Keep That Mill Grinding

Like in any small town, once the rumour mill gets going it moves hard and fast, and it’s no different throughout the Comox Valley. So as many have likely heard before this official announcement, after 8 wonderful years in Cumberland, we’ve had an unexpected opportunity to relocate our Store + Studio to a new space in Comox. Sadly this opportunity also came with a tight timeline… Our last day in our Cumberland location at 2694 Dunsmuir Ave will be September 14, 2024 during Foggy Mountain Fair, and we’ll packing up and reopening as soon as we can in October, at 26B – 215 Port Augusta St at the Comox Mall (beside Benino Gelato).

As frustrating as the ol’ rumour mill can be, being surrounded by people that care about what we’re up to—something that comes with being part of a smaller community like ours—is one of the reasons we love being in the Comox Valley. So now that we have officially announced our move and we start on the renovations to make this new spot work better for our team, we thought it would be funny to keep the rumour mill grinding and poke some kind-hearted fun at our new neighbours by making some fake signs based on their business, name, and logo.

As we work towards our grand re-re-opening we’ll put up a new sign each week, so keep an eye out for the others!

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

If you’re wondering why we’ve decide to move out of Cumberland, well, it was a very hard decision. We love our current spot, and we love being part of this weird, wild, and wonderful village that’s supported our little store since we first opened in 2016. But we’ve needed a larger space to allow us to grow the studio side of our business for a while now. We’ve been on the lookout for larger spaces in Cumberland for several years, but haven’t been able to find one that properly fits the needs of both our store and studio in one location. When the opportunity for a suitable space presented itself—one that will allow us to fulfill our long-term goals and dreams—it was almost impossible to pass on. We’re so grateful to have been able to call Cumberland home for as long as we have, from when we first opened in half of the Old Library building to our current location. But although this will be a huge change and leap for us, we’re excited for all the opportunities it will bring.

Here’s a quick history and look at our store + studio over the years…

ORIGINAL LOCATION

Our original space opened in the Spring of 2016, and was named The Collective Store + Studio.  It was in half of the Old Library Building (sharing a roof with Biblio Taco), and was a very small retail space and separated office area in the back. The store was originally designed as the physical extension of The Collective Magazine spirit, to highlight and showcase local talent from around Comox Valley and surrounding area.

In the beginning of 2019, Biblio Taco had outgrown its space and quickly needed to expand, so we moved out. We had fortunate timing and were immediately able to take over a space up the street beside the Waverley Hotel, where Cumberland Crate Co had their original store and office and were moving out to reopen their new workshop and retail store.

CURRENT LOCATION

Once we were in, I began dismantling the materials from the previous store, repurposing them into new displays and partitions to fit the new space. We soon re-opened in the Spring of 2019, and chose to change the name to ROAM to better reflect our overall business and not just the magazine side of it.

Over the years the store continued to change and expanded. We started to design and create our own in-house ‘ROAM-made’ goods, and as the Valley continued to grow, more and more creators wanted a space to showcase their work. So the displays and shelves got bigger and fuller, while our office space kept shifting and getting smaller. It became clear that to accommodate the growing needs of both halves, of the store and studio, needed to find a larger location.

It was a bit of a tough week as we packed up and got ready to say goodbye to this space that we’ve spent so much time in and put a lot of work and care into over the years.

NEW LOCATION

Now we’re in, and getting things going on the interior of our new space. It’s significantly bigger for the store itself and offers a much larger, as well as more private, studio area in a mezzanine overlooking the store.

It got a bit tight for a while as we moved/unloaded all the merch and displays from the Cumberland location over, but renovations are moving along nicely and starting to rearrange things to better suite us.

More updates to come as we progress forward on this move.

If interested, follow our Store + Studio Facebook and Instagram accounts for updates on the renovations and relocation activities.