Anyone else have a wack local skateshop?

[HugeBodBoyle]

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My local shop is weird. There's an odd tension between two of the old dudes that work there. One seems to genuinely hate the other and the other seems unaware of being hated. It's uncomfortable.

[close]

This sounds amazing.

If they carried good hardgoods and shoes that weren't all NOS Etnies and Emerica in size 14 or size 8.5 then it would be totally worth it.

[drewsmahgoos]

My previously local shop is just a big clique. Every other t shirt is some shitty inside joke with the crew that hangs there. They have had contests at a warehouse but you have to know someone to get the address so straight up I've heard about kids that wanted to go but couldn't figure out where it was.Walking in there and trying to shop is awkward as fuck. It's like they're waiting for you to leave so they can get back to hanging out. Weakass board selection half the time and it's a big fuck you attitude if you don't support them, despite their lackluster stock. I've been to plenty of skate shops and I've never experienced one that's so uninviting. I know it's not just me either, I've talked to quite a few people that feel that way about this place.

I tried really hard to support them but just ended up saying fuck it. I'll order from a non corporate  store that has an online shop. There are plenty of good shops like that and if your local isn't your vibe, that's what you should do too.

[Tear Up a Trick]

My local shop is weird. There's an odd tension between two of the old dudes that work there. One seems to genuinely hate the other and the other seems unaware of being hated. It's uncomfortable.

Are they two former pros?

[HugeBodBoyle]

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My local shop is weird. There's an odd tension between two of the old dudes that work there. One seems to genuinely hate the other and the other seems unaware of being hated. It's uncomfortable.

[close]

Are they two former pros?

One is a former sponsored am and the other is just a dude that has been in the scene for a long time. The am is the one that gets hated on and seems oblivious to it.

[Yu Dum]

i live near a great shop in the midwest but the owner doesnt even skate anymore and he plays favorites like a school teacher.  gives people a hard time if they want to buy grip for a board NOT bought at his shop.  called me a "piece of shit" for selling 30 boards out of my truck with dope artwork on them from a friend.

like thanks for running this dope shop but can you not be a total fuck wit?

I understand your frustration, but honestly, I'd be pretty bummed if someone came into my shop for grip for a board they didn't buy from me. Feels like a slap in the face. Also, did your friend try contacting said shop to see if they would be down to sell those boards? That could have helped both parties instead of pulling more business away from them if they're trying to help develop the skate scene in your area.
Not trying to play holier than thou or anything like that. Just trying to give an outsider's perspective on the situation.

[Ok]

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i live near a great shop in the midwest but the owner doesnt even skate anymore and he plays favorites like a school teacher.  gives people a hard time if they want to buy grip for a board NOT bought at his shop.  called me a "piece of shit" for selling 30 boards out of my truck with dope artwork on them from a friend.

like thanks for running this dope shop but can you not be a total fuck wit?

[close]

I understand your frustration, but honestly, I'd be pretty bummed if someone came into my shop for grip for a board they didn't buy from me. Feels like a slap in the face. Also, did your friend try contacting said shop to see if they would be down to sell those boards? That could have helped both parties instead of pulling more business away from them if they're trying to help develop the skate scene in your area.
Not trying to play holier than thou or anything like that. Just trying to give an outsider's perspective on the situation.

This.
I mean goddamn 30 boards isn’t nothing.
The artwork may have been ‘dope’, but if the boards were just some hella cheap eBay blanks with doodles, sold for the super low....
Skate shops aren’t subsidized, not saying they should be, but margins are fuck all, and so many people these days acting like they are doing shops a favor when they come in and beg for cheap shit/hookup and then showroom some shoes.
When you are a child you are under your families (ideally) economic support, and there is only so much control of the situation you may have. Even then, at a certain point, don’t be so fucking poor that you cannot contribute. I’ve always hated hated hated this about some of the skaters I’ve been around: all of their money goes to the cans/weeds/whatever treat they want to shove into their mouths, the same mouth that begs/snarls for free shit.

