King James talks opening a second Labor location and running a skate shop in 2020.
You just opened a second location in Brooklyn. What made you want to do this?
I’ve been looking to expand into Brooklyn for the last 4 or so years. I started looking around Bed Stuy, and over the years I looked in different areas and settled on the space we are in now, which is on the cusp of Bushwick in a sort of industrial zone. The Manhattan shop is very physically small, and over the years it’s grown to the point where at times it’s hard to serve everyone that comes into the shop. There were instances where customers would leave, because it was just too busy. At the same time, a lot of our regulars live in Bushwick, and we wanted to be in a location that made it convenient for people we’ve gotten to know to get stuff quickly and easily in their neighborhood.
What is your vision for the second location?
I love the Canal shop, we got our start there, it’s our flagship, and we’ve met a lot of people over the years. In the early days, we could sort of get away with doing events in the shop and the shop neighborhood, but it’s gotten to the point where there is just too much going on, and anytime we do something, or even if the shop is just really busy, the cops are called and it’s just a hassle. We are hoping with this new location, since it is much larger in terms of physical space, we can stretch our legs a little bit and get into doing events, and things I always wanted to to at Canal, but couldn’t due to limitations.
Who is managing the Brooklyn store?
For now I’ve been working there pretty much every day, and JD, who has been helping me manage Canal St. has been helping me out in Brooklyn as well. Since we opened in winter, and it’s naturally a bit slower, we can figure out what we need over the next couple months and get it dialed in for Spring and Summer. We have a few new people who will be coming on to help out, and staff will be working both locations.
How was the process of opening the second location? Any issues?
The second location was definitely an intense process. As mentioned, I’ve been looking for a space for a Brooklyn location for a few years, but nothing really jumped out at me. I had previously looked at a space (in the same area) a year and half or so before I first saw the space we are in now, but for a different project. When I went back to the neighborhood a year and half later, I was just like ‘this is it’. I knew as soon as I stepped foot on the block that this was where I wanted to be. There were certainly some minor issues and obstacles to getting the space going in a sense, but I feel like that’s the nature of any real estate situation, especially anywhere in NYC.
Things took a little longer than expected, but again, you hear stories about restaurants opening years after projected open dates, so I didn’t feel too bad about opening on January 11th, when I had hoped to be open in early November. Things are going to take as long as they will take. It was funny though, when I did the last push to open, and I was in there for days at a time, hours and hours on end preparing the space, and stocking it, cleaning, getting everything the way I wanted it to be, the first day, someone came in and was like “Cool, but you didn’t do too much”. All I could do is laugh to myself. I guess that’s a compliment?
Our last interview was in 2015. Since then a lot has changed: new brands and shops popping up, others going out of business. Through it all Labor continues to thrive. What have you focused on to remain successful and to continue to grow?
I think for us it has been a continued focus on keeping people excited to skate and learn about new brands and ideas, or still being the place that people come to get a deck that they want, from a company they are familiar with. We aren’t perfect by any means, but we try our best to keep people stoked and happy to keep skating and progressing.
How focused on online sales are you?
Last year I focused a lot more on building a solid team of employees to enhance the in-shop experience. We’ve always done a little bit of web business, but this year, with help from our staff, we are hoping to dramatically increase web/digital presence, and create the experience you have when you come into Labor, in the digital sphere.
What about Labor branded product?
It has always been our best selling brand across every category, but we could always be doing more with it, and always be doing better. This year we hope to do just that.
What can brands do to support their local shops?
I think my frustrations with dealing with brands has sort of been distilled to one issue: distribution. Either you do it right, or you don’t. If you’re not thoughtful and calculated about it, it may benefit you in the very short term, but it’s not going to benefit anyone in the long term.
Have you had to stop carrying any brands because they expanded their distribution too much? Do you let them know that’s the case?
Yeah, but unless I have a personal relationship, or the brand asks, I don’t really think I need to explain myself. I get it for sure, people want to make money. At the same time, shops are in a precarious position as well, as we have to sell the stuff. If everyone else has it, or if it’s a brand that doesn’t have the reach or the market that perhaps the brand thinks it does, that’s a problem. There have brands that I stopped carrying, or stopped carrying certain categories, and they did ask why, and there have been others where I stopped, and they didn’t seem to care.
You started Labor in 2012, have your goals changed? What are you looking forward to in the years to come?
I always wanted to have a shop that you could walk into, and you would know, without any doubt, “This is a skate shop”. I wanted to make a place that’s welcoming, has a good, consistent selection, and great customer service from people that ride skateboards. I don’t think that’s changed. The main difference is that I want to be able to use the new spot as a space for events, and as a way to connect with the people we’ve met over the years in new ways.
