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Specialty Retailers and the Board Sports Lifestyle
Surf | Skate | Snow | SUP | Swim | Outdoor | Wake

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Specialty Retailers and the Board Sports Lifestyle
Surf | Skate | Snow | SUP | Swim | Outdoor | Wake

Lower day to day costs, increase margins, create more remarkable customer experiences

Specialty Retailers and the Board Sports Lifestyle
Surf | Skate | Snow | SUP | Swim | Outdoor | Wake

Stay Current on the Latest Industry News and Consumer Trends

Specialty Retailers and the Board Sports Lifestyle
Surf | Skate | Snow | SUP | Swim | Outdoor | Wake

Welcome to the Board Retailers Association (BRA) website.  Below you will find helpful and relevant articles that we carefully curate for the benefit of our BRA Retail Members several times per week. Be sure to scroll through the most recent articles or use the Search/Lookup feature in the Menu above to find topics and keywords related to recent and not-so-recent articles that may help you lower costs, increase margins, or create more remarkable customer experiences.  We deliberately made this our site landing page to demonstrate our commitment to “Protecting Retailers and a Lifestyle” for over 20 years (since 2003).

Be sure to visit the About Us, Retail Member Benefits and Join pages on this site to learn more about and benefit from our resourceful nonprofit trade association committed to helping board specialty, outdoor specialty, and lifestyle specialty retailers to survive, thrive, and keep “the special in specialty” for free

“Halt! 10 Ways of Mastering the Art of Getting Your Retail Employees to Listen” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

“Halt! 10 Ways of Mastering the Art of Getting Your Retail Employees to Listen” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

Honing your listening skills can significantly impact the success of your store.As a trained conductor, I've learned the importance of attentive listening, focusing on each individual part and questioning whether what I hear aligns with what's written on the page...

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“Is Livestream Shopping Ready to Shift Into High Gear?” by George Anderson plus nearly 20 retail experts weighing in on this topic via Retail Wire

“Is Livestream Shopping Ready to Shift Into High Gear?” by George Anderson plus nearly 20 retail experts weighing in on this topic via Retail Wire

TikTok appears to be pumping the brakes on its U.S. livestreaming plans while retailers and platforms, including Amazon.com, Poshmark, Qurate, Shein and Walmart, are stepping on the gas. So is livestreaming ready to roll in America or not? A Wall Street...

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“When the mall is the target: The state of retail and mass shootings” by Daphne Howland via Retail Dive

“When the mall is the target: The state of retail and mass shootings” by Daphne Howland via Retail Dive

Protesters against gun violence outside a church on May 7 in Allen, Texas, a day after a mass shooting at the nearby Allen Premium Outlets mall. Joe Raedle / Staff via Getty Images Stores and malls are especially vulnerable to random attacks like the recent killing of...

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“History of Surfing: Houses of the Holy – Matt Warshaw explains the history of our beloved cultural watering hole, and where he thinks the future of the surf shop is headed” by Davis Jones via Surfer Mag (originally published Oct. 2017)

“History of Surfing: Houses of the Holy – Matt Warshaw explains the history of our beloved cultural watering hole, and where he thinks the future of the surf shop is headed” by Davis Jones via Surfer Mag (originally published Oct. 2017)

Hobie Alter's Dana Point compound. Dale Velzy's Manhattan Beach showroom. Larry Gordon and Floyd Smith's San Diego storefront. Jack O'Neill's San Francisco shack. In the 1950s, California's first surf shops had personalities as varied as the shapers who owned them....

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“Is It Good Business to Allow Associates to Break or Bend Rules for Customers?” by Tom Ryan via Retail Dive plus 20 Retail Experts weigh in on this discussion

“Is It Good Business to Allow Associates to Break or Bend Rules for Customers?” by Tom Ryan via Retail Dive plus 20 Retail Experts weigh in on this discussion

When retail employees go “above and beyond,” which often involves deviating from organizational rules, it has been shown to enhance customer loyalty for the store. New university research shows it can also lift engagement for the infracting employee....

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“5 Ways to Keep Wallet Share With In-Store Traffic” by Tara Kelly via Total Retail

“5 Ways to Keep Wallet Share With In-Store Traffic” by Tara Kelly via Total Retail

Credit: Getty Images by Hinterhaus Productions Spring is here, lockdowns are a fading memory and the economic outlook is brighter. Although uncertainty abounds and wallets remain tight, we may be in for a softer landing than previously thought. You can celebrate...

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“BC Owner on Business, Sales Trends and a Move Away from Covid Comparisons” by Kari Hamanaka via Shop Eat Surf

“BC Owner on Business, Sales Trends and a Move Away from Covid Comparisons” by Kari Hamanaka via Shop Eat Surf

A quarter of the way into the year and key industry account BC Surf & Sport’s business is chugging along. If the multi-store operator is any barometer of how the overall industry is trending, 2023 could perhaps mean a normalization –  and a new chapter –...