[MusclesMarinara]

Not local for me but was lurking IG tagged posts for a hook ups deck to skate. Came across mainline skateshop in California who don't have a real website but all their products are posted on depop. Long story short they have hooks ups decks but are price gouging them to the max. Sent them a dm asking what the deal was and they're explanation was highly collectable and rare. I then pointed out to them JK just restocked those decks on his site the yesterday and he does it monthly. Whoever I talked with was just like yeah that's usually how it works. I'm all for making a profit but for a shop to do it blatantly is just bs in my opinion.

[irregardlesslyness]

Ugh man. My shop is ran by one of the best dudes ever so am obligated to support. But holy shit, i guess there is some sort of a roller skate scene around so over half the inventory is roller skates and wheels etc. More helmets and roller skate pads than boards.

The skate hardgood product is always low on inventory so its usually a let down when i need something. Once I went in to get some wheels and all they had were multi colored spitfires and some others that were too small. I shit you not the lady working there pointed me over to the mountain of roller skate wheels and said "these could work." Such a shame

The scene isnt so big around here so i understand why they cant have all the dopest product/accounts, but fuck man. And i used to think local shops having longboard completes for sale was bad.

[fakie nollie]

My local is more of a surf shop with a skate corner, owned/ran by surfers. They're nice and all but it's a coin-toss on whether someone who actually skates will be the person gripping your board or giving recommendations. I'd say... 90% of the time, a highschool girl who has never stepped foot on a skateboard is the one grabbing hard goods and trying to give recommendations.

Two years ago, after being fed up with trying to explain what I'm trying to get, I just started ordering/paying over the phone and picking it up in person. I'm OK with this but really miss having that local skate shop experience.

Story time. The moral: ALWAYS BUY LOCAL AND NEVER RIDE A WARPED BOARD:

Over a decade ago, I was broke and needed a board. Someone at my park mentioned Pac Sun had cheap boards. I drive over there, see a Kenny Anderson on the wall and go for it. 7.75, $30, on clearance because "they're sending more and we're getting rid of last season". Even when this sounded weird to me, I thought, "Makes sense, cheap board, cool". They grip it, I go to skate.

What I failed to notice is how warped this board was, width wise, from tail to nose. The first thing I tried to do with it was ollie onto a ledge and the fucking thing almost did a full-rotation kickflip. Landed primo and almost broke my arm. I thought, "Oh, you're just having an off day and the board is too grippy".

Although I generally sucked at transitions, the way Tom Penny skated had a huge impact on me so I learned early-on how to nollie half-cab on tranny. This being a go-to trick for me, I attempt one on a 5' quarterpipe. As soon as I popped, my board began to nollie-heel and I panicked. I quickly stopped sliding my foot and, stupidly, just tried to get the board back under my feet. In doing this, my front foot stayed on the board but my back foot went behind it. I landed like this, did the splits and all of my weight made my knee pop sideways, which tore my ACL.

That injury has plagued me for life. Had I just saved for a couple of days and bought a new board from my local, that could have changed the course of history for me.

[Seventyfrigginseven]

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My local shop is weird. There's an odd tension between two of the old dudes that work there. One seems to genuinely hate the other and the other seems unaware of being hated. It's uncomfortable.

[close]

This sounds amazing.

I would frequent this shop daily and would take forever picking out a deck. So jealous..

[heckler]

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i live near a great shop in the midwest but the owner doesnt even skate anymore and he plays favorites like a school teacher.  gives people a hard time if they want to buy grip for a board NOT bought at his shop.  called me a "piece of shit" for selling 30 boards out of my truck with dope artwork on them from a friend.

like thanks for running this dope shop but can you not be a total fuck wit?

[close]

I understand your frustration, but honestly, I'd be pretty bummed if someone came into my shop for grip for a board they didn't buy from me. Feels like a slap in the face. Also, did your friend try contacting said shop to see if they would be down to sell those boards? That could have helped both parties instead of pulling more business away from them if they're trying to help develop the skate scene in your area.
Not trying to play holier than thou or anything like that. Just trying to give an outsider's perspective on the situation.

