Shop Profiles

The Source Profile

Give us a quick run-down of your shop and its history.

A lot has gone down over the 19 year lifespan of The Source. The organization has grown to six locations, an online store over that time, and we’ve been fortunate enough to see ourselves become one of Canada’s premiere retailers. We have a pension for supporting snowboarding and skateboarding more than any other area retailer, and that’s something we most definitely pride ourselves on. We’ve thrown a ridiculous cavalcade of unbelievable parties, in which the owners are often the last (and only) ones standing. We’ve seen generations of good folks come and go. We’ve bred a strong team of employees that just generally “get it” and many have gone on to start companies, run companies, and everything in between. One thing that holds true over all these years: The Source is committed to snowboarding, skateboarding, streetwear and the cultures that surround them.

Describe your local shop crew; do you often have people hanging out at the shop?

All the time. I think we all know how it is to be that 16 year-old kid who saved up all summer working some shitty job just to come visit the snowboard he wants. I remember setting up a Buyer’s Guide in the dish-pit one summer to keep me from quitting, cause that was the snowboard I wanted. We have tons of kids like that always around the store from July-October. Of course we have a very heavy skate presence as well, so there’s always that element down for the Spring-Fall hang. And of course, all of our employees skate and/or shred, so when things slow down there’s a pretty solid crew to hang with, even if no customers are around.

What’s your current set up?

Addictive Collection 54 with some 390s. Thanks Derek.

Crazy customers make for good stories, got any really good ones from the past season?

Sometimes we get a homeless person or two that make their way into our 17th ave shop. They’re generally pretty harmless, just talk a bunch of shit, offer us a ride in their time machine and they’re gone.

Do you have any yearly event at the shop that you look forward to?

We always run a Sandbox movie premiere here in the fall and it’s a great thing for the community. We are fortunate enough to have a great relationship with a killer old-school theatre in Calgary called the Uptown, so we do our event there and it’s always a great time. It’s all ages, and the theatre sells out watching local and Canadian riders killing it on the big screen. We have a ton of raffles, product giveaways and more—it’s an awesome all-ages event. Those 18+ go across the hall to the Marquee Room, the Uptown’s drinking establishment, and get down. It’s a great time.

Also this year we ran a Go Skateboarding Day pancake breakfast and skate jam in back of our 17th Ave store in Calgary. A few hundred kids came down, chowed down, skated and then were off to terrorize the city. It went so well that it’s going to be annual thing.

What’s the hardest part of working in the shop?

Missing those pow days when the city shuts down, the spring days where you look outside and say “I’m blowing it by not snowboarding right now,” and those days where your boys are texting you saying “dude, you are missing the best session!!!”

Apart from that, it’s all good.

What was your all time favorite snowboard graphic?

There’s really so many to choose from. I find that every reputable company out there has at least one that comes to mind. For 2010, I’d say the Addictive Collection and the Artifact ‘85’s sit atop of the heap.

What’s the piece of Rome gear you guys get asked about most often?

Artifacts, 390s and Targas.

Describe your local’s run, hot lap or secret pow stash.

Definitely COP in Calgary. We fully sponsor and support “The Source Terrain Park” there. We have a great relationship with the crew there, and they are very in-tune to listen to snowboarders and are down to allocate the resources to give them what they want. No wack stuff, no ski weirdness, just an amazing park and legit pipe, and only 10 minutes from downtown.

What’s the best story of a customer trying to return something or ask for their money back?

One kid who bought some goggles from our Kensington store came back all and tried to get his money back after he rode in them for about a month. We do our best to accommodate our customers, but this kid was just over the top. After letting him know that we can’t return pieces that are used unless there’s a warranty issue, this tall redheaded skinny kid got real red in the face and said “What would you do if I started smashing things!?” It went pretty south from there.

What’s the shop’s all-time most played shred flick? What makes it the best flick for repeated viewing?

Lately it’s been the Sandbox movies, since we usually have a handful of our boys riding in them. Most of our riders in those movies have platoon’d time on the shop floor so it’s always funny to say, “Hey, that’s you.”

Any celebrity or pseudo-celebrity sightings ever happen in the shop?

Yeah, Jake Kelly down at Shawnessy gripped a deck for Heath Ledger back when he was here filming Brokeback Mountain. We have a clipping out of US Magazine where Heath is straight Chillin’ in NYC with the board. We also have regular visits from Calgary Flames—those dudes are sweet.

Visit them online at: www.sourceboards.com