About Port Jeff Sports – Our Story
Port Jeff Sports has some humble beginnings and this modest family business has seen a great evolution over the years. Our story begins in its owners garage. It all started with footwear. Richie LoNigro began selling footwear to some of his friends in the area. Its first growth spurt was a small one. The garage soon became too cramped for the amount of footwear being sold, so 
the living room was taken over; naturally, the family car was next. From the living room however, growth exploded. Around 1973 Port Jeff Sports, acquired it’s first store front. Originally, a sport/fish dealer located in the Port Jefferson Plaza, Port Jeff provided tackle and bait as well as it’s sporting goods collection to the local fishing community, after many years however, the company outgrew the store front, and business was moved (within the same shopping center) to a larger store front. It was here that business evolved. Moving away from tackle and bait, and establishing its sporting goods selection, it was here at this larger store front, that Port Jeff Sports experienced its change into the screen printing and embroidery enterprise which it currently is today. From the living room, to a team sports dealer and full retail store with two pro-shops a warehouse and it’s current building on RT. 112. It is safe to say, Port Jeff Sports has definitely seen growth. Through the family relationships that have been made within the local community over the years, Port Jeff Sports has consistently expanded and created it’s team sport’s enterprise. A business which now serves the majority of Suffolk and Nassau county schools and club teams – Port Jeff Sports truly is “your complete sports center.”
Meet the owner – Richie LoNigro
First a father, Second a business owner, Richard Lonigro Sr. has been owner and operator of Port Jefferson 
Sporting Goods for over 43 years. Starting the business from his living room, the man affectionately known as “Richie” Has grown this small sporting goods business into a multi-million dollar team sport enterprise. Using the business as a tool to support his ever growing family, Richie managed to feed and clothe his 11 children as they grew up (7 of whom are now working for the company). 11 children is a lot, but now that his kids are having children of their own, Richie’s family has grown even larger and currently, he has 24 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Coming in early every day Richie can still be reached at the store, while his son’s Bobby and Michael manage the operations and Sales respectively. Port Jeff Sports, in this sense, is still, a true blue, family owned, and operated company.
Supporting his ever growing family is not all Richie has accomplished with this store however, he is also a board member of local community group Hope House Ministries: This is a community house which supports the Port Jefferson communities youth with counselling and shelter. Hope house’s mission is: To provide compassionate, comprehensive and competent care for the poor, the marginal and the wounded among us. – It is words like these that Richie try’s to abide and run his business by.