[close]

This.
I mean goddamn 30 boards isn’t nothing.
The artwork may have been ‘dope’, but if the boards were just some hella cheap eBay blanks with doodles, sold for the super low....
Skate shops aren’t subsidized, not saying they should be, but margins are fuck all, and so many people these days acting like they are doing shops a favor when they come in and beg for cheap shit/hookup and then showroom some shoes.
When you are a child you are under your families (ideally) economic support, and there is only so much control of the situation you may have. Even then, at a certain point, don’t be so fucking poor that you cannot contribute. I’ve always hated hated hated this about some of the skaters I’ve been around: all of their money goes to the cans/weeds/whatever treat they want to shove into their mouths, the same mouth that begs/snarls for free shit.

This is a great segue into something I was wondering while browsing through the recent replies to this thread: while there are definitely wack as fuck shops out there, I'd love to hear how some of you guys complaining about shops actually act while you're in the shop, what you expect of the shop, what you purchase from the shop, etc.

[ninformatic]

In Brazil it's economically impossible to keep a small business such as skateshops outside São Paulo, most of us have a wack local shop until it shuts down

[Yu Dum]

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i live near a great shop in the midwest but the owner doesnt even skate anymore and he plays favorites like a school teacher.  gives people a hard time if they want to buy grip for a board NOT bought at his shop.  called me a "piece of shit" for selling 30 boards out of my truck with dope artwork on them from a friend.

like thanks for running this dope shop but can you not be a total fuck wit?

[close]

I understand your frustration, but honestly, I'd be pretty bummed if someone came into my shop for grip for a board they didn't buy from me. Feels like a slap in the face. Also, did your friend try contacting said shop to see if they would be down to sell those boards? That could have helped both parties instead of pulling more business away from them if they're trying to help develop the skate scene in your area.
Not trying to play holier than thou or anything like that. Just trying to give an outsider's perspective on the situation.

[close]

This.
I mean goddamn 30 boards isn’t nothing.
The artwork may have been ‘dope’, but if the boards were just some hella cheap eBay blanks with doodles, sold for the super low....
Skate shops aren’t subsidized, not saying they should be, but margins are fuck all, and so many people these days acting like they are doing shops a favor when they come in and beg for cheap shit/hookup and then showroom some shoes.
When you are a child you are under your families (ideally) economic support, and there is only so much control of the situation you may have. Even then, at a certain point, don’t be so fucking poor that you cannot contribute. I’ve always hated hated hated this about some of the skaters I’ve been around: all of their money goes to the cans/weeds/whatever treat they want to shove into their mouths, the same mouth that begs/snarls for free shit.

[close]

This is a great segue into something I was wondering while browsing through the recent replies to this thread: while there are definitely wack as fuck shops out there, I'd love to hear how some of you guys complaining about shops actually act while you're in the shop, what you expect of the shop, what you purchase from the shop, etc.

Great point to bring up. I'd also like to add that if you're that hard pressed to buy product; instead of buying from places like CCS and Skatewarehouse, you can go through Parade World's website and still support a skater owned shop.

[Little Debbie]

We are limited in the brands that can be carried either because some brands want you only carrying certain products or just won’t even open lines of communication. Have any of you tried to open accounts before?  It’s like high school all over again, you carry them well you can’t carry us and so on.   

this right here. i asked the owner of one of my locals (which carries Bronze, Supreme, but also TumYeto, DGK, Birdhouse) if she could order a 917 deck and she was like "I can't even get them to return my emails/calls". She said the same thing about FA too. what are other people's perceptions of the brand portfolio a shop offers and the "tiers of coolness" that some brands won't cross if they see "lame" brands being offered there?

also just want to echo that if your local is lame, gives you attitude, doesn't have the items you want, then don't feel obligated to try to support them. there are still great shops with an online presence that are still skater-owned that have a ton of selection and good prices. SPOT and Cowtown have gotten plenty of my dollars over the years.

