Struggling Winnipeg skateboard shop overwhelmed by community support

Business has been a grind for Sk8 Skates lately.

The Winnipeg shop has been a staple in the city’s skateboarding scene since 1987.

Fane Smeall’s family has owned Sk8 since 2020. He said initially, business was booming during the pandemic, but things have taken a turn for the worse amid the high cost of living.

“It’s definitely a pretty tough spot for us right now,” Smeall told Global News.

“Everything going up in price has definitely affected us a lot since not every skater is that rich. So the price of skateboards have gone up and they’re still going up.”

Smeall says the indoor skatepark on Higgins Avenue closing for the winter also likely played a role in the business slowdown.

It prompted the shop to put out a public plea for support on social media.

“We kind of just found we need to reach out to the community rather than let the legacy die, because we didn’t really know what else to do,” Smeall said.

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Smeall says in the past two weeks, they’ve already seen business pick back up.

“The response we got back was way more than I could imagine. We got a huge support from our community, all around Canada even, especially Winnipeg, though,” Smeall said.

“Literally in the past two weeks, I’ve been way more hopeful than I was like a month ago.”

Specialized businesses, services feeling impacts of inflation

Sk8 Skates isn’t the only business feeling the impacts as more Manitobans hold off on discretionary spending amid sky-high inflation.

Buffie Cantafio, the owner of Buffie & Co Salon Spa, says her business is also feeling the impacts of inflation, with clients changing how they book their appointments.

“People are definitely going longer between appointments, lots have grown out the grey, trying to go more natural because the budget just doesn’t fit it,” Cantafio said. “People are just trying to make ends meet as best they can and cut out the luxury services as much and just do what they have to do.”

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Cantafio says it’s a challenge they’re trying to work around, and says they’re focusing more on add-on services.

“We trying to make the service a better service so they can appreciate (that they) can’t do this at home,” Cantafio said.

John Graham, the director of government relations for the Retail Council of Canada’s Prairie region, says although inflation is slowly starting to cool off, many businesses are still feeling the impacts.

“With inflation and interest rates, the majority of Manitobans’ wallets are going to housing, transportation and food, so that means less discretionary money and more cautious spending on those things that you don’t urgently need,” Graham said.

That is hitting some businesses harder than others, according to Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Loren Remillard.

“Organizations or companies that fall within those core expenses tend to do quite well or are somewhat recession-proof, if you will,” Remillard said.

“But those that people might identify as a want and not a need, those might see consumers dialling back a bit in anticipation of some dark clouds in the sky, economically.”

But Remillard says even with the inflation numbers improving, nearly every business is still being affected by high interest rates, inflation and increased wage pressures.

“There’s still some apprehension in the community over what the next few months hold. Are we going to move into a recession? Is the Bank of Canada going to increase interest rates?” he said.

“Although I think there is a sense that the data supports holding firm on the interest rates at this time, which is welcome news not just for businesses but for consumers as well.”

The Retail Council of Canada also says as a result of the high cost of living, it’s seen a change in how Canadians are holiday shopping.

“As we head into that traditional shopping scene, what we’ve seen is customers looking for deals, looking for that value for their dollar. So traditionally you focus on Black Friday, Cyber Monday,” Graham said.

“(What) we’re seeing by the time we hit Black Friday, over half of Canadians will be done their shopping for the holiday season, looking for the best value.”