As we previously reported, Tactics Board Shop in Bend has closed after 10 years in business, and assistant general manager Grant Stein says financial problems under owner Marc Roca played a role in the store's shutdown.
Employees were given only three days' notice before the Bend location closed on September 27.
Stein said staff had some indication that the business was facing trouble, but the short notice still came as a serious blow to the people working there and the local community.
“We’ve seen it coming just a little bit, but a three-day notice was the last way we thought it was going to unfold,” assistant general manager Grant Stein said. “It was a punch to the gut, not only to all of us that work there, but certainly the community as a whole.”
Roca acquired Tactics in May 2025. Since then, Tactics has also closed locations in Eugene and Seattle, according to Stein.
Stein claims that Tactics was left carrying substantial debt under Roca's management.
Roca “ran the business into debt,” Stein said. He alleged that the resulting financial situation forced Tactics to liquidate inventory and close the store in Bend.
RELATED: Braydon Szafranski Says Kids These Days Don’t Even Know What a Skateshop Is Anymore
The closure means the loss of another longtime retail location for skaters and snowboarders in Bend.
Tactics had become a regular place for local riders, employees and professionals to meet, shop for gear and spend time with people from the scene.
Stein also questioned the future of the business under its current ownership.
He said the financial situation had become so difficult that even if the Bend location had remained open, the store would have faced serious restrictions when preparing for the following winter season.
For the employees, the situation goes beyond losing a job. The store had developed close relationships with riders and customers throughout its decade in Bend, while also supporting local programs and community events.
Stein said the closure could also leave a noticeable gap in downtown Bend's skate and snowboard scene.
Rising costs in the area have already made running a retail business difficult, and he believes finding another shop serving the same community could be difficult.