Pandemic's blows threaten survival of century-old family-run business
Royal Sporting Goods moved to a larger space just as COVID arrived in province
Royal Sporting Goods in Regina isn't just a brick-and-mortar investment for Dave Swain.
There's a great deal of sentiment attached to the business, which has been in Swain's family for over 100 years.
As a third-generation proprietor, Swain wants the store to thrive in hopes of passing it down to the next branch on the family tree.
His sons, Spencer and Brayden, already work alongside their father and were in position to eventually take over a growing retail establishment — until the COVID-19 pandemic came along.
“I'd hate for the demise of the business because of something beyond our control,” said Swain. “We'd like things to pick up a little bit so we can see some light at the end of the tunnel.”
Saskatchewan is in the midst of a post-christmas malaise as COVID numbers continue to rise and aggressive restrictions remain in place — including those that limit sports-related activities — until at least the end of January.
Given the uncertainty that lies ahead, Swain isn't sure if his business will survive.
“It's pretty much a toss-up,” he admitted. “I can't see putting money into it indefinitely. The government has helped keep us afloat. Without it, we definitely wouldn't be around.”
Rent and wage subsidies are just a temporary solution for Swain, who noted that the status quo can't be maintained over the long term.
Eventually, something has to give.
Swain wants nothing more than to continue the legacy of his grandfather, Samuel Swain, who started the business in 1917 as a pool hall. He later developed a working relationship with Cooper Canada Ltd. to sell leather products — an agreement that expanded when the company got into sporting goods.
“We started selling ball gloves because of them expanding their product line from just wallets and belts,” explained Swain. “As their business increased into other sporting goods, we kind of went along with the flow.”
Royal Sporting Goods eventually outgrew its familiar location in Regina's Warehouse District, so Swain decided last year to move next door into a larger space (1815 7th Ave.).
Unfortunately, the relocation occurred just prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We had only been in here literally for a few days when they made us lock the doors,” Swain noted. “I spent a lot of my own money doing this and here we are. We are certainly taking on a lot more overhead with higher rent, higher power bills, all that stuff. We were trying to figure out how much we'd have to increase our sales to pay for all this extra square footage. Now instead of our sales increasing, they're probably half of what they should be or what they were previously. Fortunately our landlord was really good even before the government programs had kicked in to help out.”
Hindsight being 20-20, Swain would have never made the move if he'd known what was to come.
Unfortunately, “we don't have a crystal ball to tell us these things.”
“We just have to keep plugging along and hopefully weather the storm,” he continued. “The sooner we can get these vaccines out (the better). Hopefully people are doing what they're supposed to do and trying to keep the spread down as much as possible so we can get out of this as soon as possible.”
Swain has been riding a roller-coaster since the pandemic began. He was optimistic when sports began to return in the summer and fall, only to be shut down again in late November due to government restrictions.
That includes curling, which typically sends a lot of business his way.
The store did get a temporary reprieve from the sale of home recreation products like billiards and table tennis, but not enough to account for the larger shortfall.
Christmas was a major disappointment, too.
“It was probably one of the worst Christmases we ever had,” he said. “And January is always one of our slowest months of the year, if not the slowest. So you tack COVID onto that and it's kind of like you have to stick your head out the door every now and then to see where anybody is.”
Swain noted that a lot of retailers are in the same boat, depending on what they sell. Royal doesn't offer fitness equipment — one of the few products flying off the shelves these days — so he's now forced to look ahead to the spring.
April and May are typically his busiest months, accounting for one-quarter to a third of his yearly sales.
“Those are our two most important months and they were our two worst months that we've ever had (last year),” he added. “It has definitely been a challenge and it's going to remain a challenge until this starts to settle down.”