BUCKMANS NAMED TWB RETAILER OF THE YEAR
For the second year in a row, we are proud to announce that we have been awarded the TransWorld Business 2012 Mid Atlantic Retailer of the Year!
Check out this article from Kailee Bradstreet:
For the second year in a row, Pennsylvania-based retailer Buckman’s has been named 2012 Mid-Atlantic Shop of the Year in TransWorld Business’ Regional Shops of the Year awards. Boasting eight locations, the snow specific shops pride themselves on customer service and well-educated and passionate snow enthusiast employees.
We caught up with Senior Vice President and Marketing Director Brad Buckman to learn more about the shop, its strengths, and what Buckman foresees for the future of snowboarding.
Alright, seriously-what’s your secret?
Not too sure we have a secret [laughs]. We just try to give the very best service possible to customers that come in our stores and also shop on our website Buckmans.com. We beleive in customer service and there is nothing we won’t do to make sure that each customer has a great experience when shopping with us. We also have a great team of employees who live and breath skiing and snowboarding, many of them being with us well over 10 years!
Remind us about your stores, how long they’ve been around, what brands you carry, and who your customers are.
We started in 1971 with a small store in Perkiomenville Pa. Founded by my late grandfather Leon Buckman. We now have 6 retail ski and snowboard shops in the Philadelphia area, Buckmans.com as well as the Burton and Marmot Mall stores. We carry all the major brands, Spyder, TNF, Marmot, Patagonia,Oakley, Ride, Burton, Nike SB, Volcom, Arc’teryx, Kjus, Salomon, K2, Volkl, Atomic, Full Tilt, Dalbello, Giro, Roxy,Quiksilver, DC, Bogner, and the list goes on…
What did you do differently/new in 2012?
The main thing probably was we had to be very careful with our buy for the 12-13 season. Last winter was a very tough one, since it was so warm and didn’t really snow at all. We had to make some hard decisions and cut back our buy with some of our biggest and best brands. The one new thing for this season is that we partnered with Burton and Marmot and opened concept stores in the King of Prussia Mall. These stores are all Marmot and all Burton!
What’s the most rewarding thing about working with your brands and customers?
We have a great relationship with our brands. It is really a partnership that we have created over the years of doing business with them. We are in this together and the support and backing we get from the brands is great, and we really appreciate it! Working with customers is great, especially when someone is new to the sport and are just learning. I also really enjoy watching families ski and snowboard together! to this day, I still ski with my parents!
What’s your philosophy on the role of specialty retailers in this day and age?
Buckman’s: 2012 Mid-Atlantic Shop Of The Year The role of specialty retailers is really where the rubber hits the road. We are the ones giving the service to the customers, that you can’t get from a vendor or website. We take the time to share our knowledge about the industry and the products to the end users. Without specialty retailers, this industry would not be where it is today, and we are doing everything we can to continue to grow the winter sports market as much as we can!
What makes your shop different?
I think it goes back to our team of employees and the great customer service that they off each customer!
Why do you think your brands nominated you for this award?
Maybe because we don’t like to sit still, and are always looking to grow the sports and try new things.
What have been the biggest highlights and lowlights of 2012?
The highlight was for sure opening the Burton and Marmot stores in the King of Prussia mall. On Oct 13th we event had Shaun White come for a signing! The lowlight was probably the warm weather and no snow in the beginning of 2012
What are your predictions for 2013?
We are praying for cold weather and snow! So far we are off to a pretty good start across the county!
Anything else you’d like to add?
Just that we are honored to have won this award again, and that we really enjoy being able to be a small part of the snow sports industry!
About Buckmans
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Buckman's Ski and Snowboard Shops began in 1971 and today has retail locations in Ardmore, King of Prussia, Doylestown, Montgomeryville, Whitehall, and Reading, PA. Known for great customer service and quality products, they are the area's leading ski and snowboard shop. Today, Buckman's employs more than 250 people in its six retail stores across suburban Philadelphia, carries the largest inventory of ski and snowboard merchandise and rental equipment in the state of PA, and is family-owned and operated. Its state-of-the-art workshop is the finest on the east coast, covering 3200 sq. ft with over $450,000 worth of tuning equipment.
Additional information can be found by visiting www.buckmans.com or calling 866.550.1455.