What's unfortunate about this side of skateboarding is that it contributes back to the shops sometimes, not most of the times.
For instance, I do orders and manager product for my local shop. When I'm doing a longboard order, I get tons of shit for it from the rest of my clerks. I don't blame them.
1. Do I want to (personally) order longboards?
No. But, if I have more than 6 customers asking for it a day, I'd be a dumb shop manager if I didn't order them.
2. Have I tried to show these same kids the better, traditional skateboarding side?
Yes, I've wasted many hours trying to convince long board buyers to try our beloved skateboards but kids/college students are stubborn and besides, it's their money so there is only so much I can do.
It's unfortunate that a shop will make a dollar off a long boarder quicker than it will a skater sometimes.