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.
“The Gospel, According to Jeremy Jones – The polymath snowboarder has a new book about the art and philosophy of being in the mountains” by Heather Hansman via Outside
Jeremy Jones, big-line snowboarder, splitboarding sage, and fearless-seeming founder of Protect Our Winters (POW)—a partner of Outside’s Find Your Good fundraising platform—says he was scared to write a book. “I was kind of nervous, but nervousness and excitement go...
“7 Ways How To Grow Your Retail Sales The Week After Christmas” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog
After-Christmas retail can be fun if you focus on making money instead of just giving it away through aggressive promotions and discounts. After Christmas Day has come and gone, retailers of all sizes, from boutiques to department stores to big-box stores, may want to...
“New Retail: How the “Store” Will Undergo Transformation” by Sanford Stein via The Robin Report
For the vast majority of the 20th century, retailing had been largely transactional. The store was the place where the goods were seen, sold, and stored (hence the term). With the advent of ecommerce that definition became questioned, and the change-averse retail...
“How Mobile Bridges the Gap Between In-Store and Online” by Alex Campbell via Total Retail
Credit: iStock.com by Anita Kot To deliver on consumer expectations and keep their loyalty, brands must incorporate mobile messaging into their marketing strategies This holiday season, retailers prepared for an influx of in-store and online shoppers at levels even...
“Is Retail In Recession – Or Are We Coming Out Of It?” by Walter Loeb via Forbes Magazine
Road sign with the words "Recession next exit" featured.GETTY The New York TimesNYT +0.8% published on Friday that retail sales fell in November despite Black Friday deals. That means that we are in a real slowdown of sales at this time. Despite this news,...
“WE TALKED TO THE ENGINEER BEHIND THE DIME GLORY CHALLENGE OBSTACLES” by Ian Michna via Jenkem Mag
Every year the skate world gathers in Montreal for the most entertaining skateboard “contest” of the year. There’s no need for a numeric scoring system or a qualification round – the Dime Glory Challenge’s objective is simple: go huge. The best skaters in the world...
“2022 Wakesports Hall of Fame Inductees – Find out who was inducted into the Wakesports Hall of Fame in 2022.” by Staff via Wakeboarding Magazine
Melissa Marquardt: 2022 Inductee Wakesports Hall of Fame Courtesy Melissa Marquardt Ten inductees were included in this year’s class. Courtesy Wakesports Hall of Fame The 2022 Wakesports Hall of Fame class of inductees includes some of the sport’s most...
“How to Stop Serial Returns From Damaging the Bottom Line” by Nathan Smith via Total Retail
Credit: iStock.com by Emilija Manevska You want your retail business to be regarded for exceptional customer service and products. Reputation is important, and retailers will go the extra mile to ensure loyal customers are happy. Sometimes these concessions,...
“San Clemente’s Usedsurf Is the Largest Pre-Owned Board Shop on the Planet” by Joe Carberry via The Inertia
San Clemente’s Usedsurf, on Calle de Los Molinos. Defining the “core” of surfing always seems at the heart of the pursuit. So what’s core, exactly? A shortboard? A particular brand? To me, the core of surfing is the shop. The everyday surfer’s conduit between the...
“Increase profits with these 5 steps!” by Aaron Randall of RICS Software plus extra special savings for BRA DRMs
Covid-19 and its forced retail shutdowns are a memory of the past. However, the lingering effects on our supply chain, consumer behaviors and retail inventories remain front and present as we look at managing business going forward. Recent retail news has been focused...
“NRF expects nearly 160M holiday shoppers to turn out for Super Saturday” by Daphne Howland via Retail Dive
More holiday shoppers than ever this year are giving experiences like concert tickets as gifts, the NRF found. “Misterwives - The Scrapbook Tour / Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion” by Kristopher Perez is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Dive Brief: More than 158...
“‘Tis The Season For Retail Tech To Shine” by Jill Standish via Forbes
Holiday season. female in sparkle gold sequin Santa hat with credit card browsing high fashion retail online store and on a smartphone while sitting on divan in the modern living room at Christmas. GETTY Digital technology’s prominence within retail experiences has...
