Our Story-BlackBeltShop Martial Arts Supplies

The Story of BlackBeltShop.com

Our customers were asking, what happened to BlackBeltShop.com and why did you close?  Please let me tell you our story.

BlackBeltShop.com began in December of 1999 as a small eBay store. We initially listed just a few martial arts uniforms, but customers quickly began asking if we could source additional items. As requests came in, we added more products, and within a month it became clear that we needed our own website.

At the time, I was working in IT as a Systems Engineer, so I built a simple website myself. I placed a message at the top inviting customers to contact me if there was something they wanted added to the store. The messages kept coming, and the business continued to grow. For nearly two years, I worked my full-time IT job during the day and ran BlackBeltShop.com nights and weekends out of my garage.

Eventually, it became obvious that this was no longer just a side project—it was a real business. After five years in IT, I took a leap of faith and left my job to focus on BlackBeltShop.com full time. I rented a retail space in Irving, Texas, and to help cover expenses, I also began teaching karate classes under the name TexasKarateDo.

Within a year, we outgrew the space and moved to a larger location in Irving, which allowed for expanded retail operations and more room for karate classes. I later opened a second dojo, and for about five years I operated two schools alongside BlackBeltShop.com. While rewarding, it was a lot to manage, so I ultimately sold the second dojo to focus on the shop and one school.

An opportunity arose to move into a new location where the martial arts school and retail store operated in separate suites within the same strip center. The business thrived for over 21 years. At its peak, BlackBeltShop.com carried more than 14,000 SKUs, and the school served over 400 students.

Then came COVID-19.

I lost all but 30 students, and supply chain disruptions made it nearly impossible to obtain merchandise for resale. During this difficult period, I made the decision to sell BlackBeltShop.com to a pair of brothers I believed had the energy and vision to continue growing the brand. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. The website was rebuilt, but navigation and product variants were poorly implemented, leading to a steady decline. Three years after the sale, BlackBeltShop.com shut down.

Watching the business I spent 21 years building close was heartbreaking.

I immediately started over, launching EclipseMartialArtsSupplies.com, where I once again built a strong website and focused on exceptional customer service. Customers began returning daily, and the business gained momentum. I chose not to publicly associate Eclipse with BlackBeltShop.com, as I did not want the issues that followed its decline to affect the new brand.

Recently, I discovered that BlackBeltShop.com was available at auction—and I bought it back.

After providing outstanding customer service for over two decades, I’m proud to say:

BlackBeltShop.com is back.

I'm proud to say that my name is James Holan and I own BlackBeltShop.com.  I am a real martial artist. I'm an 8th Degree Black Belt under Grand Master Ted Gambordella. I know martial arts and I know martial arts products.  I'm a proud US Army vet.  Please shop our new website, BlackBeltShop.com.