‘Riff Raff’ Still Coming To Uptown Saint John, Just Not Yet
SAINT JOHN — An entrepreneur that was hoping to bring some ‘riff raff’ to uptown Saint John with his new store has had COVID-19 bring some disruption of its own to his business plans.
Riff Raff Skate Shop, a store specializing in skateboard clothing and accessories and vinyl records of the heavier variety, was slated to open on Charlotte Street on April 1. But with non-essential businesses forced to close their storefronts, owner Trent Wheaton has turned to selling online for the time being.
“We’ve got the webshop up and running, that’s all we could do,” Wheaton says. “The online store, unfortunately, doesn’t really pull off what the impact would be visually, so it’s disappointing that way, but that’s all I can do right now.”
While most brick-and-mortar stores are embracing online shopping during this time, Wheaton says he was hesitant at first to go online.
“It was actually very hard for me to pull the pin. I put it off and put it off, but I knew it was coming,” he said. “I never wanted that for the shop. Not that I’m against online shopping necessarily, but my shop was supposed to be a response to people not being able to get what they want and have to go online. That’s why I was hesitant about it.”
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Though he’s selling online, Wheaton is only offering local delivery and curbside pick-up. He’s passionate about selling his inventory to those in Greater Saint John who want it.
“I’m not doing any shipping through the post or anything like that. I didn’t want to do that,” he says. “Again, being stubborn, I just wanted this to be a Saint John shop. I didn’t want people from Toronto ordering wheels that are meant for [people] here.”
On the bright side, the online store is helping Wheaton move inventory he’s ordered over the last several months. It’s also helping him get a sense of what people want and are interested in.
“I just wanted to get a feel for what was going to move so when we can open, the things that are gone I can restock,” he says.
With the situation changing almost daily, Wheaton isn’t sure what extent COVD-19 will ultimately have on his business. But he says if he’s still isn’t able to open up his Charlotte Street location by summer, he may have to explore other options.
“There’s not really much sense in me renting it just as a storage locker for me to come and hang out in. That’s up in the air,” he says. “I haven’t thought that far ahead, but if I do have to close this location, I will keep the online store and hopefully wait and see how this plays out. Whether I’m here or I find another location in the summertime or in the fall, whatever it may be.”
Sustainable lifestyle store also delays opening
Wheaton isn’t the only new business owner in Saint John who’s had to delay their opening. Katelyn Price had planned to open her sustainable lifestyle store, Juniper, this spring. Those plans have been put on hold due to COVID-19.
“For now, opening the shop is on hold until we have a better idea of how long the current situation will last,” said Price, via email. “I am still hopeful for a summer opening, but I am going to play it by ear and, of course, comply with the recommendations of the government and health care professionals.”
RELATED: Sustainable Lifestyle Store Coming to Uptown Saint John
Price has found her perfect location uptown but has held off on signing the lease, for now, hoping it’ll see be available when she’s ready to proceed.
“In the meantime, I have been communicating with suppliers, making sure that we are all one the same page,” she says. I have also been working on building content for future use. Hopefully, I’ll have a year’s worth of blogs by the end of this quarantine!”