Young entrepreneur rocks retail world

By Laurel Myers

A young entrepreneur is rocking the city with his new store, Rock Topic.

Todd Carmichael, a recent graduate of the Business Administration program at Cambrian College, opened the doors to his new business Oct. 11 and though he's only just begun, he admits it is a dream come true.

"I've been wanting to do this since high school," the 22-year-old said. "It's been an idea for a long time."

Rock Topic specializes in rock and roll memorabilia and licensed music merchandise, including T-Shirts, hoodies, toques, posters, flags, wall art, clocks, mugs, shot glasses, necklaces, belts, candles, incense, and more.

For years his mom and dad would visit family in Indiana and each time would return home with cool T-shirts and posters for him and his sister. When Carmichael would wear those T-shirts his friends would always ask where he got them from, he explains on his website, rocktopic.ca.

The constant inquiries struck a chord with him to bring the concept of licensed product to his hometown.

"I always thought, Sudbury doesn't have anything like this," he said. "I figured it's big enough."

Though the store wasn't his specific goal, Carmichael knew he wanted to work for himself one day in some sort of business venture. However, he admitted starting up a business at 22 years of age isn't all high notes and harmony.

"As a young person trying to open a business, whether it's at the bank or a customs broker, it's hard to get respect or be taken seriously," he said. "They see me walk in with a Bob Marley T-shirt on and little do they know, I'm coming in to open a business account. That's been a little frustrating."

Though Carmichael is at the heart of it, Rock Topic is a partnership with his parents, Kim and Mark.

Selecting inventory was another challenge, deciding whether to choose variety over quantity and appealing to all types of music enthusiasts.

"We're learning as we go what kind of music people are into," he said. "I'm realizing the demand is for a lot of metal. I underestimated that part of the market."

Realizing the difficulty in selecting the perfect merchandise, Carmichael doesn't hesitate in taking requests for specific items.

"We can't please everybody but we're certainly trying," he said.

And the merchandise is only a portion of the business. Rock Topic is also going to be offering custom printed products to local bands, including pins, t-shirts, and other items they may need.

"We have connections with printers so we can get some good prices on merchandise for bands," he said. "Once we start doing that, we're going to start promoting these bands in the store.

"We're trying to support local music - supporting those who support us."

Rock Topic is open Monday-Wednesday, 10 am-6 pm; Thursday, 10 am-7 pm; Friday, 10 am-9 pm; Saturday 10 am-6 pm; and closed Sundays.

You can visit the store on-line at rocktopic.ca or their retail location at 1210 Lasalle Blvd. Todd can be contacted by phone at 524-3233 or by email at [email protected]