“3 Cash Flow Strategies for a Winning Holiday Sales Season” by Rob Daniel via Total Retail
The holidays are a time when many small businesses generate their highest revenues of the year, but it can also be a time when cash flow challenges become particularly acute. Stocking up on inventory, hiring seasonal employees, and surges in demand can all present...
“Surfer, Snowboarder, Powder, Bike and Other Media Titles Acquired” by Tiffany Montgomery via Shop Eat Surf
SES file photo courtesy of Adventure Sports Network Click on the following link to the PR via Shop Eat Surf: Surfer, Snowboarder, Powder, Bike and Other Media Titles Acquired Be sure to visit the Shop Eat Surf website to view valuable Industry News and Resourceful...
“Live Commerce vs. Reels: How to Build Meaningful Customer Relationships Through Live Video Commerce” by Andrew Chen via Total Retail
Credit: Getty Images by PixelsEffect While Reels can be a powerful tool to attract new customers, live selling offers retailers a more intimate, longer form setting to engage “I know this is new for all of us,” said Melissa Garcia, a professional on-air stylist, as...
“Surf Expo to Welcome Wide Range of Retailers to January Show’ via Surf Expo PR
File photo courtesy of Surf Expo PRESS RELEASES | Published Dec 7, 2022 ORLANDO, Fla. (December 5, 2022) – A diverse group of retailers from all regions of the U.S. and beyond are registered to attend Surf Expo, the world’s premier watersports and beach...
“The sky won’t fall, and other retail predictions for 2023” by Lee Peterson via Retail Wire
This is the first in a series of articles from members of Retail Wire’s Brain Trust panel speculating on coming retail trends and developments for 2023. The year 2023 is going to be better at retail than expected (that doesn’t mean great, btw) especially for those...
The Freeride World Tour Has Merged With FIS; Is That a Good Thing? by Steve Andrews via The Inertia
In a surprise move this morning, the Freeride World Tour announced that it’s merging with the Federation Internationale du Ski, or as most know it, FIS. This is the same FIS that oversees all the Olympic ski racing, freestyle, and snowboarding...
“A NEW TRUCK BRAND, IN THIS ECONOMY?” by Larry Lanza via Jenkem Mag
If you weren’t aware, Mike Sinclair recently announced that he’s been working on a new brand called Slappy Trucks. Sinclair has been a team manager for some of the biggest brands and some of the most notable skaters for the last 20 years but has never...
“Gary Friedman: The Poster Child of Retail Radicals” by Robin Lewis via The Robin Report
How did I define the CEO of RH, Gary Friedman? As a true radical, and more. Perhaps even an iconoclast. Friedman is unique and complex. A conversation with him can be surreal; he’s a philosopher, an uber-character, energizer bunny, stream-of-conscious rambling...
“Retailers find inflation is often about location, location, location” by Brian Delp via Retail Wire
Inflation is a top concern for both businesses and consumers currently, and rightfully so as the U.S. trend continues to remain high. The most recent Consumer Price Index national average for October was 7.7 percent, down from the high of 9.1 percent in...
“Year-end tax planning opportunities for the consumer industry” by Joel Boff and Corey Rosenthal of BRA Supporting Vendor Partner CohnReznick plus acess to relevant and helpful CR / M1 collaborative on-demand webinar
After two and a half years of COVID-19 shutdowns, reopenings, and clarifications and additional guidance being released on the 2020 CARES Act, taxpayers and practitioners have a clearer roadmap for the 2022 tax filing season. But, unless many CARES...
“What We Gain From Getting Skunked” by Ella Boyd via The Inertia
It won’t be flat forever. Photo: Jeremy Bishop//Unsplash Ben Franklin once famously said, “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” In true constitutional fashion, I’d like to amend that statement. For surfers, nothing is certain except...
“In-Store Visits, Online Shopping Saw Increases Over Thanksgiving Weekend” by Melissa Campanelli via Total Retail
Credit: Getty Images by Jordi Salas Consumers spent a record $9.12 billion online shopping during Black Friday this year, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks sales on retailers’ websites. Overall, online Black Friday sales were up 2.3 percent...