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“How to Thrive in an Ever-Evolving Retail Landscape” by Lise Wilson via Total Retail plus intro to outstanding window graphics vendor who is providing a very special discount for BRA Retail Members

“How to Thrive in an Ever-Evolving Retail Landscape” by Lise Wilson via Total Retail plus intro to outstanding window graphics vendor who is providing a very special discount for BRA Retail Members

Credit: Getty Images by Hitoshi Yamada The retail industry has undergone a dramatic transformation in the face of factors such as Amazon.com's dominance and an uncertain post-pandemic landscape. To stay successful, retailers have had to adapt their stores rapidly —...

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“Refresher on the PTE tax: What you need to know” by Marshall Varano of BRA Supporting Vendor Partner CohnReznick plus access to relevant and helpful CR / M1 collaborative on-demand webinar and special offer for BRA Retail Members

“Refresher on the PTE tax: What you need to know” by Marshall Varano of BRA Supporting Vendor Partner CohnReznick plus access to relevant and helpful CR / M1 collaborative on-demand webinar and special offer for BRA Retail Members

You can view this informative article in its original form by clicking on the original article. The pass-through entity (PTE) tax strategy is a work around to the limitation on the State and Local tax (SALT) deduction created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs...

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“Management One Retail Assessment and Audit exclusively available to BRA members during the month of March 2023, at no charge!” by Nico Cabral and Paul Erickson via Management One (BRA Supporting Vendor Partner)

“Management One Retail Assessment and Audit exclusively available to BRA members during the month of March 2023, at no charge!” by Nico Cabral and Paul Erickson via Management One (BRA Supporting Vendor Partner)

Who is Management One? Management One is the leading provider of merchandise intelligence, planning, business insights, and education to thousands of independent retailers around the world. For nearly 35 years, M1 has leveraged its ability to collect, process, and...

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“How Will Price Increases Impact Consumer Purchase Behavior?” by Greg Carlucci via Total Retail

“How Will Price Increases Impact Consumer Purchase Behavior?” by Greg Carlucci via Total Retail

Credit: Getty Images by primeimages Over the last year, unprecedented inflation has caused dramatic shifts in consumer purchase behavior. According to Gartner research, 45 percent of consumers were extremely concerned about price increases heading into 2023....

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“Would you like to get a better paycheck!” plus access to free webinar to show you how to pay yourself consistently and avoid burnout by Dan Jablons via Retail Smart Guys blog

“Would you like to get a better paycheck!” plus access to free webinar to show you how to pay yourself consistently and avoid burnout by Dan Jablons via Retail Smart Guys blog

How do you feel about your current paycheck? When I ask store owners about this topic, a common answer is: “I've never taken a paycheck. Never.” Others said they ARE paying themselves, but not consistently and not enough. And that’s just fine if this is just a hobby...

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“Balancing Inventory: Making Friends With Retail Pricing and Clearance Sales” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

“Balancing Inventory: Making Friends With Retail Pricing and Clearance Sales” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

What is the difference between a clearance and a sale? A sale is often a specific brand promotion or even a storewide discount. Why do stores have clearance sales? To help get some of their money back when an item doesn't sell in a profitable timeframe. Clearance or...

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“Why Retailers Must Embrace the ‘Phygital’ Experience” by Lisa Schneider and Ashley McMillin via Total Retail

“Why Retailers Must Embrace the ‘Phygital’ Experience” by Lisa Schneider and Ashley McMillin via Total Retail

Credit: Getty Images by ipopba The whirlwind of the pandemic and the fluctuating economy over the last few years has left retailers quickly adapting to the new demands of today’s consumers. Now that the dust has settled a bit, retailers continue to look for new ways...

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“How consumers are celebrating a record-breaking St. Patrick’s Day – Lucky for retailers, people aren’t just wearing green — they’re spending it too” by Lea Grgich via National Retail Federation Blog

“How consumers are celebrating a record-breaking St. Patrick’s Day – Lucky for retailers, people aren’t just wearing green — they’re spending it too” by Lea Grgich via National Retail Federation Blog

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, consumers are donning green clothes and buying green food dye in preparation for the lucky holiday — and more people are celebrating than ever before. This year, 61% of consumers plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, up...

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“Don’t Ignore Email and SMS: Consumers Surely Haven’t” by Greg Zakowicz via Total Retail

“Don’t Ignore Email and SMS: Consumers Surely Haven’t” by Greg Zakowicz via Total Retail

Credit: Getty Images Looking for a marketing edge? Of course you are, but little did you know that the elusive edge may be closer than you realize. Omnisend’s recently released yearly email and SMS marketing benchmark report analyzed more than 17 billion...

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“3 Ways to EVOLVE Your Social Media Webinar Replay” plus invitation for “3-Day Social Media Confusion To Confidence Challenge”, “Reels Means Deals Replay” & more by Crystal Vilkaitis of Crystal Media (BRA Supporting Vendor Partner)

“3 Ways to EVOLVE Your Social Media Webinar Replay” plus invitation for “3-Day Social Media Confusion To Confidence Challenge”, “Reels Means Deals Replay” & more by Crystal Vilkaitis of Crystal Media (BRA Supporting Vendor Partner)

Marketing is constantly evolving. If you are not keeping up, you're falling behind. But real change doesn't happen overnight. Last week, Crystal Media CEO and social media expert, Crystal Vilkaitis, presented an outstanding webinar called "3 Ways to Evolve Your Social...

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