Paul and Dave Scotthorne took a calculated risk getting out of the dollar store business six years ago, but the move looks to be paying off for the father-son team behind Langford-based Party Crashers.
Having recently relocated from Veterans Memorial Parkway to the 8,000-square-foot former End of the Roll building across the highway on Millstream Road, and watching sales grow daily at their fledgling second location in Quadra Village, theyB次元官网网址檙e busier than ever, Paul says.
B次元官网网址淭he last four months for me has been insane, IB次元官网网址檝e been running into the ground,B次元官网网址� he says, adding, B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 about getting the brand out there.B次元官网网址�
Scotthorne calls the new store B次元官网网址渂igger, brighter, better and funnerB次元官网网址� than the previous Langford location. Inside, almost 1,500 sq. ft. is dedicated to balloons, which has proven to be a drawing card for customers. B次元官网网址淲e are branded as VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 premier balloon provider,B次元官网网址� he says.
Having more space also allows them to carry many more lines and more of the products people have been asking for, he adds. That focus on customer service mirrors their decision to close their long-established Buck or Two store in Westshore Town Centre to open Party Crashers B次元官网网址� it came out of a desire to better serve those customers.
B次元官网网址淲e started monitoring what was selling and what departments we were getting the most requests for; people asking for certain party stuff and Over the Hill stuff,B次元官网网址� Scotthorne says. B次元官网网址淎fter San Francisco stores closed down, there was no gag gifts that people could really buy anymore, so we just started hitting that one really hard.B次元官网网址�
Six years in, Party Crashers provides similar cashflow to Buck or Two, but in a different way.
B次元官网网址淎t Buck or Two we used to see 500 customers a day that would spend $5. (Today) we see 100 customers a day that spend $25,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淲ith this you get to work more with the customer.B次元官网网址�
This time of year tends to be busy in general for this niche business. Where the childrenB次元官网网址檚 gatherings are more of a summer thing, thereB次元官网网址檚 still plenty of adult parties being put on by people looking to squeeze every last bit of out of the season. B次元官网网址�(Fall is) kind of a three-headed monster; we go from Halloween to Christmas and then to New YearB次元官网网址檚.B次元官网网址�
They long ago recognized the last-minute nature of party shopping and decided to stay open until 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, a move that has given them another business edge.
In June they expanded into a former pharmacy on Quadra Street. Managed by Dave Scotthorne, that store has six staff while the nine staffers from the Langford store moved up to the new location. The latter number could go up Paul says, if all goes well.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going to play it by ear. We have good staff, a good crew at the two stores that handle everything from customer service to receiving and merchandising. ItB次元官网网址檚 going to boil down to demand,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚f our traffic in the new store is really busy, weB次元官网网址檒l have lots of people up there working.B次元官网网址�
While expanding always comes with risks, their timing seems good on various fronts. Not only does the large, new store open up the possibility of becoming even more of a one-stop party shop, a seniors complex opening up next door to the Quadra store in 2017 sees more potential business coming their way for greeting cards and other business.
B次元官网网址淓very day itB次元官网网址檚 growing, the traffic countB次元官网网址檚 going up every day, the sales are going up every day,B次元官网网址� Scotthorne says of the Victoria store.
The company is launching e-commerce in November on its website and plans are already in the works to open a store in Duncan next year.
The success of Party Crashers sometimes surprises Scotthorne, but heB次元官网网址檚 quick to credit the West Shore market for helping them build the business.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e local and we started with a idea and it kind of went from there B次元官网网址� and it all started in Langford,B次元官网网址� he says.
The new location is at 2364 Millstream Rd., with the Victoria store is at 2642 Quadra St. For more information visit thepartycrashers.ca, or call 778-430-5959.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