“This is How Fashion Can Help America Recycle” by Catherine Schetting Salfino via The Robin Report
The slogan “reduce, reuse, recycle” has been around for decades. But it’s only more recently that the fashion industry has begun examining how such actions could improve their sustainability efforts while giving their clothing a second life. America Recycles...
“Why Workforce Education is Critical to Recession-Proofing Your Retail Business” by Chuck Rubin and Holly Shaskey-Platek via Total Retail
Credit: Getty Images by Cecilie_Arcurs The Great Resignation. The rise of e-commerce. The supply chain squeeze. These are just the latest in a string of challenging issues facing the retail industry, with a possible recession looming on the horizon. Retailers have...
“Bad Customer Service Examples: 50 Things Retail Employees Shouldn’t Do” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog
Excellent customer service is dependent on your sales associates. Likewise, a bad customer service experience depends on your associates delivering poor customer service in your retail store. It doesn't matter if you are one of those brick-and-mortar retailers trying...
“Why E-Commerce Needs Brick-and-Mortar Retail” by Lukas Martinelli via Total Retail
As e-commerce has exploded in popularity, the question of how brick-and-mortar retailers would fare in the future has been widely debated. The notion of a “retail apocalypse” reached a crescendo during the pandemic as year-over-year e-commerce grew two to five...
“Core Issue: Let’s Start Calling ‘Epoxy’ Surfboards by Their Proper Name” by Sam George via The Inertia
Under the talented feet of Kelly Slater, the advantages of a board constructed primarily of expanded polystyrene foam become abundantly clear. Photo: Todd Glaser Editor’s Note: Welcome to our new series, “By Design” with Sam George that examines the genius, and...
“Happy Holiday Shopping” by Andrew Mantis via The Robin Report
It’s no secret the holiday season is a key sales period for retail, travel, and many other industries, so much so that these sales can make or break a business, large or small. With high inflation and fears of consumers pulling back, there are a lot of unknowns this...
“Open To Buy: Merchandise Doesn’t Get Better With Age” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog
Holding on to old merchandise can kill your profit margins. That's why it is so important to learn about open-to-buy when running a retail store. Many retailers have had to deal with an excess of merchandise due to lower demand, it is still your money sitting there...
“The future of Class C malls: Renovation, services help revive vacant plazas” by Melissa Daniels via Modern Retail
Ivy Liu This story is part of The Great Mall Overhaul, a joint Modern Retail and Glossy editorial series looking into all the ways the businesses underpinning malls have been upended. For years, a 25,000-square foot space that once housed a Big Deal Outlet...
“Holiday Shopping Habits Unwrapped: What’s Impacting Consumer Spending? As holiday shopping begins to accelerate, here are four trends retailers can expect to carry through the season” by Tom Niedbalski via Total Retail
Credit: iStock.com by Coolpicture The holiday shopping season is upon us and retailers are keen to understand what will drive consumer spending this year. With global supply chain issues and inflation on the rise, consumers are changing their spending...
“5 Reasons Why Surfers Are Just the Worst” by Alexander Haro via The Inertia
A surfer, contemplating why he too is just the worst. Photo: Unsplash I love to surf. I love surf culture. I love surfers. I love the little things that make surfing and surf culture what it is. And those little things, a lot of the time, are absolutely...
“USA Skateboarding Announces Eric Koston as Team Captain” via Press release from USA Skateboarding
Eric Koston and Johnny Schillereff. Courtesy of USA Skateboarding PRESS RELEASES | Published Nov 9, 2022 USA Skateboarding, the National Governing Body for Skateboarding in the United States, today announced it has named Eric Koston, one of the sport’s most...
“How To Decorate Your Retail Store For The Holidays” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor
Decorating a store goes to the heart of what makes great retailing. During these times, it will be the deciding factor to WOW wary shoppers. Various seasonal times and holidays can inspire retailers to create magic for their customers. The return of colored...
