The Boardroom Q&A
The Boardroom Q&A
Interview with Spencer Timkey: Director of Stoke
eNOW: You guys officially opened your doors at the top of September. How was business for the first month?
SPENCER: We weren't really sure what to expect going into the season. Are people going to be apprehensive? Nervous? Excited? So far, we've seen an overwhelming majority that are ANTSY to get out and do something. At the pandemic's onset, we held fast on all of our orders - meaning we didn't really cut anything down - because if you don't have product in your store, you can't sell it. And thank god we didn't, because we're already reordering a lot. Traffic through the store has been high, the vibe is up and everyone seems to be really excited about getting into winter.
eNOW: Are customers working well with you on COVID regulations?
SPENCER: We've said it before and we'll continue to say it - we have the world's best customers. We're of the attitude that if you project well on someone that walks into our store, then they're going to mirror that projection. We like to call it "Careful but Confident" - we're being careful with this thing but also confident that we're providing a safe shopping experience. We ordered a SafeSpace facial/temperature scanner, installed multiple hand sanitizing stations and EVERYONE is wearing a mask. The facial scanner is great because it completely Scarlet Letters you if you try to walk in without a mask. But so far, we haven't dealt with anyone giving us a hard time about the new procedures … people get it.
eNOW: Lots of new stuff for the season! What's the most exciting?
SPENCER: Burton's binding program is the best in the industry, and the addition of the Cartel X (for men) and Lexa X (for women) solidifies that. They've created a binding in their lineup that gives you incredible response and comfort (a tough thing to accomplish). As the area's only location for Burton Step On, we're thrilled to also offer DC's Step On boots as well. Our best-selling women's snowboard boot - the Ivy Boa from Salomon - got an upgrade this year, with a BOA powered internal heel harness called STR8JKT. It sucks your foot down into the boot to eliminate that dreaded heel lift that plagues so many riders. Outerwear for this season looks dynamite, and we've got some new casual, branded apparel coming in the next few weeks.
eNOW: What other new products do you have in this season that you're excited to share with fellow boarders?
SPENCER: We had our man Sean Daly of @BraveBuffalo create a fresh logo for us this season and the reception has been outstanding. We're going to put it on t-shirts, hoodies, hats and stickers - all of that will be in-store and online by the end of October. Our helmet and goggle selection is maybe the best it's ever been, as we've added Oakley and Anon helmets to complement our selection of Giro and Smith. For goggles, the Anon M4, M2, WM1 and WM3 remain the kings and queens of the castle. They come with two lenses and MFI - magnetic facemask integration - where the mask magnetizes right into the nose of the goggle so there are no exposed spots on your face.
eNOW: Congratulations on the great turnout for Boardroom Banked #3! Any plans for next year's event that you can share?
SPENCER: Since its inception, the Boardroom Banked has been an unbelievable success. The fact that we're consistently getting 125 riders to come out and rip our hand-built course speaks volumes on how the area views our store. The entire goal of the Banked is to create a day that celebrates snowboarding, and the 3rd Annual is going to be hard to beat. The course rode about as well as it ever will, it was 35º and bluebird, we maxed out on riders and we raised enough money to sponsor a service dog through WNY Heroes, a non-profit that assists veterans and their families. As of right now, The 4th Annual is on for Sunday, March 7th. So much of this is predicated on how we're doing with COVID - Holiday Valley plays such a gracious host for us so a lot will depend on where they're at as well.
eNOW: You've been pushing your online store heavy lately. What can people expect when they shop online versus in-store?
SPENCER: The pandemic has accelerated many things, one of which is our collective pivot to shopping online. We've seen our industry trend this way, and instead of continuing to fight it ... we joined the fray. It's awesome to be able to provide the guy in Missouri who doesn't have a local shop somewhere to buy great product from without the emptiness of a typical online warehouse site. We've been setting up Zoom calls with people around the country so they can get the same level of service as they would if they walked in to the shop. Plus, our pick-up in store option is great for folks that are in the car coming from Buffalo or Cleveland that either 1) don't feel comfortable coming into the store or 2) can lock in the product they want before it sells out. At the end of the day, we're always a phone call, live chat, email or Instagram message away!