by Board Retailers Association | Jan 14, 2021 | News, Retail Strategy, Skateboard
If you’ve walked into a skate shop over the last couple of months, you may have had some difficulty getting your hands on the product you came in for. Sadly, these days it’s not unheard of for a shop to be fully out of boards, trucks, wheels, or bearings. Since the start of the pandemic, the demand for skate hard goods has gone up, but manufacturers, distributors, and retailers have all been put in a pinch. Unable to maintain production and distribution at pre-pandemic rates due to lockdowns and new health and safety guidelines, the demand for hard goods is now bigger than the supply, and the whole distribution chain is struggling to catch up. The pandemic had already taken hold in Tijuana in April 2020 when Grant Burns, who owns BBS Manufacturing contracted COVID-19 across the border in San Diego. He emailed his staff to let them know that he had gotten sick on a Friday, and by Monday, people were nervous. The state of Baja California, Mexico had already declared that employees with pre-existing conditions should be allowed paid time off, and Burns, gave the rest of his employees the option to do the same. Less than a quarter of his staff took him up on it, and the government ordered the shop and other non-essential businesses to close two weeks later. With the shop sitting idle, numerous skate brands that relied on BBS to press their decks lost their manufacturer, and their stock of decks was decreasing across the skate ecosystem. When the factory opened back up in May 2020, it doubled the number of busses transporting employees...
by Board Retailers Association | Jan 8, 2021 | News, Surf
Photo: Audrey Lambidakis Earlier today, Peter Mel, who already snagged one of the best waves of the year at Maverick’s on December 8th — and was towed into a bomb and then rescued by his son last Saturday — just upped the ante. Again. See below for video and Mel’s take on the wave, and stay tuned here for our realtime updates on this series of swells. All photos: Audrey Lambidakis “That wave was by far my best in 29 years of surfing Maverick’s,” Pete said. “I mean, I’ve been seeing those types of waves my whole life. But I was never brave enough to do it. I always thought, ‘maybe I could get one from there.’ Then, the other day (Dec 8) kind of catalyzed that slightly.” “So today, I just went to my spot again and said to myself, ‘I need to be a little deeper so I can actually get behind it and then pull up into it.’ And that’s kinda what happened. I just visualized the outside part where you can get the chip-in. That’s the only way you’re going to get through one of those big ones. Because you can’t take off from the bowl. It’s too vertical.” “So I got the chip on the shoulder and it worked out. The wave stayed open. I’m actually depressed right now. It’s crazy. I don’t know. It’s the weirdest thing. I’ve never felt this kind of…it’s like, ‘Oh my God. I’m 50 years old. Did I just do that?’ But it’s like, ‘now what? What do I look forward to now?’ You know what I mean? Do I do it again? It’s pretty...
by Board Retailers Association | Jan 7, 2021 | Corona Virus, Educational Opportunity, Industry, News, Resources, Retail Strategy
Welcome to the BRA COVID-19 Resource Guide. Below you will find resources for the benefit of all board specialty retailers (BRA Retail Members and non-members alike) during this challenging period. The Board Retailers Association is actively aggregating resources to assist you in navigating these uncharted waters. We update this page with additional resources regularly. If you are interested in contributing relevant information or helpful resources that will benefit other board specialty retailers, please email our Executive Director at doug@boardretailers.org Relevant and trustworthy online resources providing facts related to transmission of Covid-19 (Corona Virus) and strategies to battle the spread #spreadthestokenotthevirus Center for Disease Control (CDC) – Official Website Flatten The Curve – Everything you and your customers need to know to battle COVID-19 is on this website World Health Organization – Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak This epic and relevant drawing was created by Reddit User Darth Voter Relevant educational webinars (on-demand) > Crystal Media – 3 Tips To Get Started With Social Selling Today and Staying Top-of-Mind and Connected to Customers During a Pandemic > Management One – 1) “The Retailer’s Guide to the Economic Stimulus Package & Financial Options to Address COVID-19” – The CARES Act is a complex mix of government aid and bank loans each with their own timelines and requirements. The parameters and regulations for these loans is changing hourly! 2) With rent being one of the highest monthly expenses for brick and mortar retail businesses, it’s a good idea to approach the subject of temporarily altering the structure of your agreement – The Art of Landlord Negotiation to Ease the Highest...