“The X Games Has New Owners. Here’s What It Means for Fans of Action Sports.” by Frederick Dreier via Outside Magazine
Lead Photo: Tamara Susa / ESPN Images We interviewed Steve Fliser, the new CEO of the X Games, about his vision for the annual summer and winter extreme sports competitions The X Games have helped define action sports for an entire generation of Americans,...
“If You Have Fears Of Recession 2022 for Retail, Take Hope” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog
You can’t open your browser without someone somewhere scaring you about an upcoming cataclysmic recession. A bit of education. Recessions last between two and 18 months, with an average of 10 months. By definition, we are already in one with two consecutive quarters...
How to Effectively Communicate the Big Ideas That Set Your Business Apart From Other Brands This Holiday Season by Christena Garduno via Total Retail
Credit: iStock.com by Kseniya Ovchinnikova With unprecedented global economic challenges, retailers should dedicate their efforts and resources to what they can control during the upcoming holiday season. In the previous year, the retail sector achieved a 16 percent...
“No, Black Friday isn’t here quite yet” by Daphne Howland via Retail Dive
Daphne Howland/Retail Dive A few retailers held splashy sales early in October. But so far discounting is down from last year despite reports of high inventories and wary consumers. A flurry of pre-Halloween blockbuster sales made a lot of observers wonder if the...
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH ILLEGAL CIV? by ALEXIS CASTRO & IAN MICHNA via JENKEM MAG
By now, you probably have seen the commotion going down on Instagram surrounding Illegal Civ’s latest video, Hell Week. Illegal Civ has been gearing up to release their next full-length video and recently dropped a promo vlog and an official trailer on the brand’s...
NRF Predicts Healthy Holiday Sales as Consumers Navigate Economic Headwinds by Daniel Inman via National Retail Federation
WASHINGTON – Holiday spending is expected to be healthy even with recent inflationary challenges, as the National Retail Federation today forecast that holiday retail sales during November and December will grow between 6% and 8% over 2021 to between $942.6 billion...
“Small retailers again struggling to pay rent” by Daphne Howland via Retail Dive plus BRA intro to someone who can create leverage for you and save you money on your next lease renewal
Dive Brief: Rent delinquency among smaller retailers took a turn for the worse in October, with 43% saying they couldn’t cover their October rent in full this month, up 12% from last month, according to a report from small business referral network...
“5 Cash Flow Tips For Independent Retailers In October” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog
The holiday season is about to begin, and every retailer is glad for it because cash flow will seem to get better. Let's temper that a bit because Christmas 2022 is on a Sunday, which removes one of those important sales-generating days because people may...
“Modern Machines: A Brief History of the Mid-Length Surfboard” by Sam George via The Inertia
Mr. February, a mid-length, and the highline. Photo: Screenshot Editor’s Note: Welcome to our new series, “By Design” with Sam George that examines the genius, and sometimes the mystery, of surfing’s storied design history. Sam has been writing about...
“Retailers Are Bringing Digital Precision to Their Physical Stores Via Smart Camera Technology” by Andrew Dallman via Total Retail
The internet provides retailers endless amounts of precise, real-time information and insights into the shopper’s journey. What are they searching for? What are they clicking on? At what point do they fall out of the sales pipeline? In a brick-and-mortar store,...
“Adidas drops the other shoe on Ye” by George Anderson via Retail Wire
Adidas yesterday ended its partnership with Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, following a series of antisemitic remarks he has made recently in multiple forums. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they...
“UPS and FedEx rate increases are coming. Here’s how shippers can prepare.” by Max Garland via Retail Dive plus link to learn more about BRA Discount Shipping Program
Lana Provost, a UPS package handler, loads packages into a truck at the UPS Centennial Ground Hub on December 6, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky. UPS and FedEx have announced their delivery rates will soon increase by 6.9% on average. Jon Cherry/Getty Images via...
