Anyone else have a wack local skateshop?

[computerdate]

I still think it’s important to support local shops, I’m alone in that I don’t prefer to buy stuff online. I still like going into places (well, used to). I like going into record stores and skate shops and shit.
If the owners are cool, why not ask them if they can order you a deck you want? I’m sure most would be willing.

[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.

[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.

I’ve been cool guyed before. Vibed. Whatever. And some of that was ok.
I truly don’t know how some skate shop employees do not lose their fucking minds and just start slapping people. Skateboarding has to have a higher amount of folks presenting mental illness, compared to other activities. All of the particular nonsense!?? ‘Oh this wb 1/16 less than what I like....you don’t have this with a purple top ply? Oh you do? Oh but I need a little bit of a hook you got me?’ Jeeeeesuuus. And these employees are supposed to be nice as fuck, give up their spot info, just make conversation about nonsense, whilst getting paid little? And fuck! Can you imagine being a shop owner? Everyone inside of the shop is trying to steal from you. I like shops too much, I grew up in places with few, and those available were often very compromised by the nature of the business. So seeing cool, nice people selling/supporting this oddball activity is rare. Not everyone needs to be into it. I’m over the top in an annoying way.
But I’m still laughing about Mr. 30 boards out the trunk. Ha. Fucking amazing. If you were a competitor in any small market, you could expect to get some blowback, bristling, static, what have you. Imagine if you were a pizzeria, selling good quality decent pizza, and someone posted up outside and sold 4 days worth of frozen pizzas, with handpicked herbs to sprinkle on top.

[rukes]

Been wronged by your local skate shop? Start a spite store like a man.

[heritage]

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

One Up is tight as hell. One of my favorites. I was traveling for work a few years ago and found myself in Pittsburgh for a few nights. I stopped in to One Up to check them out and buy a shop tee or deck or anything to support, and the owner happened to be in there. He couldn’t have been a nicer, down to earth cat and he didn’t know me from anyone. I was still in my work clothes and he could’ve totally vibed the shit out of me, which has actually happened in other shops. We ended up killing over an hour just talking about skateboarding. Top class dude and top class shop.

[skatingisntspecialstupid]

If you go into a skateshop expecting a new batch of best friends and a slew of awesome conversation based solely on the fact that you skate then don't be surprised when people treat you funny. Moving to a new place I'd just buy my shit and do minimal small talk. Eventually you'll meet people if you're out skating alot and buying product in person. People just want in right off the bat and that's not how anything works.

[blakecasella11]

My local sucks too. Used to be dope back in the day but now it's about 75 percent bmx gear and the skate shit sucks. It's really disappointing seeing a good shop go to shit like that. Now I go to other locals like Seasons skate shop and Library skate shop.

[ziggy]

If you go into a skateshop expecting a new batch of best friends and a slew of awesome conversation based solely on the fact that you skate then don't be surprised when people treat you funny. Moving to a new place I'd just buy my shit and do minimal small talk. Eventually you'll meet people if you're out skating alot and buying product in person. People just want in right off the bat and that's not how anything works.

It’s a shop. Pretending not to be revolted by my presence is an expectation

[Chris Hansen is back]

Most shops I have bein too in my area either cater to what THEY think is relevant and sells or what THEY want to sell or what THEY like.

Yeah man. It's almost like they think it's their shop or something. Fucked up.

[WeirdBeach]

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

[close]

Transport in Eagle Rock

good? i'll check them out.

[yourbreakfsat]

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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.

[close]

I’ve been cool guyed before. Vibed. Whatever. And some of that was ok.
I truly don’t know how some skate shop employees do not lose their fucking minds and just start slapping people. Skateboarding has to have a higher amount of folks presenting mental illness, compared to other activities. All of the particular nonsense!?? ‘Oh this wb 1/16 less than what I like....you don’t have this with a purple top ply? Oh you do? Oh but I need a little bit of a hook you got me?’ Jeeeeesuuus. And these employees are supposed to be nice as fuck, give up their spot info, just make conversation about nonsense, whilst getting paid little? And fuck! Can you imagine being a shop owner? Everyone inside of the shop is trying to steal from you. I like shops too much, I grew up in places with few, and those available were often very compromised by the nature of the business. So seeing cool, nice people selling/supporting this oddball activity is rare. Not everyone needs to be into it. I’m over the top in an annoying way.
But I’m still laughing about Mr. 30 boards out the trunk. Ha. Fucking amazing. If you were a competitor in any small market, you could expect to get some blowback, bristling, static, what have you. Imagine if you were a pizzeria, selling good quality decent pizza, and someone posted up outside and sold 4 days worth of frozen pizzas, with handpicked herbs to sprinkle on top.

