Business also his passion

TRAVIS WATSON wants people to know that his shop, 36 Chambers in Molesworth Street, Lismore, is not just for skateboard enthusiasts.

Travis Watson (right), the owner of 36 Chambers in Molesworth Street, Lismore, helps Jasper Hancock, 13, of Nimbin, replace broken trucks on his skateboard. Picture: David Nielsen

TRAVIS WATSON wants people to know that his shop, 36 Chambers in Molesworth Street, Lismore, is not just for skateboard enthusiasts.

“People go past and say, ‘Oh, that’s a skate shop, we’ll have to go in there to get the young one a scooter or something’,” he said.

“I’ve had people come in here and buy jeans and say ‘I’ve been walking past here for years. I wish I knew what great stuff you had before this’.”

Mr Watson opened his business 12 years ago, pretty much straight from school, with savings from nut picking.

“I actually started the shop to get into the skating industry. I wanted to be a professional skater with sponsorship. Back then, without the internet, it was hard,” he said.

“Now you just put your footage on YouTube and you’re out there. It’s disappointing, because my standard of skating was good enough to live in the US and skate, but I didn’t get past first base.”
But Mr Watson has a successful business, despite an early error.

“Soon after I started I moved the shop into Hampton Lane. It was a mistake. There was cheap rent and I thought it would be good, but it was tucked away and people didn’t know we were there. But things really picked up when we moved here in 2004,” he said.

Mr Watson is a keen advocate of Lismore’s CBD moving to Sunday trading. He recently started opening from 10am to 2pm on Sundays and it’s paying off.

“Lismore needs to be open all weekend. We’re paying rent and if owners don’t want to work they should put somebody in to work for them,” Mr Watson said.

His passion for skateboarding means he has a keen interest in local skate parks, so he is disappointed Lismore’s skate park hasn’t been resurfaced as bitupave is not suitable for board riders. He was also involved in getting local kids’ opinions on designing a park for Goonellabah and is looking forward to seeing that project come to fruition.

36 Chambers recently moved into women’s fashion, with a great range of jackets and jewellery. Mr Watson also has more ambitious plans for his business and the community.

“I’d like to open another shop or expand to include BMX bikes. And I want to get youth events going with professional skateboarders and make them big celebrations of skating,” he said.

Originally published as Business also his passion