RICHMOND, Va. — You may have driven past it dozens of times and never known it was there. For nearly half a century, a trophy shop on Grace Street has turned out treasured keepsakes of achievement and honor.
Bunke Trinite started as a salesman for Dixie Sporting Goods in the 1960s before deciding to branch out into his own business. He brought along his two sons — and some cheap labor.
"His vision was recognized in his brain. But the one thing he fell a little short on was the cash. So, the first seven years, maybe, was a struggle. A lot of no paychecks," Chris Trinite said.
Lee Trinite said the craft itself has changed little since those early days.
"When it comes to putting together trophies and then putting together plaques, it's like it was in the '60s when I started ... been full time since '75," Lee said.
Chris and Lee Trinite have been running their father's trophy business for three decades. There is a very good chance that if something they made is not in your home, it is on a relative's shelf or a neighbor's desk.
"I would say 70%, probably 60, 70%, especially swimming. And as far as high schools go, I bet everything's just about got our name on the bottom," Lee said.
While modern technology has made some of their work easier, much of how they run the business has not changed since the early days. The shop resembles organized chaos, but their knowledge of the community and the relationships they have built keep everything running smoothly.
Helping keep everyone on track in the middle of it all is Graham Wright. Wright came to work for the Trinite brothers several years ago. He has never met a stranger and announces his presence before you ever see him.
"Special kid. He'll do anything. Work his butt off, great with his hands on medals — Good Lord, have mercy, and we do tons of medals," Lee said. "Thank you, Graham."
Their influence extends internationally as well. When the UCI Cycling Championships came to Richmond in 2015, there was only one place to handle the job of honoring the winners.
"We did these big crystal trophies that weighed about 15 pounds each, and they only ordered three of them, but they were like $4,500 for the three of them. And the people that ordered it were calling me from Switzerland, so it was pretty cool," Chris said.
But you do not necessarily need to be a champion to have something out of this shop.
"Well, we had one guy that ... wherever he was working or whatever he was doing, he was 'of the Year' guy. You know, he was the GOAT. He was the track coach of the year, and then when he went to work for the ABC board ... he was the clerk of the year. Bought his own plaque. You know, so, you have to pray for people like that," Chris said.
There are two levels of satisfaction for the Trinite brothers. The first is to take their father's vision and turn it into more than he ever imagined.
"When we first got in here and things started hopping, I'd sit down out there with him and say, 'Did you ever think it was going to get like this?' And he said, 'I never did,'" Chris said.
The second is to help celebrate and honor champions — whether from sports or other walks of life.
"Well, it's really rewarding because some of these people, it's like — this is more important than anything to them," Lee said.
"One of my former employees, he used to say, 'Chris, you got a wonderful business here,' and people will come in and thank us for doing the work. They're just so — it's a happy, it's a feel-good business ... they see the finished product, and it's like, 'wow!'" Chris said.
The Trinite brothers have been at this since their teen years. The business is expected to pass to a third generation when Lee's son takes over in a few years.
There is a saying about their presence in the community: an awards dinner without a Trinitie trophy is just another meal.
Watch for Lane Casadonte's features on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com. If you know someone Lane should profile, email him beyondtheroster@wtvr.com.
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