Being all about the money

[DevilOnEnzyte]

To make a long story short, a kid told me at a gas station today, in reference to his favorite local "skateshop", that "There is nothing wrong being all about the money".
I disagreed, stating it's better to be true to yourself and your beliefs, and if you believe in money, you'll never truly succeed.
This was in defense to him attempting to bash my local skate shop, a shop that has gone ABOVE AND BEYOND for local skateboarding in Louisiana than this other "skate shop" has or ever will. 

Was I right?

I feel like running a skateboarding business, and being solely about money, fashion, and gay ass parties at techno clubs, it's just regular and for all the wrong reasons.

[sage]

I'm gonna buy wherever it's the cheapest cause in the end what the fuck do "core" shops do for me or anyone exactly?

[zipzinger666]

I'm gonna buy wherever it's the cheapest cause in the end what the fuck do "core" shops do for me or anyone exactly?

a whole lot more than you think...

[sage]

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I'm gonna buy wherever it's the cheapest cause in the end what the fuck do "core" shops do for me or anyone exactly?

[close]

a whole lot more than you think...

cool but instead of ending your post with "..." like a person, try listing a few of these things, otherwise shut up.

[jeremyrandall]

The only person here is the guy who thinks local shops don't do shit for anyone

[DevilOnEnzyte]

My "core" shop always has the best prices.
My "core" shop helped get a 10,000sq ft + public concrete skatepark built that teams like Anti-Hero, Creature, Independent, Four Star, and Vox have gone out of their way to visit.
My "core" shop has the best stock of boards, and supports any local board companies.
My "core" shop guides the young guns in the right direction, and helps them out.
My "core" shop gives kids in my town who don't have money, or who's parents are shitbags, hand me down boards. This way these kids are skateboarding, and not doing drugs or shit like that.
My "core" shop is pretty well respected for all it's done for skateboarding.
My "core" shop was on national tv, and 3 years later, is still the same little place. Nothing went to its head.
My "core" shop has such a huge folloing of skateboarders, that an "all about the money shop" got ran out of town.

My "core" shop is owned by SKATEBOARDERS.

[BriefCase]

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I'm gonna buy wherever it's the cheapest cause in the end what the fuck do "core" shops do for me or anyone exactly?

[close]

a whole lot more than you think...

[close]

cool but instead of ending your post with "..." like a person, try listing a few of these things, otherwise shut up.

building spots, free second hand shit, a place to meet up, a place for out of towners to come and meet up for the shred or find spots, meet people to skate with in general, A PLACE TO BUY SHIT YOU NEED/WANT...to name a few..   ...   ...   ...   excuse my ellipses...i guess im a bit regular...

[Corby Tender]

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I'm gonna buy wherever it's the cheapest cause in the end what the fuck do "core" shops do for me or anyone exactly?

[close]

a whole lot more than you think...

[close]

cool but instead of ending your post with "..." like a person, try listing a few of these things, otherwise shut up.

Organize contests/demos/other events, create a sense of community among local skaters, sponsor local kids, give discounts to regular customers, so on and so forth.

P.S.: have I told you lately how much I hate you?

[zipzinger666]

first off, "..." is called an ellipses.

second of all, im surprised that you cant recognize everything that local shops do for the skateboarding community. i dont know where you're from, but without the three local shops around here the Colorado skate scene would be completely dead. they actually care about skateboarding on a completely different level and the way they run business and the effort they put into their videos reflects it. without them, the effort they put in to make local skateboarding better, and having them actually care about skateboarding and the people that buy product I know skateboarding would be a completely different and much less enjoyable.

it is also a great feeling having someone actually care about you as a person, someone you can just talk about skating or help you through life issues if you need it. poocrusher and lenny are two of the most down to earth and supportive skateshop owners around and they have always helped me and a lot of other people out with anything they may be having issues with, and its always good to know i can go to them if i need anything.

support your local shop, or dont if you really dont see why they are a good thing for skateboarding. but i know for me skateboarding would be completely different for me without all the work they put in.

...

