mini-helmets and waste cans.

She had started working part time at the store planning department of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. while she attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She was hired at Pro Image, where her enthusiasm for sports and customer service resulted in added responsibilities. Coming from a family where her mother coached the kids in softball, watching sports on TV helped create a knowledge base for selecting the Pro Image merchandise.

When the Tulsa-based owner was interested in selling the franchise, the Price family saw the business as a growth oppor- tunity. Father and daughter discovered that working together has proved a good bonding experience, Abby said.
That first year, their Fayetteville location was recognized for the most improved. Their second year, Pro Image honored them for the largest sales increase.

She hopes to finish her degree by attending classes part time next spring and summer. While spring is the season for ordering merchandise, she knows that classes in the fall would distract her from the busy back-to-school season. Part of their success has been making sure customers have a good experience shopping - or just stopping in - at the single storefront.

“I’ve learned a lot since working here. There’s a lot of great people who come in and out of here,” Price said.

She finds that their location across from the food court is a good draw and they get a lot of fathers shopping while the rest of their families visit nearby at The Gap or The Disney Store.

Onward and Upward features executives, entrepreneurs or employees who are achieving success in their careers or becoming leaders in their professions.