[SWPhillyFloater]

Fortunate enough to have a local shop that really backs the community and has helped get some skateparks built (shout-out Dogwood). Luckily I also live near some other great shops like NJ and Nocturnal.

[Saint Coke]

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Atlas. Mike is rad.

[close]

You must be from San Mateo

San Francisco. But I always liked their shop the most.

[gaunting]

in Orlando, we got 2 shops, plus and galactic g. plus is the shop you go to if you want to find all the cool shit, with cool people working behind the counter, always feel welcomed when I go into plus. now galactic g, that shop can suck a dick. it might as well just be a Nike Sb retailer, and the employees are the biggest dickheads, most of them don’t skate either.

[irregardlesslyness]

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i live near a great shop in the midwest but the owner doesnt even skate anymore and he plays favorites like a school teacher.  gives people a hard time if they want to buy grip for a board NOT bought at his shop.  called me a "piece of shit" for selling 30 boards out of my truck with dope artwork on them from a friend.

like thanks for running this dope shop but can you not be a total fuck wit?

[close]

I understand your frustration, but honestly, I'd be pretty bummed if someone came into my shop for grip for a board they didn't buy from me. Feels like a slap in the face. Also, did your friend try contacting said shop to see if they would be down to sell those boards? That could have helped both parties instead of pulling more business away from them if they're trying to help develop the skate scene in your area.
Not trying to play holier than thou or anything like that. Just trying to give an outsider's perspective on the situation.

[close]

This.
I mean goddamn 30 boards isn’t nothing.
The artwork may have been ‘dope’, but if the boards were just some hella cheap eBay blanks with doodles, sold for the super low....
Skate shops aren’t subsidized, not saying they should be, but margins are fuck all, and so many people these days acting like they are doing shops a favor when they come in and beg for cheap shit/hookup and then showroom some shoes.
When you are a child you are under your families (ideally) economic support, and there is only so much control of the situation you may have. Even then, at a certain point, don’t be so fucking poor that you cannot contribute. I’ve always hated hated hated this about some of the skaters I’ve been around: all of their money goes to the cans/weeds/whatever treat they want to shove into their mouths, the same mouth that begs/snarls for free shit.

[close]

This is a great segue into something I was wondering while browsing through the recent replies to this thread: while there are definitely wack as fuck shops out there, I'd love to hear how some of you guys complaining about shops actually act while you're in the shop, what you expect of the shop, what you purchase from the shop, etc.

[close]

Great point to bring up. I'd also like to add that if you're that hard pressed to buy product; instead of buying from places like CCS and Skatewarehouse, you can go through Parade World's website and still support a skater owned shop.

Like i said before, the guy who runs the shop is the best ever. He builds local parks, donates and helps anyone trying to DIY, he volunteers for everything and even runs skate lessons. It would be a sin for me not to support as much as i can. What i make sure to do is when he gets shipments in I'll buy a bunch of stuff at once. Stock up a little.
As far as the overload of roller skate product i have learned to ignore it for the most part. Gotta do what you gotta do in these rough times. I haven talked numbers with him but he could very well be out of business if it weren't for those sales. I shouldnt hate too much

[FS_Overcrook]

A lot of shops have issues stocking certain brands. There's definitely a ton of criteria that go into certain brands wanting representation in top tier locations or shops that have certain followings. There's radius clauses so that brands aren't dropping product closer to each other. Its why some states have a shop that operates with lamer product and another shop that seems to get all the cool product. An example is my local has been open close to a decade and has been denied Nike SB, but has almost every other brand. It's wild how skate politics and locations play into what product the shop is allowed to carry. In my experience if you talk to an owner and express the desire to get what you want they will try or at least let you know the situation and send you to another local shop. There's also really good shops that survive on online sales from amazing people around the world and Parade World.

[Reed Richards]

I have two.  One is smaller and has a good selection of wheels/trucks/hardware, but not a ton of variety in decks.  Like they carry good brands, just not a lot of them.  It's probably because of the actual store size.  The staff is pretty helpful and cool, and does some events for the local scene.