[Mooley]

My "core" shop always has the best prices.
My "core" shop helped get a 10,000sq ft + public concrete skatepark built that teams like Anti-Hero, Creature, Independent, Four Star, and Vox have gone out of their way to visit.
My "core" shop has the best stock of boards, and supports any local board companies.
My "core" shop guides the young guns in the right direction, and helps them out.
My "core" shop gives kids in my town who don't have money, or who's parents are shitbags, hand me down boards. This way these kids are skateboarding, and not doing drugs or shit like that.
My "core" shop is pretty well respected for all it's done for skateboarding.
My "core" shop was on national tv, and 3 years later, is still the same little place. Nothing went to its head.
My "core" shop has such a huge folloing of skateboarders, that an "all about the money shop" got ran out of town.

My "core" shop is owned by SKATEBOARDERS.

Your "core" shop is making bank.

That's literally all it comes down to, and the same cannot be said of a lot of legit shops in other places. If a shop needs to cater more and more to sneakerheads, or go the boutique route in order to keep the lights on and maintain some semblance of community involvement - that's what has to be done.

[DevilOnEnzyte]

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My "core" shop always has the best prices.
My "core" shop helped get a 10,000sq ft + public concrete skatepark built that teams like Anti-Hero, Creature, Independent, Four Star, and Vox have gone out of their way to visit.
My "core" shop has the best stock of boards, and supports any local board companies.
My "core" shop guides the young guns in the right direction, and helps them out.
My "core" shop gives kids in my town who don't have money, or who's parents are shitbags, hand me down boards. This way these kids are skateboarding, and not doing drugs or shit like that.
My "core" shop is pretty well respected for all it's done for skateboarding.
My "core" shop was on national tv, and 3 years later, is still the same little place. Nothing went to its head.
My "core" shop has such a huge folloing of skateboarders, that an "all about the money shop" got ran out of town.

My "core" shop is owned by SKATEBOARDERS.

[close]

Your "core" shop is making bank.

That's literally all it comes down to, and the same cannot be said of a lot of legit shops in other places. If a shop needs to cater more and more to sneakerheads, or go the boutique route in order to keep the lights on and maintain some semblance of community involvement - that's what has to be done.

Making bank... that's not my business to say, but thats far from true.
Just because they have a great following, don't mean they're rolling in the dough.
Grimcity can attest to that.

[TheFifthColumn]

Why is Gravel Pitch so mad?

[STARSHIPtrooper]

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My "core" shop always has the best prices.
My "core" shop helped get a 10,000sq ft + public concrete skatepark built that teams like Anti-Hero, Creature, Independent, Four Star, and Vox have gone out of their way to visit.
My "core" shop has the best stock of boards, and supports any local board companies.
My "core" shop guides the young guns in the right direction, and helps them out.
My "core" shop gives kids in my town who don't have money, or who's parents are shitbags, hand me down boards. This way these kids are skateboarding, and not doing drugs or shit like that.
My "core" shop is pretty well respected for all it's done for skateboarding.
My "core" shop was on national tv, and 3 years later, is still the same little place. Nothing went to its head.
My "core" shop has such a huge folloing of skateboarders, that an "all about the money shop" got ran out of town.

My "core" shop is owned by SKATEBOARDERS.

[close]

Your "core" shop is making bank.

That's literally all it comes down to, and the same cannot be said of a lot of legit shops in other places. If a shop needs to cater more and more to sneakerheads, or go the boutique route in order to keep the lights on and maintain some semblance of community involvement - that's what has to be done.

it is a business, it needs to turn profit.... doing it for the love does not put food on the table or electricity in the wires. obvs they love it, i mean guys that dedicate to owning a shop can easily find some other job in trades or something, and prob make more money as a plumber or electrician or some other trades, but the love is there for sure. if core shops werent around, you would feel a great disconnect from the skate "community", mail order and zumiez only gets you so far.

[sage]

So what I'm getting from you guys is that to you a "core" shop provides a place to hang out and be a part of the cool guy club. Sure I guess that's great when you're a little kid and you might idolize the older guys and have nothing better to do with your time after school, but at my age I couldn't care less about other skateboarders outside my circle of friends I skate with and i got better shit to do then to hang around in a skateshop, so the only favor i want from a core shop is to keep your prices reasonable or I'm going to Zumiez. The five minutes I have to spend in the presence of some fat kid with a lip ring is worth the $20 + I'm saving.