I worked at my local pre-covid. The people who freak out about the wheelbase being 0.00001 cm off or the colors not being the right shade of natural are actually pretty rare (slapmag isn't representative of mainstream skate culture lol). Giving hook-ups or spare gear is a thing, but I really only did it for the people that actively supported the shop and actually needed it. The people that I've never seen before coming into the shop and asking for free gear like they're entitled to all the shit we have can fuck off.

Being very friendly and informative is great for business, generates a lot of returning customers, and can really ward of the cool guys who are like "nah this shop isn't core because they aren't mean to new skaters." Hell yeah I'm gonna talk about Indy vs Thunder to the new guy who genuinely wants to know, or the dude trying to vibe me out in my own shop because he can kickflip but doesn't know jack shit about his own gear. The former feels like he can get helpful advice whenever he needs it without judgement, and the latter realizes he isn't hot shit.

[WeirdBeach]

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.

good to hear! i've been buying a few of the collab shirts that Lotties has been doing. i got two of the Dogwood/Lotties shirts and this Hopps Mike Tyson board that i've been looking for.

[sus]

if your local shop sucks, then buy stuff online. at the nearest other local shop

[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.

[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.

[close]

I’ve been cool guyed before. Vibed. Whatever. And some of that was ok.
I truly don’t know how some skate shop employees do not lose their fucking minds and just start slapping people. Skateboarding has to have a higher amount of folks presenting mental illness, compared to other activities. All of the particular nonsense!?? ‘Oh this wb 1/16 less than what I like....you don’t have this with a purple top ply? Oh you do? Oh but I need a little bit of a hook you got me?’ Jeeeeesuuus. And these employees are supposed to be nice as fuck, give up their spot info, just make conversation about nonsense, whilst getting paid little? And fuck! Can you imagine being a shop owner? Everyone inside of the shop is trying to steal from you. I like shops too much, I grew up in places with few, and those available were often very compromised by the nature of the business. So seeing cool, nice people selling/supporting this oddball activity is rare. Not everyone needs to be into it. I’m over the top in an annoying way.
But I’m still laughing about Mr. 30 boards out the trunk. Ha. Fucking amazing. If you were a competitor in any small market, you could expect to get some blowback, bristling, static, what have you. Imagine if you were a pizzeria, selling good quality decent pizza, and someone posted up outside and sold 4 days worth of frozen pizzas, with handpicked herbs to sprinkle on top.

[close]

I worked at my local pre-covid. The people who freak out about the wheelbase being 0.00001 cm off or the colors not being the right shade of natural are actually pretty rare (slapmag isn't representative of mainstream skate culture lol). Giving hook-ups or spare gear is a thing, but I really only did it for the people that actively supported the shop and actually needed it. The people that I've never seen before coming into the shop and asking for free gear like they're entitled to all the shit we have can fuck off.

Being very friendly and informative is great for business, generates a lot of returning customers, and can really ward of the cool guys who are like "nah this shop isn't core because they aren't mean to new skaters." Hell yeah I'm gonna talk about Indy vs Thunder to the new guy who genuinely wants to know, or the dude trying to vibe me out in my own shop because he can kickflip but doesn't know jack shit about his own gear. The former feels like he can get helpful advice whenever he needs it without judgement, and the latter realizes he isn't hot shit.

That’s a great point, re: gear specifics. Most of that is my own self hatred. I’ve always thought it was kinda funny that so many people that skate, and fucking rip, care so little about the particulars to their setup. Gun to head many wouldn’t seem to know the wb, length, and possibly don’t know what size trucks they’re riding.
I still think most people I’ve seen working at shows are fairly patient people. And it’s really cool when someone does take a little time to chop it up.