The second one is bigger in size and has a huge board wall of damn near everything.  They also carry trendy clothing and have a Nike SB account so they get all of the latest dunks.  But whoever is working there just kind of hides in the cut and watches shit on tv while people are in and doesn't talk to anybody.  Plus I tried to get in touch with them about buying a particular deck off of their wall during quarantine and the never bothered to get back to me.  Oh well, I'll keep someone else afloat then.

[yourbreakfsat]

Skate shop is no easy business. Most skateboard decks run at a 25-30% profit margin and that is really difficult to make work. We are limited in the brands that can be carried either because some brands want you only carrying certain products or just won’t even open lines of communication. Have any of you tried to open accounts before?  It’s like high school all over again, you carry them well you can’t carry us and so on.  Not to mention skateboarding is rapidly moving as to what is cool and not and keeping up with something for everyone is difficult. If the owner doesn’t skate then absolutely don’t support the shop, that would just be another person looking to cash in on the culture. Whereas, with our shop it costs me an arm and a leg to keep open and if I didn’t own a legal cannabis farm I wouldn’t be able to do it. the doors Stay open because I love skateboarding and it saved my life, I am forever indebted to it and want to support the culture and feel that the community as a whole benefits from it. We sponsor local kids and try to get them flow from other brands. Yet it’s super difficult to offer something less expensive or more choices than what is available online, but if you want your community to grow and you want to see local skate events contests/premieres/demos then please go help out your local shop, we need the love.

[GlenSuggittsflexfit]

Blue Tile Lounge. Sean Moriarty the co owner backs Dayton's fattest. Fuck adult bullies and the spineless cowards who prop them up.

[secondhandstoke]

my local shop are dicks.  they charge more so they can rip off skaters to make more money.  they only have certain brands that they try to push on you prolly bcuz they are getting more money from selling that brand.  an they dont give discounts to loyal skaters.

[Spacetravelisboring]

713 Inc calls themselves a skateshop but they mostly do graffiti bullshit also the owner is an asshole to people and has screwed people over many times. This kid asked for a tool once and they didn't even have one. Selection is crap anyway.

[ballintoohard]

My local (510) is super core, but huge vibes. I can't support them cuz of how big of obviously condescending dicks the staff  are.

[fakie nollie]

Is TooOldToCare still around? He had some sound business advice on how to support your local.

[yourbreakfsat]

Is TooOldToCare still around? He had some sound business advice on how to support your local.

Too busy arguing about the LGBT community to care lol

[Untilthewheelsfalloff]

kingswell,lotties and non-factory are all tight. i used to live closer to two felons, the nazi shop in whittier. fuck that place.

Transport in Eagle Rock

[Tommy G]

Ugh man. My shop is ran by one of the best dudes ever so am obligated to support. But holy shit, i guess there is some sort of a roller skate scene around so over half the inventory is roller skates and wheels etc. More helmets and roller skate pads than boards.

The skate hardgood product is always low on inventory so its usually a let down when i need something. Once I went in to get some wheels and all they had were multi colored spitfires and some others that were too small. I shit you not the lady working there pointed me over to the mountain of roller skate wheels and said "these could work." Such a shame

The scene isnt so big around here so i understand why they cant have all the dopest product/accounts, but fuck man. And i used to think local shops having longboard completes for sale was bad.

Haha my local shop was like this. He'd have occasional business partners come in and try to sell their stuff whenever there was some sort of scene. I'm in a college town and longboarding was kind of a thing, so he would sell the longboards that a local guy made until they were all gone and never bought anymore. When the roller derby scene was around he brought in a guy to sell the parts and that folded, same with BMX, but I think he and the guy had some personal disagreements. Thankfully business has been way better since he remodeled the shop and he gets a bunch of the newer kids in to buy product while the locals like myself buy the shop boards or the other ones he gets in.

[Manny Fapuiao]

shouts out One Up and 510 skateshops, which are not wack by any means