Sprucewood Tack sets up new shop in downtown Tavistock

Sprucewood’s ownership group poses in front of the boot section of its new retail store. From left to right are Sarah and Nathan Ropp, and Heather and Dennis Ropp. Lee Griffi photo

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

From humble beginnings in 1987, Sprucewood Tack has grown to become southwestern Ontario’s largest retailer of quality equestrian equipment and apparel. Now, they have the most visible retail operation anywhere in East Zorra-Tavistock (EZT).

The Ropp family recently moved the business from the family farm just outside of town to the former Somers Generators facility at 101 Woodstock St. S in the heart of Tavistock. There is also a second location in Arva, located on Richmond Street. The ownership group consists of Heather Ropp, her husband, Dennis Ropp, son Nathan Ropp, and his wife, Sarah Ropp.

“I started it on the farm to service a small area. We didn’t have any tack shops around, so people pretty much had to go to Toronto to get any equipment,” said Heather Ropp. “There was a big barn on Highway 7 and 8 that had 150 students at that time, and they needed somewhere to buy helmets, boots, those kinds of things. It’s just kind of grown from there.”

The Arva store was opened in 1995 and there have been a few expansions on the farm over the years to respond to growing demand. That growth included shipping containers to hold stock. Due to the store’s remote location, Sprucewood’s online presence has helped grow the business to where it is today.

“We are a niche within a niche,” said Sarah Ropp. “The majority of our products are for hunter jumpers and dressage. We have a lot of higher-end Italian and French products for the Toronto market, but we also have products for beginners and intermediate riders at a lower price point.”

The business has decided to carry a variety of other products, including well-known clothing and boot lines. They are also now stocking Oakley and Ray-Ban sunglasses.

“We have popular brands of jeans and tops as well as Blundstone and Kamik boots. Kamik is a Canadian company and you used to be able to find them everywhere,” Sarah Ropp added. “We’re not going to carry every popular brand, but if there’s a story behind it and something fun behind it, it matches with our brand.”

The store also stocks pyjamas, pet supplies and food, as well as children’s toys, along with coveralls made specifically for women. Sprucewood’s customers come from all parts of Ontario as well as the United States, and they also keep busy in the summer by setting up shop at horse shows across the province. It employs as many as 25 people during the busy season and close to 20 otherwise.

Sarah Ropp says most locals always thought the tack shop was a small, rural operation that caters to people in the area, something that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“I think that was the general consensus, just not necessarily in the equestrian world. Tavistock thought we were a small business, and our customers, who had never been to the store, were very surprised by what they saw because it wasn’t the brand we put out at the shows or online,” she said.

Nathan Ropp became a part of the business about 10 years ago as Dennis Ropp decreased his involvement. Heather Ropp said a big part of his role is custom saddle fitting.

“He did some training in England and Italy. He’s very observant and has a natural talent for fitting,” she said.

Each horse is different when it comes to finding the right saddle, so Sprucewood carries several lines to ensure the proper fit.

“If a brand doesn’t work for your horse, we aren’t trying to make it work for your horse. We find one that works right away,” Heather Ropp added.

Depending on the brand and level of customization, saddle prices can run anywhere from $2,000 to over $10,000 for the highest-end options.

As for the future of the business, the owners say the new building gives them a lot of potential.

“That was why Nathan and I liked this building,” said Sarah Ropp. “We can do whatever we want here; it’s a wide-open canvas. Nathan is a bit of a dreamer in a good way. He has a lot of great ideas and he gets us where we need to go.”

As the owners searched for a new location, the most important part of the exercise was to stay local.

“It was a definite choice to stay in Tavistock. Realistically, this store should be outside of Toronto in horse country, and that’s an option, to have other stores elsewhere. We raised our kids here, Sarah and Nathan’s kids go to Tavistock Public School. This is where we want to be,” Heather Ropp said.     

They also want to continue to help Tavistock grow as a destination where people can shop at the store and enjoy what else the town has to offer.

“We track where our customers come from, and the number of out-of-region visitors on the home farm was huge. We encouraged people to head into town to have lunch. Even people going to the Stratford Festival normally wouldn’t come through Tavistock, but they come to see us. I think it will be good for everybody,” said Sarah Ropp.