[LonleySk8er15]

If your shops sucks you can heckle them by calling to ask if they have the Nike SBs Dropping this weekend.

[mac desuicui]

Eh I like Labor. Sure you can't really chill there, but that's because it's insanely small. There also used to be this real bummer of a man that worked there, he sometimes pops up in those Transworld "New York Times" videos. Dude was such an asshole and it really comes off in any video you see of him. But he's gone as far as I can tell and everyone that works there currently is cool. I moved away just as I was getting to know people there and honestly kind of miss it. My current shop in the DC area sells like one shoe and 2 boards I have no idea how they stay in business.

ha! that dude sucked

[waltercronkite]

Shout out solstice. Best shop going

[georgethecat]

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if your local shop sucks, then buy stuff online. at the nearest other local shop

[close]

[Sightunseen]

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.

Don’t forget Catalyst, ha!

Shouts out to Plus for being one of the best shops I’ve been to. Great product and great dude running it.

Galactic is overwhelming with how much stock they have

[Bhaktih]

Yes and I ride for them

[munchbox]

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Labor is so overrated. dead vibes there. its aight if you just want to go in and out, but i wouldnt hang out in that shop

[close]

Labor is literally the size of a walk-in closet, why would you want to hang out in a closet?

my local is the size of a walk in closet but the vibes are great. could drink beers, smoke outside, watch skate parts, and talk about the local scene for hours there

[Shalom Peterson]

Unfortunately, yes, I do. They sell PP decks and old decks (IE brands that no longer exist and pro decks from two sponsors ago) for full price, NEVER answers insta questions and they only have 1000 followers, they only carry maybe seven different brands of decks, and have done literally nothing contest/demo/signing wise in the four years I’ve lived here and teams and pros come to my city literally all the time. Deathwish came about two years ago and they had a signing at the local Zumiez instead... Jeff Lenoce told me he had no idea my local existed because they buy their boards from Eastern Supply.

It bums me out because I used to live in Miami and MIA used to be poppin’ all the time. They were always having random signings, pro meet ups, and other random fun stuff every other week it seemed like.

[secondhandstoke]

The shop in my town doesn't even sale shoe's. And everything is expensive, a board is normally $70.

they charge more to rip off skaters for profit. 

[VHS ERA]

Labor hate on the first page? That’s weird. That’s a simple, proper skate shop.

I grew up with Eastern Boarder which was kinda goofy but they did alright by me. I don’t think Orchard existed yet.

[secondhandstoke]

Labor hate on the first page? That’s weird. That’s a simple, proper skate shop.

I grew up with Eastern Boarder which was kinda goofy but they did alright by me. I don’t think Orchard existed yet.

bcuz they fucking rip skaters off bro.

[winecrab]

It bums me out because I used to live in Miami and MIA used to be poppin’ all the time. They were always having random signings, pro meet ups, and other random fun stuff every other week it seemed like.

MIA was tight. A couple of homies rode for them and one of them worked there. Plus I was always down to support Ed Selego. I still have a clip of kids mobbing around Prod in front of the shop yelling "do a sw tre!" And he grabbed some kids janky ass 7.5 and he did one perfectly. Now I  order my stuff from SPOT.

[Untilthewheelsfalloff]

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.

You let other people grip your board?

[fredgallSOTY]

man im lucky that i have an amazing local. some of yalls experiences sound like hell. milwaukee kinda sucks but the skate scene is so rad. i've never had to really worry about bein vibed or Sky High not carrying what i want. i thought most cities were like that but ig im wrong :/

[HyperBeam]

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.

glad i'm not the only one who feels this way.

[Yesterdays-pop]

i only go to a skate shop when I absolutely need something. Even the “best” shops are pretty wack.

[Madam, I'm Adam]

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.

I love this, thank you.

The shops in my city are all cool, but the one I really gave a shit about/gave most of my money to - that I had history with -  recently closed, and I don't really feel "the family vibe" per se in the other shops. I'll still give them my business and I don't have problems with the employees, but it's not the same.