Les Pieds Dans L’Eau, Jurançon, France
Since opening in 1987 Les Pieds Dans L’Eau has seen many twists and turns in snowboarding while continuously adapting to meet customer and economic needs. Today the shop is point of reference in the Pyrenees and owner Sylvain Is dedicated to putting a smile on every customers face whilst striving to keep the snowboard spirit alive.
Can you introduce your shop and share the story behind how it all began?
My uncle Pierre opened the shop in 1987. It was originally a windsurf shop but snowboarding very quickly appeared on the winter shelves. My first experience in the shop was in December 1997 during my middle-school internship, where I met Yvan for the first time. After studying graphic design and IT, I started spending more and more time there as my passion for snowboarding grew. I eventually worked there for around ten years. Then Covid arrived, and it was also time for Pierre to retire. During this period full of uncertainty, I made the decision to continue this incredible adventure. It was a big leap into new responsibilities, always guided by my enthusiasm for this profession. After a first winter with resorts closed, and two moves in five years, we are now back in the original location where it all began. Yvan is still here, the guardian of the shop’s soul. Some customers return nostalgically to the shop where they bought their first board, while others discover it and continue this great adventure. A return to our roots, with the promise of carrying on 40 years of history.
Who is your typical customer, and what do they appreciate most about your shop?
Our typical customer is a snowboarder looking for expert advice and a wide, open selection of products. We truly enjoy sharing our passion and creating a story with our customers. We see them grow, progress, and come back with their children, and their enthusiasm still motivates us to open the shutters every morning. We are always attentive to our customers in order to fully understand their needs and respond to them, while also sharing our experience to help them discover new products. It is a balance where everyone should feel satisfied, all in a very friendly atmosphere.
How do you choose what brands and gear to stock?
Passion and reason. It is a delicate balance: evolving with trends without betraying our convictions. Our door is always open to new brands that are launching or relaunching, while also working long term with others. And sometimes, it is the brands’ accountants who decide, but that is another topic.
What are your biggest challenges in today’s market?
Stock management. How can we properly plan our purchases with so many unpredictable factors such as snowfall, geopolitics, consumer confidence, exchange rates, banks, and more? Product value is another issue. We sometimes feel like the fools of the story when we display a recommended retail price that others will immediately discount. We are not all playing by the same rules.
How important are your website sales for the shop?
A lot of energy spent for very little return. The race for discounts in online retail is not compatible with our values. Algorithms have taken over and now force brands to simplify their product ranges to meet their requirements, at the expense of creativity and passion. Shops are disappearing and being replaced by huge, soulless logistics warehouses.
What are some of your best sellers for snowboarding?
Step On. The biggest boost snowboarding has seen in recent years. From a broken binding or a delaminated sole, we can encourage customers to completely renew their setup thanks to the evolution of quick-entry bindings. Many people were waiting for a real evolution in binding systems, and it has now become a turning point for us in terms of sales. We believed in it from the very beginning, and we carry all the brands that offer it. We also have strong expertise in splitboarding, which makes us a reference point in the Pyrenees. Through test sessions and discovery days with Yvan, we introduce many customers to another side of snowboarding.
What are your future plans or upcoming projects for the shop?
We are developing our rental and demo program to make up for the lack of snow tests in the Pyrenees. We are also organizing a Banked Slalom at the end of the season to bring our community together. We are giving everything we have to resist and continue to exist in a context that is not favorable to independent shops. This great start to the winter season gives us a boost to keep supporting our customers and offering them the best possible advice for a winter full of sharing, riding, and good vibes.
www.piedanlo.fr
