Business has gotten a little more hairy in downtown Swan River this year, but actually in a good way!
If you haven’t checked out their new storefront 520 Main Street, Roaring River Fur has established themself in a new permanent location this year, giving opportunity to their client base to reliably find them and their products at the Roaring River Gift Shop.
Not only that, Roaring River Gift Shop has opened their space up to other small business makers, leading to a wide variety of foodstuffs, crafts and gift ideas produced by local people and filling their shelves with an assortment of treasures to discover, some of which are not found in any other permanent storefront location.
Roaring River Gift Shop opened at the beginning of July this year, right before the crowds of the NorthWest Round-up and Exhibition filled the town.
“I figured we’d get our feet wet before the rodeo in case it got really busy,” said Roaring River Owner/Operator Clayton Block, who operates the business and the gift shop with his wife, Andrea. “We’ve both worked retail before, so we’ve got a pretty good idea (of how it’s supposed to work), but it’s a little different when it’s yours. There’s a lot more things to think about that you don’t normally think about.”
Blocks found the summer to be fairly successful for a new business, and their shelves became quickly full of vendors’ products in the reasonable-sized retail space.
Word of mouth and having a significant presence in a busy part of town has led to more traffic in their store, just in time for the Christmas shopping season.
“This is a better opportunity (for our customers) because our stuff is always out, instead of packed away in tubs waiting for the next craft show,” said Block.
Ever since Roaring River Fur started about five years ago – with Clayton having been trapping for closer to 10 years – both Blocks envisioned having their handmade fur-based products in a store. The trouble, of course, is the retail space that their furs take up, more than what might be available in existing stores, but perhaps not enough to fill an entire retail store.
“We thought there would be enough small business people here who put their product away in tubs waiting for the next craft sale, that perhaps they would want to join us in our space,” said Block, noting that the idea has worked out well, with more than 40 vendors putting their products on the shelves in Roaring River Gift Shop, perhaps even getting close to 60 in the near future, which he noted would be about the maximum capacity, to avoid the store getting too cluttered and difficult to navigate.
“The more vendors, the better, because everybody’s paying rent, so it only helps us out even more,” said Block. “We had to hire one staff to help us because we can’t always be here, so it helps with that as well.”
Roaring River Gift Shop also uses a vendor relationship business model that is non-traditional but also not brand new. Instead of purchasing inventory from vendors and pricing up the product to profit the store, or taking a commission when vendors sell the products on their shelves, Roaring River Gift Shop simply charges their vendors $30 per month for their shelf space, allowing vendors to charge the same prices they would if they sold to their customers directly, leaving them the responsibility to manage the inventory on their shelf.
It’s a business model that’s been done before, but in other instances where this has been done, such as in large urban centres, rents on these retail shelves can sometimes be hundreds of dollars.
The lucrative business model that benefits both parties has led to a diverse mix of products, ranging from nature-based artwork, handmade cosmetic products, delicious treats and appetizers, jewellery, spreads, clothing, and so much more.
Having the business of Roaring River Fur taking up a plurality of the retail space also serves an anchor that draws customers in to discover the other treasures that they may not have known exists there.
Blocks are also pleased to be able to move into a downtown space in an era where Main Street seems to have continually more vacancies popping up than new businesses.
“It’s nice to see signs coming back up on buildings,” said Block.
Andrea Block added that their family used to spend Saturday afternoons wandering Main Street and checking out the Swan River stores, which is something that’s become more difficult.
“This was one of those things where we wanted to do this and offer an opportunity to people who would love a storefront, but can’t do it on their own,” she said. “This gives people an opportunity to have their products showcased.
“I think we’re all in the same boat and can’t do it on our own.”
Roaring River Gift Shop is open currently from Wednesday to Saturday every week, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Stop on by while on your Christmas shopping travels to perhaps find your favourite local product, or discover something new and unique.

Even when the local public library isn’t open, a new book to read might just be a walk down the street away.
The Swan Valley is currently home to a few Little Free Libraries (LFL) – two in Swan River (First Street North and Duncan Crescent) and one in Kenville being some examples.
LFLs are outdoor (and sometimes indoor) libraries that are free for anyone to use – take a book, leave a book, welcome for anyone to borrow or keep what’s inside.
“If you love reading, it’s a chance to see what others are reading, and to encouter random books from the neighbourhood,” said Kendra Thiessen, who has a LFL set up in her front yard on Duncan Crescent.”
While LFLs are conceptually connected – and the website littlefreelibrary.org providing plenty of resources – each library is up to individuals what kinds of books or other materials they wish to stock inside, and what each LFL looks like. In Thiessen’s case, her expectation is that her library remain child and teen friendly, rearranging the revolving collection so the child-friendly books are on the bottom shelf. Thiessen also decorated her LFL with a Dr. Seuss theme, highlighting the intention of a family-friendly space.
Naturally, of course, with every LFL, parent discretion is needed for children using an LFL, because of the double-edged sword of a free-to-use, free-to-access common good.
“I think it’s a good idea to be aware of the books that are going in and out of your library, so I try to check up on it every so often,” said Thiessen. “I haven’t had to remove any so far, but I really want my library to be child friendly, so I’m keeping an eye on it.”
Thiessen also has a guestbook in her’s as well, and has taken joy in hearing people’s comments and book suggestions.
“Sometimes I’ve been surprised at how many people have visited the library when I haven’t noticed,” she said. “The response has been very positive.
“If you love reading, and have spare books laying around like I do, this is a great chance to do something fun for our community. All you need is a little library. There are plenty of ideas online of how to make them yourself. For me, I’m not a very handy person, so my parents made it for me. My dad loves making little projects such as this, and I’m sure he’d be willing to be hired to make others – he also made the one my sister-in-law’s LFL in Kenville. And, my mom is a great painter and she painted mine and my sister-in-law’s.”
Of course, Thiessen loves the local North-West Regional Library, and believes there is plenty of space for a full-featured public library as well as multiple LFLs.
“Our librarians are so friendly and helpful and we have a great selection there,” said Thiessen. “I think the difference of having a LFL is you don’t have to return them if you don’t want to, and it’s along the road so it can be a very quick stop.
“The public library also has has hundreds of times more books than any of the LFLs, so you don’t go to a roadside library for your favourite author or a new release, but instead you go to it to be surprised and maybe discover a book you’ve never heard of before.
“Swan River is a beautiful town, with so many wonderful people here, and something I’m passionate about is community spirit,” Thiessen continued. “I want our town to be known for positive things, and I believe that comes from people creating the kind of culture that we want to have here. We shouldn’t ignore our challenges, but I don’t think that should be our everyday focus. Instead, I want to create a safe and fun experience, and I’ve seen how the little library is a place for people to pause their busy lives, discover a new book and maybe even meet some other people.
“It’s been so encouraging seeing people of all ages stopping at my little library, I think it can feel a little bit like discovering a treasure box, because you don’t know what you will find. At one of the other little libraries in town, I found a children’s book that I absolutely loved when I was younger, and I’m so excited that I could take it to read to my nieces and nephews.”
Visit littlefreelibrary.org for tips, kits to build, best practices, or frequently asked questions. With just a few handfuls of books available that can generally be stored in each location, there’s plenty of room for book-lovers to add a bright spot in their neighbourhood.

Pictured here on Monday (Aug. 18), a group gathers on Jack Brown Diamond for a recreational game of cricket. The same group is now playing every Sunday until Sept. 21, at Swan River Legion Park. For anyone interested in watching, games start at 8 p.m. and are played under the lights.