“BRA LIG Solutions Member Health Insurance Coverage Overview Webinar is now available to view on-demand right here” by Doug Works via BRA YouTube Channel
This informative presentation delivered by Tim McNichols of BRA Supporting Vendor Partner LIG Solutions (on October 4, 2022) lasted less than 40 minutes and discussed the following: WHAT KIND OF COVERAGE IS INCLUDED IN THE BOARD RETAILERS ASSOCIATION HEALTH PROGRAM?...
“7 Essential Retail Manager Skills Your Store Needs To Succeed” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog
What retail manager skills does your store need to succeed? Managers need a host of interpersonal skills to execute a management plan and help retail stores boost sales. One thing that can compromise a store is that most retailers promote from within, and while that...
“Outdoor Retailers Give Customers Their Expertise for Free. Should They? – Here’s how shops can monetize non-paying customers who just want free information” by David Gladish via Outside Business Journal
Photo: Nikola Stojadinovic/Getty If you’ve ever worked in outdoor retail, you are probably all too familiar with a particular customer. They come in, use up your time and expertise to gain product knowledge and find the proper fit, subtly (or not so subtly) take a...
“Here’s How Josh Kerr Made Parenthood and Life on the World Tour Look So Good” by Joe Carberry via The Inertia
Josh raised his son Colin and daughter Sierra with his wife Nikki while negotiating the CT. Photo: J Bonner The life of the professional surfer, snowboarder or skier sounds pretty amazing, right? Riding powder in exotic locations, boat trips to far-flung...
“The unique abundance of skate culture, with the first Ambassador of Skateboarding” by Neftalie Williams and Sam Firman via AdventureUncovered.com
WILLIAMS DOING A NOLLIE BACKSIDE TAILSLIDE SHOVE-IT, Image courtesy of Rachele Honcharik Neftalie Williams is a scholar, teacher, writer, founder, bridge builder and the first Ambassador of Skateboarding. But first and foremost, underpinning it all, he’s a...
“Tips to Help Retailers Hire for the Holidays” by Brian Brinkley via Total Retail
Retailers should be preparing for peak season hiring as the holidays are just two months away. Since many retailers have struggled to fill open positions over the past year and a half, the thought of hiring enough seasonal help could be frightful, rather than...
“Retailers Are you Blaming the Customer or Selling the Experience?” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog
I love checking out art museums on vacation. I usually meet the docent because I stand too close to the artwork and get an occasional “Step back, sir.” Art museums are sterile and quiet with people glaring at you, protecting the art. Music stores and other retail...
“WE CHECKED OUT SOME BOOKS PENNED BY SKATERS” by Matt L. Roar via JENKEM Mag
Every skater can name everything about their first deck or skate video. You remember the songs, the tricks, the outfits. You remember the art on your earliest completes, T-shirts, wheels, and if you’re a big enough nerd you can even recognize the visual aesthetics of...
“TikTok’s latest ad product rollout aims to make creators’ (and advertisers’) lives easier — for the most part” by Krystal Scanlon via Digiday
Creators are having a hard time right now: canceled deals, stretched payment terms, even revenue shake ups from the platforms. It’s tough times for anyone in the content-making business. But it doesn’t have to be, according to TikTok. Or more to the point, it won’t be...
“What September’s retail sales mean for the holidays” by Daphne Howland via Retail Dive
Elenathewise via Getty Images Consumers are spending and shopping early, but inflation is still squeezing their budgets. Retailers have their work cut out for them this season. All year, inflation, plus late-pandemic changes in how people work and play, has skewed...
“Has Surf Culture Outgrown Competitive Surfing?” by Sam George via The Inertia
A scene that after all these years, isn’t that different from the one below. Photo: Sean Rowland//WSL I was never much of a professional surfing competitor. Meaning an honest personal assessment would place me far from a serious contender, but more like an...
“‘Special day’ promotions can give retailers the distinction they need” by Tom Ryan via Retail Wire plus board specialty specific holidays for you to embrace and celebrate
A new university study finds that consumers are more likely to use discounts celebrating a “special day” — such as pizza/pie promotions or 31.4 percent discounts for Pi Day (March 14) — than for standard holidays or one-day sales events. The research...