Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris and Heather Campbell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Chris and Heather thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
Back in 2005, Chris was working full time in information technologies as a network specialist in the Automotive industry. At the time Chris was teaching Kiteboarding on the side and thought it would be fun to do a side job by opening a business related to it. In 2006 he jumped in and decided to take everything he had and open a Kiteboarding store. After a couple years, he learned that kiteboarding is very limited and slowly started exploring other avenues. In 2013, Chris and his wife Heather, created a new store called SoHa Surf Shop and closed the Kiteboarding store. Risk is always involved when you are opening or expanding new businesses. The risk for us has paid off, as we are now the proud owners of three retail stores and three kayak and paddleboard rental locations.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Chris saw kiteboarding in a magazine back in 2000 and thought, wow that looks awesome! I had to find out more. After teaching himself how to kiteboard, he dove in even deeper and decided to start teach kiteboarding lessons and eventually open a kiteboarding shop. He learned that kiteboarding had such a limited amount of customers, so he expanded into the surf industry. This included, apparel, accessories, surfboards, longboards, paddleboards and kayaks. This transition is when SoHa Surf Shop was born. Eventually, the kiteboarding lessons were replaced with kayak and paddleboard rentals. It was a much more sustainable option for us and we now rent kayaks and paddleboards at three different locations in South Haven. We are the only rental provider who is located directly on North and South Beach as well as at the Black River Park, where there is a handicap kayak launch available. With the success of SoHa Surf Shop, Chris and Heather wanted to expand to other niches they were interested in. This lead to the creation of Emma’s Boutique, a women’s fashion boutique with apparel, accessories and some home décor. This store became Heather’s project and she ran with it. It features many local artists who make jewelry and other items to sell. The prices are kept reasonable and Emma’s soon had many repeat customers. A year later, another opportunity had arose for Chris and Heather to open another store. They both have a passion for shoes and noticed there was a gap for footwear in South Haven. Before you know it, The Shoe Collective was opened. This store filled the gap for family athletic and lifestyle footwear and clothing. Each store is completely different, carrying different brands and attracting different customers. We are proud of the variety we are providing and are sure everyone can find something they love at one or all of our stores.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The hardest part of learning retail is sometimes removing your emotion from ideas. It’s very easy to feel you know something after all these years, and then learn that things have changed. Retail can be broken down very easy into widgets. Finding the right widgets, selling the widgets, then getting more widgets. This is the simple answer.
I’ve had to learn it’s a bit more than just the products on the shelf. It breaks down to the layout of the store, all the way to the color on the walls. The first thing I like to explain to new employees is that there are 4 main things they need to know when it comes to brick and mortar retail:
1. The customer has to see something from the outside that invites them to come into the store. Displays matter. They are our first interaction with the customer.
2. Once the customer decides to come in the store, we have to make sure we aren’t overloading their senses. For example, the store needs to smell clean, the lights can’t be too bright or dark, the music can’t be too loud. These can turn off a customer or make the products appear different than intended.
3. Then we come down to the stores actual look. If we have empty spots on the wall or look over-crowded with products, this could turn the customer away. The store has to look and feel clean, exciting and organized.
4. The employee working is the most important part of the experience. From the moment someone walks by our store, to the moment someone leaves, we focus on how you experienced our stores. The employee’s interaction with the customer is everything. Years ago I was at a kiteboarding competition in Florida and I split my boardshorts down the front. I needed new boardshorts fast. I went to the first Surf Shop close to the competition and as I entered the store, the two employees behind the counter didn’t seem to notice me. They never paused their side conversation and eventually I said, “hi”. The guy glanced at me and said hey. That was it. I asked where their boardshorts were and he just pointed, nothing else. I was so upset, trying to hold my current shorts together and I just left. That was 20 years ago and I’m still annoyed. I now tell my employees to talk to everyone and create a welcoming environment.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
During the time SoHa Surf Shop was expanding, Heather worked as a clinical exercise physiologist at the local hospital. She worked hard for this degree and saw herself using it for many years to come. However, things changed for her as the businesses grew. Eventually, she went down to part-time and then in 2019 quit her day job all together. This was quite the change because it was something she worked so hard for and provided health insurance for the family. It was an adjustment to shift from having a boss, to being the boss. She suddenly had so much more freedom but also more responsibility. Small business owners do get flexibility, however they are constantly working. Our income is based on the effort we put in, so it’s all on you. It’s a rewarding profession and was the right choice for Heather to take it on full-time as the businesses grew.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sohasurfshop.com www.Theshoecollective.com www.shopemmas.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sohasurfshop/ https://www.instagram.com/emmasboutique253/ https://www.instagram.com/the_shoe_collective/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SohaSurfShop https://www.facebook.com/theshoecollective/ https://www.facebook.com/emmasboutique253
Image Credits
Sunset by Scott Johnson Radiant Landscapes Photography Radiantlandscapesphotography.com