Pete and Elaine Duncan own a nutrition shop which is located on Brant Street in Burlington Ontario. Although it isn’t as big as some stores like Hercs or GNC, Physical Development and Nutrition (PDN) will give you a different experience when buying supplements or proteins.

“We’ve got everything from the latest and greatest in your multiple vitamins, to your minerals right through to your sports specific stuff. Do we carry all the lines? No… we carry what we think works, keeping in mind that everything is different for everyone” says Elaine.

The other store they have recently opened up this past year was PDN’s sister store “Fightware.” And their customers don’t have to go far to get some of the latest Mixed Martial Arts fashions because Pete and Elaine have built a home for their sister store right inside the same building as PDN.

They stumbled over the idea of Fightware after going to a body building show in Vegas a few years back and met some of the MMA fighters there and pretty much taken to the sport around that time.

THEN they realized that there wasn’t really anything in Burlington for MMA apparel so they thought “why not be the first.” Easier said then done for anyone who has opened a business. They started shopping around with suppliers, finding out who carried what and what was popular.

After much “hymning and hawing” they decided to give renovating Fightware the green light. “We pretty much let our clients dictate in both stores what we carry. Reason being you can have a tone of merchandise in your store but if nobody wants it… what good is it” says Elaine.

Both stores definitely being able to compliment each other because there is a commonality between them because if your in the sport weather it be Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Boxing, Wrestling there will always a supplemental side to it. Elaine believes what makes them different then other MMA stores is that they respond to their customers. She says that again unlike most stores they allow their clients to dictate what they carry and bring in.

“We listen; we kind of pride our self on customer service, so we go a step above and beyond in both locations and in both stores. I think that in itself is a little bit different in a service industry world if there is none it does start to reflect. And the economy the way it is now a days that’s pretty much what one of the key factors that is keeping us a head of the rest” says Elaine.

Anyone who has been to PDN or Fightware will describe it as the “mom and pop shop.” Pete and Elaine are known to give their customers (new or old) an honest answer, it may not be the answer their clients want to hear but they don’t sugar coat it and let you know right off the bat what works and what won’t. They are very outgoing people who take care of their clients. Clients say they don’t think twice to ask for specific items or special orders because as Pete and Elaine build those orders they have put aside products their clients have specifically asked for.

Recently Fightware hosted its first ever meet and greet. The store had Roger Huerta in to greet his fans, take pictures, and sign autographs. When I asked Elaine how they managed to get Huerta to their location she chuckled and said “that’s our dirty little secret.” She explains through networking her and her husband got in contact with “The Substance Group” who she described as a great group a guys who she highly recommends to everyone and they made bringing Huerta to Canada and into Fightware possible.

Huerta took the time to meet his fans and greeted everyone introducing himself, with a firm handshake and asking what their name was. Elaine explains that Huerta was supposed to be at their shop for two hours to greet his fans, and that’s exactly what he did. She says that they went over their two hour time limit because Huerta waited to get through every one of his fans and didn’t leave until all of them were greeted.

Elaine explains that in the future they would love to co-permote with other people and get some of the fighters down to Ontario, she says they have strong ties with the Philthy McNasty’s in Burlington which is under new management and they are in talks in doing an event like that at some point. On fight nights you can always find Pete and Elaine at the Philthy McNasty’s in Burlington, where she explains the people there have been nothing but fantastic to them.

Elaine and Pete say that having a store like Fightware in a community like Burlington where it’s more conservative,they knew that it would be a “hit or miss” process, but they have got a great response for both stores and would like to thank everyone for their support.

You can visit their website at:
http://www.pdnshoppe.ca/

Christina Sears - MMA Reporter
ChristinaSears@xtremelifestylemag.com

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
the views of Xtreme LifestyleMag.com