[Mooley]

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My "core" shop always has the best prices.
My "core" shop helped get a 10,000sq ft + public concrete skatepark built that teams like Anti-Hero, Creature, Independent, Four Star, and Vox have gone out of their way to visit.
My "core" shop has the best stock of boards, and supports any local board companies.
My "core" shop guides the young guns in the right direction, and helps them out.
My "core" shop gives kids in my town who don't have money, or who's parents are shitbags, hand me down boards. This way these kids are skateboarding, and not doing drugs or shit like that.
My "core" shop is pretty well respected for all it's done for skateboarding.
My "core" shop was on national tv, and 3 years later, is still the same little place. Nothing went to its head.
My "core" shop has such a huge folloing of skateboarders, that an "all about the money shop" got ran out of town.

My "core" shop is owned by SKATEBOARDERS.

[close]

Your "core" shop is making bank.

That's literally all it comes down to, and the same cannot be said of a lot of legit shops in other places. If a shop needs to cater more and more to sneakerheads, or go the boutique route in order to keep the lights on and maintain some semblance of community involvement - that's what has to be done.

[close]

Making bank... that's not my business to say, but thats far from true.
Just because they have a great following, don't mean they're rolling in the dough.
Grimcity can attest to that.

It's just that the problem with your posts is that you're generalizing based on the circumstances in your area. I'm sure it's not as black/white in other areas where more often than not kids are going to choose the affordable option based on simple economics. It takes an enormous sacrifice on the part of the shop owners to put together events for the community, hook kids up, and be a positive force - more so if the shop isn't really rolling in it as you say - and in a lot of areas that aren't your part of Louisiana I'm sure the lines are a lot more blurred.

[RightCoastBiased]

So what I'm getting from you guys is that to you a "core" shop provides a place to hang out and be a part of the cool guy club. Sure I guess that's great when you're a little kid and you might idolize the older guys and have nothing better to do with your time after school, but at my age I couldn't care less about other skateboarders outside my circle of friends I skate with and i got better shit to do then to hang around in a skateshop, so the only favor i want from a core shop is to keep your prices reasonable or I'm going to Zumiez. The five minutes I have to spend in the presence of some fat kid with a lip ring is worth the $20 + I'm saving.

And that's why you're a clueless bitter asshole. You have no clue what skateboarding is about or where it came from. If skateboarding wasn't as popular as it is now you'd probably be out playing lacrosse.

[sage]

Skateboarding is something i have fun doing with my friends. That's all there is to it. for some kids it's lacrosse or basketball or whatever. People who run or ski or play basketball feel the same fucking way about the things they do as you do about skateboarding. it's a fucking wooden plank on wheels, stop pretending skateboarding is some spiritual quest. also, i started skateboarding 10 years ago and i've had a lot of fun doing it but I'm not so naive to think that it's something special, and whether i get my products from a core shop or zumiez or ebay they all skate just as good.

[Beer Wizard]

Joke account?  How could someone care so little about skateboarding and be so clueless, yet have the time to waste posting over 1000 times on a messageboard dedicated to skateboarding?

[GnarlesManson]

whats pretty fucked is that in my area some of the "core" shops are the ones without employees who skate and never put on events or know whats up with skate current events or history. (and charge 65 bucks for some non-shop decks) then theres this one place thats super sick but everyone who works there acts like you are killing their dog when you come in and try to start a conversation, and then theres a pretty tight place that never gets good stuff but everyone who works there is rad and i try to buy stuff there when i can but they buy a lot of all over print and stuff. then theres the active i work at which is a nice job and mostly cool people but its far from being a true skate shop.

[Bobbito]

I don't want to pick sides but all I'll say is whatever you gotta do, do it. The shop I go to (although not really local for me at least and has a location in a mall) is ran by two dudes with familys but they started out being a "core" shop. And I go there because my buddy hooks it up with prices. Another shop just opened up that's a bit closer that I'd like to get down with and support.

