Specialty shop brings lacrosse gear back to Bham

Ryan Shea has experience in retail and a passion for lacrosse. Last October, he merged those two facets of his life to form Lax Unleashed, a specialty lacrosse shop off U.S. 280 that he opened with his wife, Lisa Shea. 

Ryan Shea has been coaching local lacrosse for the past 10 years, and he said he saw a market need for his brick-and-mortar business. The state of Alabama hasn’t had a lacrosse store since Stickhead Birmingham closed permanently about two years ago. The dearth of retailers left parents and players with limited options, which often led them to purchase pads, helmets and sticks online. 

The situation, Ryan Shea said, was less than ideal. “Think about baseball, and you don’t have a place to go buy baseball gloves or a baseball bat,” he said. “You have to feel it. You have to try it on. It is so important that you have the right equipment.”

Lax Unleashed has restored that opportunity to customers. Inside its location at 510 Cahaba Park Circle, a significant portion of the wall space is plastered with protective gear, sticks and strings from a variety of lacrosse-centric brands. Cleats and apparel occupy most of the floor space. 

David Wilson, a local coach and board member of the Hoover Youth Lacrosse Organization, said the opening of Lax Unleashed has simplified the purchasing process for his family. He has two sons who play.

“Each stick head is a little bit different. All the pads and everything fit a little bit differently,” he said. “With this, you come in and you experience it firsthand.”

There is an enclosed area — similar to a batting cage — in the store’s back right corner designed specifically for customers to test out gear. The space gives players a chance to acquaint themselves with their new stick, and a speed radar hangs above a goal on one end, giving instant feedback on velocity. 

One of Wilson’s sons, Dolan Wilson, recently took turns firing shots into the net with Spain Park High School teammate Alex Cotumaccio as his father looked on. Cotumaccio works at Lax Unleashed and specializes in stringing lacrosse stick heads, a service the store offers for a nominal fee. 

“Before the store opened, I would do it for all my buddies and stuff,” Cotumaccio said. “I just enjoy doing it in my free time, so I get to do it while I work, too. That’s always cool.”

Both Cotumaccio and Wilson play for Ryan Shea’s summer travel team, Birmingham Lacrosse United, which he operates in addition to the store. He started the girls program four years ago and, sensing a demand, launched the boys program last year. Nearly 200 youth players donned a BLU jersey this summer. 

But that number doesn’t stagger Ryan Shea. According to U.S. Lacrosse, the sport’s governing body, lacrosse is the country’s fastest-growing team sport and recently has taken hold in Alabama. New high school and college programs have sprouted across the state, including at the University of Montevallo, where both of Ryan Shea’s kids play. 

He sees the growth as a positive sign for the sport — and an encouraging indicator for business. 

“There are people who come in here and thank me every day that we’re open, and I’m not just saying that because I’m the owner,” Ryan Shea said. “It’s my passion.”

For more information about Lax Unleashed, visit laxunleashedbhm.com or call 900-8005.