About Us

Joe's Sporting Goods & Ski Shop is a family owned outdoor sporting goods company in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area since 1930. Here at Joe's we offer a wide variety of outdoor gear such as fishing, hunting, camping and skiing. Our knowledgeable staff is here to assist you with any of your outdoor sporting goods needs.

Joseph J. Rauscher began Joe's as a Buick repair garage in 1930. Many of his customers found a need for live bait, so Joe began to sell minnows. Soon the garage became known as Joe's Live Bait. The business really began to grow after World War II. On August 1, 1959, Joseph J. Rauscher sold the store to his son & daughter-in-law, Joseph D. and Loretta J. Rauscher. The ski business was added in October 1963. As the stores sales continued to grow, expansions were done in 1965, 1969, 1972, 1976, and the last in 1989.


In August of 2003, Joe's opened our current store on 33 East County Rd B. The store on Dale St. was closed at the same time. In 2007, we launched our internet store (joessportinggoods.com) so that we could cater to customer's nation wide.

Today the store is owned by Joseph H. and James T. Rauscher, sons of Joe and Loretta.