[mandibleclaw]

a case study:

the only skate shop here used to be run by a drug addict, but at least he was a drug addict who got involved in the skate scene.  he built an indoor park, then went to a city council meeting and gave a speech saying in favor of a proposed cement park, even though it would for sure kill his business.  when he inevitably fucked up--because of drugs--the park switched hands to a guy who used to be a vert pro, but doesn't skate anymore, never does shit for the community, and orders shitty product.  he fired all the skaters who worked there and hired his bro cousin.

what happened?  tons of people stopped shopping there, and started buying from the surf shop that had some skate product too.  in fact, so many people started buying the skate stuff there that they started stocking a lot of skate stuff from good brands, hired actual skaters to work there, and are now trying to build some skateable architecture in their parking lot.

it matters how you run your business.  if you're down for skating, your sales will reflect it.  if you're not, fuck off.

[TheFreshSC]

...now trying to build some skateable architecture in their parking lot.

boners

[clamy]

Funny thing happened to me today, thought i'd post it here...

We only really have two shops in town, both aren't true skate shops in any shape or form. Both are pretty much fashion stores, sell SCOOTER stuff, and have some skateboarding stuff to the side. When this one shop opened up when our new park got built it was all the hype, i went in to check it out and it seemed pretty good. No scooters, good selection of companies, lots of sizes of boards, big plasma tv playing inhabitants all day, it was pretty tight. The prices were really expensive for boards and what not but I bought a few dvds. A few months pass and a big scooter trend hits. I go into the store to find them cutting half the wall of boards to make room for scooter bars, a whole fucking wall for scooter bars. Me being the only one knowing what's up in this bumfuck town I tell the kids that shop aint what it seems and is lame. No-one who works there even skates, the owner called up one of my friends to ask him to come down to the shop to put griptape on some kids board. How fucking whack is that? You open up a skateshop never having ridden a skateboard and you can't even grip a board.

So back to today, I call up my friend and he's in the shop for some reason. I go to meet him there and one of the workers full puts me on the spot on how I "blacklisted" them. I was like yeah, well look at what you're selling. She had nothing else to say except that I shouldn't be in there, it was really awkward the rest of the time I was in the shop. My friend couldn't stop laughing when we got out. Never going back in there again, not even for a video.

I'd rather have no shop than one that sells scooters, brands like famous, and people who wear that shit running it. Fuck that, I got plenty of shops online to support. Kids are starting to get me to buy their boards online for them, too, so everyone wins.

[jeremyrandall]

^Well that sucks...but if a shop isn't owned by skateboarders in the first place it's not a "core shop" anyway.

This guy owns our local shop.  Obviously his brand choices are very on point.

[clamy]

^Well that sucks...but if a shop isn't owned by skateboarders in the first place it's not a "core shop" anyway.

Very true. These people running the store had "friends helping out" (the excuse they gave me when i asked for a job) some of who I know skate. One of the guys told me they didn't listen to what they said at all, like about to not stock scooters and bring in the good brands. I thought i'd give them a chance, but yeah, no dice now.

[Sleazy]

trumps a douche but when he said "sell a product that you really love and believe in" i think he was onto something...

[DevilOnEnzyte]

^Well that sucks...but if a shop isn't owned by skateboarders in the first place it's not a "core shop" anyway.

[Prison Wallet]

I don't think any shop owner's gonna be twisting Gravel Pitch's arm to hang out/spend money in his shop.

[H8R part 4]

theres 2 ways you can choose to run your shop...

1.  fuck skating, i'm all about the money so you sell everything and anything.  it doesn't matter how lame it is, if the kids are buying it, just get it in and mark it up as much as possible and make as much money as you can.

2.  fuck the money, i'm all bout skateboarding so you only sell what you like.  it doesn't matter if its the hottest thing in skating and all the kids are buying it, its your shop and you don't want that crap in your place.  you'd rather make money selling the stuff you want to back and avoid the things you find lame.

neither is really the wrong since everyone has to choose which path they want to take but i'll choose the latter 10 out of 10 times.  i've made a bunch of money before and guess what, it wasn't really the shit at all.  i live poor and hungry now and i'm the happiest guy you'll ever meet.  different strokes for different folks. 
     

[rawbertson.]

anyone who says they are "all about the money" is automatically a fag. you should put yourself and your interests before anything. you need money to do fun things and thats the extent of it. if you have everything you want, obtaining more money is just stressing yourself out un necessarily.