Matt Feuer spent 30 years supplying leather to brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Timberland, always wondering what he would do differently if he owned one. In 2024 he got his chance and bought BOAST, the maple leaf tennis brand he wore as a high school player in the 1980s.

Matt is the owner and CEO of BOAST, the racquet sports apparel brand founded in Greenwich, Connecticut in 1973. His family ran leather tanneries in upstate New York, and he spent decades building sourcing and supply chains in Asia before moving to the brand side. Since he took over, BOAST has shown up on Tennis Channel, put pros on tour in the brand, landed in Nordstrom, and is heading into Saks.

In this conversation, we get into:

- The story behind the leaf, including a letter a woman wrote in the early 80s so a student could keep wearing BOAST to school
- Why he bought a heritage brand instead of starting one from scratch
- Where BOAST lost its way, and why he added wholesale to what had been a direct-to-consumer business
- Why club directors, most of them 40 to 60 years old, greeted the brand with "welcome back"
- Why he sees padel as a closer fit for tennis players than pickleball
- A QR code merchandise program that lets clubs sell BOAST without stocking every size, with a cut of each sale going back to the club
- Hiring Adam Black as Head of Padel, and why BOAST is picky about international partners
- His advice for any supplier thinking about buying a heritage brand: awareness costs more than you think, and never trade quality for price

If you run a club, manage a pro shop, or want to know what it takes to bring an old brand back, this one's for you.

ABOUT COURTSIDE
CourtSide is a podcast about the business side of racquet sports. Long-form conversations with the owners, directors, and head pros shaping tennis, pickleball, padel, and squash. Hosted by Evan Dechtman, founder of TopSpin Digital.

New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one.

Want to be a guest? Book your spot: https://topspindigital.co/courtside/book
Email Evan directly: evan@topspindigital.co

Full show notes: https://topspindigital.co/courtside
TopSpin Digital: https://topspindigital.co
HEARD Digital Marketing: https://heardmarketing.io

CONNECT WITH MATT FEUER
Website: https://boastusa.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/feuer