i can’t remember ever being “cool guyed” at a shop and i’m a gigantic kook.
for most of my adult life i’ve made the vast majority of skate purchases online out of sheer laziness and frugality, only going to shops if i really needed something like a board or other hardware or i’m visiting a shop in another state. but generally skate shops are good places and totally worthy of support. there was a shop by me (r.i.p. fobia) growing up and i would go there literally EVERYDAY, not even buy anything, just hang out and watch videos. other than putting on events, propping up local scenes, skate shops are simply worth having as a physical place to go and be and look at things. like music stores and book stores, it would be sad to see skate shops go away.