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Some establishments decorate their businesses with paintings and fancy rugs. Len Bilous' store features soccer posters, and his carpet is of the artificial turf variety.
"Our space is jammed with soccer equipment," says Bilous, 57, owner and director of Soccer Magic in Whitehall. The store specializes in an assortment of soccer equipment, clothing and accessories.
A soccer enthusiast all his life, Bilous says that the store originated after he started Vision Training Soccer Camps. Originally established in 1990 in Easton, the store moved to Whitehall in 2002. Bilous says that he did not thoroughly analyze the market's demand for a socceronly shop, but he also says that he always wanted to be involved in soccer full time.
The son of a Ukrainian father and Belarussian mother who were World War II refugees, Bilous was born in Germany. The family relocated to Venezuela where they lived for nine years and later immigrated to Philadelphia.
Ironically, it was in the United States - a nation that at the time did not have the thriving youth soccer scene it does now that 9-year- old Bilous first played the game at Fells junior High School in Philadelphia. Bilous later attended Temple University and played for the Owls for three years, which he quickly points out was because they did not allow freshmen to play at the time.
After finishing a collegiate career with many honors, Bilous looked to get into coaching full time. Such a task was difficult since most schools then were only interviewing personnel who...