by Board Retailers Association | Dec 29, 2020 | News
After-Christmas retail can be fun – even with a pandemic – as long as you stay focused on making money instead of just giving it away through aggressive promotions and discounts. After Christmas Day has come and gone retailers of all sizes, from boutiques to department stores to big-box stores, may find themselves wanting to rest. But you can’t.Every retailer should have one mission: to minimize returns to grow your retail holiday sales.The final week of the month is frosting on the cake. By proactively deciding to grow sales you will have a better mindset, keep your crew from feeling overwhelmed, and keep the online retailers at bay. 7 Ways To Grow Your Retail Sales The Week After Christmas: 1. Greet at the door. Have someone greet people as soon as they enter your retail store to let them know what is on sale with, “Good morning. The whole store is 20 percent off.” You want to interrupt them before they get to the counter wanting their money back. The goal is for them to “Look around.” Even if they tell you that’s what they want, you can counter with, “We can certainly do that for you as well, we just don’t want you to have to stand in line twice.” 2. Greet at the counter. Even if someone greeted them as they entered your brick and mortar store and you have signs everywhere saying 20 percent off. When customers head straight for your counter with their receipt and a return, greet them with something like, “Good morning. The whole store is 20 percent off, would you like to look around first?“ Even...
by Board Retailers Association | Dec 26, 2020 | Associate Members, News, Resources, SUP, Surf
Editor’s Note: Just bought a new surfboard? Check out Surfcare, a new option for peace of mind. You just dropped an unforgiving grand(ish) on a creamy white hunk of fiberglass – straight off the rack from your local surf shop. It’s silky to the touch. Your eye skims its clean eyes with adoration. You’re beaming with pride. You’re also a little sheepish about the purchase. The expense to fragility ratio is merciless. The reef doesn’t care about your investment. Nor does the minefield of surfboards at crowded spots like Malibu. Nope. They’ll happily break your board for you and kill that joy at no cost. The fragility of expensive surfboards has long defied logic for addicted, cash-constrained surfers. But a sensible solution may have just hit the market. Enter Surfcare: insurance for your brand new surfboard. “I was on a six-month trip to Indonesia when I had my ‘aha’ moment,” says Surfcare Founder Nick Stolz. “I showed up to the tiny Island of Sipura in the Mentawais with a brand new quiver of boards. Within a couple weeks, however, I broke every single one of them surfing HT’s and waves on neighboring islands. That’s when I decided to make Surfcare a reality.” Surfcare cofounder Nick Stolz charging Nias prior to breaking all of his surfboards and deciding to do something capitalist about it. Photo: Courtesy Stolz According to Stolz, the brand launched last month after three years of development and hoop-jumping to abide by regulations in the understandably no-nonsense insurance industry. Insurance is not a bro-bro industry. Warranties must be vetted and maintained. “To get a little into the weeds, I didn’t know what I was...
by Board Retailers Association | Dec 22, 2020 | Corona Virus, Industry, News, Resources, Retail Strategy
The saying “better late than never” can certainly apply here… After dragging its feet for months (which felt like years), U.S. Congress has delivered a stimulus bill offering relief to small businesses and families struggling to survive the recent COVID surge. How will this affect the retail community?The Wall Street Journal on December 21st posted a categorical graphic breakdown of where the proposed $900 billion will be allocated (with a large percentage set aside for small businesses) and here are key provisions (provided by CNN) that will be included as part of the $900 billion agreement, according to releases sent out Sunday evening by members of Democratic and GOP leadership: Direct payment checks of up to $600 per adult and childAid for struggling small businesses, including more than $284 billion for forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans and $15 billion “in dedicated funding for live venues, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions”$300 per week for enhanced unemployment insurance benefits$20 billion to buy vaccines and make “the vaccine available at no charge for anyone who needs it” and $8 billion for vaccine distribution$20 billion for coronavirus testing efforts$25 billion for rental assistance and an eviction moratorium extension$82 billion for education providers like schools and colleges, including aid to help reopen classrooms safely and $10 billion for child care assistanceThe deal will rescind “$429 billion in unused funds provided by the CARES Act for the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending facilities”$13 billion in increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and child nutrition benefits$7 billion to bolster broadband access to help Americans connect remotely during the pandemic$45 billion to support transportation services, including $2 billion...
