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Robin Bennett
A little something for everybody By Shawn Nowlin In the cards: Sports Haven owner talks memorabilia industry, the impact of COVID pandemic. Most people know someone who is a die-hard sports fan. Friends and family of Robin Bennett know all too well just how passionate a sports fan he is. Bennett, co-owner of two Sports Haven memorabilia stores in Salem and Roanoke, comes from a tight-knit family where sports of all kinds were appreciated. Growing up, Bennett says his parents taught him countless invaluable things, like the power of Christian faith, manners, respect for your elders and most importantly, a strong work ethic. At just 12 years of age, Bennett already had a paper route of around 150 customers. “I also had at least 20 yards that I mowed. I picked up pop bottles from the side of the road and house construction sites and turned them in at our local store for five cents each. Sometimes I would make as much as $25 and thought I was rich.” While he grew up playing football and basketball, Bennett’s first love was baseball. When his sister’s boyfriend (now brother-in-law) took him to his first game at the Salem Civic Center in 1969, he fell in love with ice hockey. Today,
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Bennett is a minority owner of the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, a team that competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League. “When customers ask who my team is, I just smile and say, ‘whatever team I'm selling at the moment.’ You would be surprised how loyal people are to their teams and some will not purchase from you if you are wearing a rival shirt or hat of their team. But they all know we are Rail Yard Dawgs fans.” Sports Haven has sold various versions of Dawgs gear over the past five years. Bennett and his business partner, Shane Parks, opened the Roanoke Sports Haven location at 7541 Williamson Road NE in 2012. Five years later, they opened their Salem location at 4 East Main Street. Because the original name they wanted was taken, Bennett and Parks eventually settled on Sports Haven. “It was actually a customer at the flea market who gave us the idea. It was close to Christmas time, and we had a neat little shop inside Happy's. She walked in and said, ‘this is a Sports
