ABOUT US

 

January 1, 1995. That’s the date Luke Randall opened the doors to Endeavours, The Artist Shop. 30 years ago.

Which means Luke was only 18 years old when we opened, but only 17 when he began planning the business, applying for finances, and registering the business name.

The first location was inside Luke's parents’ covered front porch so that Judy, his mother, could tend the store during the hours that Luke worked a day job. This worked out fine as customers were few and far between back then. A lot has changed in 30 years.

Reflecting on the business he created, Luke Randall writes:
"There are two aspects of my childhood that set this business into motion. The first of which was a young interest in painting. I was a budding young artist who first learned to paint at the instruction of my middle school art teacher. Since the small school I attended on Fredericton’s Northside didn’t have a shop program, the Grade 6 teacher, who happened to be an artist, taught students painting instead. But that wasn’t enough. After those initial lessons, I started taking oil painting lessons after school from a neighbour. This lasted for many years. Now, back in those days, the best (and only) place to buy decent art materials was at Loomis & Toles, located downtown on King Street, Fredericton. It was a magical place for a 13 year old oil painter! A magical place that went out of business during the recession of 1992, early in my aspiring artist days. The departure of that store left a huge gap in the marketplace as this was before online shopping and there were no big box competitors in town.

Now the second aspect of my childhood that directed me towards this business was my young entrepreneurial spirit. From top sales numbers throughout school fundraisers to maintaining a gigantic neighbourhood paper route, I also learned to “root” plants to sell to a flower shop and worked my way up to a gig in my grandfather’s used furniture store by the time I was 14. I was a natural in sales, and I was honing my skills from a very young age. Since the demise of Loomis & Toles, I had begun shopping at a local garden supply store to find the art materials that I needed. That’s right, the garden supply store. And, since art materials were not their main product offering, their prices were significantly higher than what Loomis & Toles used to charge. Which meant there was an opportunity here.

In 1994, I started planning.

I figured that at worst “Endeavours, The Artist Shop” could be a gap year project and my fallback plan would be to apply to law school after a bachelor’s degree in history or political science - if things didn’t work out in business. So, in 1995 I proudly opened the doors for the first time, and with that my gap year has continued for over 30 years, now. As I wrote above, there have been many changes over the decades. We have changed locations six times. We added a standalone ThinkPlay location when I was 28. Then, merged the two businesses together into one space during the recession of 2008. In 2015, my husband, Tyler Randall, joined the company and we’ve grown the business together exponentially since then. And the staff! I have had the honour and privilege of working alongside so many wonderful and talented people in our community who have helped shape this company."

Today Endeavours & ThinkPlay is a fantastic and dynamic business located in a beautiful, old turquoise building at 141 Brunswick Street on the edge of Fredericton's downtown. We have an amazing selection of art supplies, board games, toys and stationery that we sell to you, our neighbours in fredericton - but also in growing numbers to our customers throughout New Brunswick and across the country. In fact, today two-thirds of our business is now shipped across Canada.

With each change our local customers have followed us to new locations, supported us, given us advice, and helped shape our ideas. As we move into the future, the pace of change seems faster than ever. We are prepared for those changes and challenges ahead and we’re excited to see where the journey takes us. We thank you all for being a part of the journey with us at Endeavours & ThinkPlay over the years.

Tyler & Luke Randall