Cab5 Board Shop

Shop Name: Cab Five

Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Age of Shop (years trading): 2

Brands Stocked: Union, Bataleon, Lobster, Colourwear, Nike, Capita, Rome, StepChild, Endeavor, Switchback, Flux, Dragon, Volcom, Deeluxe, Coal, Love Inc, Airhole, Sandbox, and many more…

Down a small ally way slightly off the main centre of the toon, away from the hectic lads and lasses, there is a small independent and majorly cool little snowboard shop. You won’t catch many girls (or lads at that matter) with fake tan and deep v-necklines in this store. Being from Newcastle myself, I know this store very well and remember when it opened its doors to the big wide world of Newcastle. I thought to myself, finally a decent shop that sells decent brands and decent stock and comes with decent chat! You can walk in for a quick glance of the Volcom jackets and Rome boards and end up staying for a good hour or so just for a good crack on with the local staff. Everyone is super cool and really laidback so if you’re a boarder, skate or snow you definitely have to check this shop out next time you’re around the North-East. It’s simply a one not to miss.

What percentage of your sales are from online business compared to your in-store sales?

Roughly 20-30% online although this is steadily increasing each season.

What are the benefits of having a physical shop over simply having an online store?

For us, it’s great to build up a relationship with the surrounding community and really get to know all of the local riders on a personal level and be involved in the local scene.

What makes your store different and in what ways does your store excel beyond your competition?

We are the only specialist snowboard shop in the region and we only stock snowboarding specific gear. That’s what we’re into and that’s what we sell! We feel this shows in the personal service we offer and the fact that we like to get to know each of our customers on an individual basis.

What trends do you see upcoming in the industry?

Hybrid camber seems to be taking off massively for us and camber hasn’t been selling too well in our shop. I also reckon you will see less of the complete tip to tail rocker shaped boards over the coming seasons.

What kind of advice can you give other independent retailers who are trying to compete against the big box megastores?

It’s definitely tough but I guess our in-store sales have really been the key due to the difficulty in getting a solid online presence. Promoting the store locally and getting involved with your local community is definitely a good idea and we’ve organised trips down to Cas for the freestyle nights.

Which up and coming brand do you hope to stock in the future?

We took on Bataleon last year and then Lobster and Switchback this year which we are really happy with. Next season we’re getting Colourwear and Nike which we are stoked about.

What are you doing to pull people into your store?

Trips down to Cas always get our customers excited and help to reduce the costs for everyone involved and gets people meeting other boarders.

How confident are you for the coming summer?

We only stock snowboarding gear so it’s certainly not the best time of year for us! The summer sales help clear out the shop and generally pull us through until all of the new stock starts arriving.

How’s the local market in these days?

We have built our shop around the local community and I think it’s great if you do it right. If you sell good gear and have knowledgeable, friendly staff who are genuinely excited by what they sell, people will still make the effort to visit the shop. It’s much more satisfying going through the range with a customer and helping them find  gear that’s going to be perfect for them, especially when they return to tell you how much they love their new setup!

What items are you most stoked on in upcoming lines and why?

I’m really excited with the entire Colour Wear range, especially after the disappointment of Bond and Eleven going under; they do some really awesome and unique outerwear. Next year’s all-new and re-designed Union Contact Pro is amazing as well!

If skaters visit your area, what are a few things we have to check out locally?

Native skate shop (just around the corner from us) is a really cool independent shop and probably known by every skater in the North East! Other than this, there are numerous concrete parks around the region.

What have been the best three selling categories for you in the last 12 months?

Bindings have done particularly well; Union is our best selling brand and for good reason! Boots sales have increased this season and helmet sales have also been steadily rising ever since we opened.

Please tell us of any upcoming initiatives your shop has planned? (events, signings, re-vamps etc…)

We had Scott Stevens and Jess Kimura in store as part of the UK Capita tour and it was a really good event. The shop was absolutely packed with regular customers and local riders so thanks to The Riders Lounge, Capita, Scott Stevens and Jess Kimura for sorting that!!