The Tackeria Turns 40 Tony Coppola’s Family Business A Community Icon In Wellington By Carrie Wirth
Forty years ago, Tony Coppola thought it might be a good idea to start a tack business. Immersed in polo as a child, he learned the sport by hot walking horses on Long Island and began playing at age 12. In 1975, inspired by the injury of a fellow player and employer, he decided to start a business to fall back on. Polo is a dangerous sport, and Coppola wanted to be sure that he would have a source of income if he were injured. “We started the Tackeria in a trailer, and then we opened at the Palm Beach Polo barns in 1980,” Coppola recalled. “In about 1983, we opened a store in the Wellington Town Square.” What started with humble beginnings has grown into one of the most comprehensive tack and equipment retailers serving the hunter/jumper, dressage and polo communities. The Tackeria is a local institution in Wellington, and also serves equestrians
around the world through its popular web site. “I started the tack business because I had knowledge of polo tack and equipment, but I had to learn about the other disciplines as we went along,” Coppola said. “Now, we cater to all disciplines. Polo is probably only 35 percent of our business, where it was 98 percent of our business at the beginning.” There’s good reason behind the store’s impressive longevity. Not only does it provide the goods and services that equestrians need, but Coppola has created a family business with a friendly atmosphere — a place where horse enthusiasts of all disciplines can shop, run into their friends and catch up on
the latest community happenings. “My nephew Lou is the general manager; my ex-wife Jesse is in the business; and my son Matt cooperates — so that’s real family,” he said. “We have employees who have been with us 20-plus years that add to our family. We don’t have turnover in staff. People come and work and stay.” Coppola is proud of his staff’s dedication. “We had one employee who started to work for us when she was going to college, and then she worked through the summer and stayed on after she graduated,” he said. “She moved out of state when she got married, and now she’s back. We have a lot of people who
(Top left) Tony Coppola during a long-ago buying trip in Argentina. PHOTO COURTESY THE TACKERIA (Top right) Tackeria owner Tony Coppola today. PHOTO COURTESY PHELPS MEDIA GROUP 10th Anniversary |wellington the magazine| December 2014
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