Fredericton Art Store Expands Due to Spike in Online Sales
FREDERICTON – With the Covid-19 pandemic enticing many people to take up new hobbies, a boost in online sales has given a Fredericton arts supply and toy store the opportunity they needed to finally expand.
On May 1, Endeavours and ThinkPlay Fredericton is moving to 141 Brunswick Street to better handle Covid-19 restrictions and online orders.
Since Luke Randall started the business in 1995, it’s become the go-to spot on Queen Street for arts, crafts, toys and board games. He now co-owns Endeavours with his husband Tyler.
“We’ve just outgrown the location,” said Randall. “Our customers have been looking for different things from us that we haven’t been able to deliver in this location so when the opportunity came up to move the store this year, we decided to take the plunge.”
Covid-19 regulations highlighted concerns about limited capacity. The new Brunswick Street location will have more room for customers to shop and a higher number of people allowed in-store.
“About a third of our sales come from various online platforms, the biggest of which is our website,” said Randall. “A lot of people will use our website to buy online but then pick up in-store.”
Currently, their office entrance on Queen Street doubles as a pickup spot. The new location will have a parking lot and a larger space designated for online orders.
“It will really position us well to deliver probably significantly faster service than some of the big-name online sites.”
But the move will not change the products that the people of Fredericton know and love.
“We’ll be focusing on the strong brands that we built in this location and we’ll be able to invest more into lines that have worked really well through the years but also have grown through the last year,” said Randall.
Randall has seen recent popularity in watercolour paints, handmade wooden toys, and board games.
“The new location will allow us the space to be able to really focus on brands that have worked but also brands that fit our ethics.”
Randall likes to research goods before sourcing and tries to find products that are fairly traded and close to home. In the new location, he wants to move away from disposable goods and focusing on longer-lasting products.
“I think we all realize that as a planet we are consuming too much,” said Randall. “If we are going to cut down a tree and make something out of it it should last not just through our lifetime but the lifetimes of many generations.”
In the attached apartment of the new building, Endeavours will also be opening a Mystery Airbnb. Guests will find clues hidden throughout the rooms to solve a mystery. The nightly rental is Clue-themed because of Tyler’s love of the board game.
“We thought it would be a perfect opportunity to have a space where Frederictonians can go on a mini-vacation, go on a romantic getaway and have something a little bit different that no one else has experienced in the city that can offer some hope that we can still have a vacation even though we are in the midst of a pandemic,” said Randall.
They hope that the board game-inspired rental will give tourists another reason to visit Fredericton after Covid-19 restrictions loosen.
For now, Randall looks forward to seeing customers at 141 Brunswick Street on May 1st. He will take over 20 years of experience on Queen Street with him to the new location.
“I’ve learned that Frederictonians are loyal and are willing to support businesses when they love them and want them to succeed,” he said.