Tragedy struck longtime skateboarding shop 36 Chambers on June 7 this year when much loved owner and local skateboarding pioneer Travis Watson died in a car accident on Rous Road at Tregeagle.

Travis' unexpected death sent shockwaves through the community as an outpouring of grief followed and the inevitable closing of 36 Chambers shop on Molesworth Street.

That was until Sam James and Travis' oldest best friend Shane stepped in to reopen the iconic and only true skateboard shop in Lismore.

Sam first met Travis when the two would meet at Spot X, a former skateboarding shop in Magellan Street, buying a new board or when Travis would come into Lismore to skate from his home in Alstonville.

When Travis decided to open his own shop to be called 36 Chambers, he approached Sam and another skateboarder Soren to be riders for the shop.

"The owner of Spot X kicked up such a stink saying this town is not big enough for two skate shops. We had to go and get all these petitions signed saying that people wanted another skate shop before council would allow Travis to start the shop."

"Eventually, he went out of business because everyone was buying skateboards from here since 1997."

Travis' first shop was a tiny space near the bottleshop at Woolworths on Keen Street, before moving to Hampton Lane and then onto Molesworth Street after feeling he wanted a greater public presence, not just skateboarders. 36 Chambers has been in its Molesworth Street location for over 20 years.

Sam explained that Travis, who was a little older than he and his mates, had a much broader perspective of the global skateboarding scene so he was steering them in the right direction with their skating.

"In terms of the shop, Trav was really transparent with everything and wanted us to be involved with everything too. All the ordering, dealing with customers and when he wanted a day off, I would look after the shop. To a point, I kind of became his assistant manager for a time because I didn't have a job. I was just skating. So, hanging out at a skate shop was pretty cool."

"We'd skate in the shop over there as well and learn a few tricks which was handy."

In his mid-twenties, Sam had suffered a few skating injuries that slowed him down and he started thinking of a career that involved studying at university and a move to Melbourne and then overseas for more than a decade which included opening a skate shop in Cambodia.

Sam returned to the Northern Rivers just before Covid, living and working in Bangalow.

It was in May when Sam's world was thrown a massive curve ball. His father died, he shattered his wrist in a motorbike accident, his mother's cousin died and then he received a phone call from his friend telling him that Travis had died.

"I got asked to speak at his (Travis') funeral and then his mum and family sort of asked what I was up to. It shocked me a bit to take over the shop, I wasn't that into it. I kind of spent 20 years trying to stay away from Lismore, it was pretty rough when I was growing up and I wasn't ever thinking about spending six days a week in town."

"But after a couple of days of thinking about it, I thought no I can't let this place fade away and I definitely want to be involved. She asked another of his best friends Shane from Alstonville, they had known each other since they were 8 years old, to be involved. In fact, it was Shane who got Trav into skateboarding."

"So, the two of us are going to buy it off the family."

"We wanted to do it for them (the family) as well. They don't deserve to see this go away. This is his (Travis') legacy for the last 26 or 27 years."

Sam's belief in retail was instilled in him by Travis, "The shop really does help steer the scene, the attitude of the shop," he explained, "It has more of an effect than you might think."

"Most people when they come into this shop, it feels different than going into City Beach for example. City Beach has a big corporate shop that has skateboards in there because they know some kids will want them. That's not the bulk of what they do. All that clothing and shoes, that's what's paying the bills. Skateboards are a little part of their market."

(Sam James inside 36 Chambers)

"Whereas, we have more boards and less clothing and shoes. It's what we want to focus on, this is what our interest is. So, it's almost like parallel opposites."

"I wouldn't have been able to open my skate shop in Cambodia, I wouldn't have been equipped if it hadn't been what Trav did for us here and showed us here. That ripple effect of giving and being a good person."

"I feel like Trav's going to walk around the corner one day. We're trying to keep everything the same. Trav touched so many people. I don't know of many other business owners that can they have touched so many people from all walks of life. I get tons of people coming in, from mums saying he did them favours with credit or whatever just to keep their kids skating to other people that have no interest in skateboarding whatsoever, they just came in for a chat with Trav.

The doors of 36 Chambers only reopened last Monday and, as if on cue during my chat with Sam, a customer came into the store looking for shoes. He said he had never been on a skateboard in his life but liked the shoes and clothing that Travis stocked and liked talking to him. He left with another pair of limited edition skating shoes and the promise to return no he knows 36 Chambers will be remaining open.

"It's become a place where people can hang out and just have a good chat with no pressure to buy anything, just a good place to chill basically which is what a skate shop should be."

36 Chambers is located at 71 Molesworth Street in the CBD block, next to the Sherwood. It is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and Saturday's 9am to 2pm.