Hey dudes, glad you're hyped on the article, or think it's just filler. Thanks for reading, either way.
A few responses to things:
-My overall impressions is that most shops did well last year. The demand for skateboards was unprecedented; before lockdown you had shows like Betty hyping up different demographics of skating and the Tony Hawk games getting people interested too.
Once lockdown hit, you had millions of people sitting on their couches who couldn't go to the gym, play team sports, go to the bars, or, you know, do most anything. Skating was one of the few activities that seemed safe. So a LOT of them bought completes. When you add that on top of every skater who used lockdown as an excuse to skate a ton, there was a huge surge in demand for hardgoods.
-Would have loved to talk to a few more brands here, but it's tough to get some people to talk. Some brands just don't want to air things out publicly, or even talk about where their factories are.
-I've heard some noise about bigger brands muscling their way to the front of the production line ahead of small brands, but I think that's a whole different article. It is crazy how there are a handful of factories that really keep most of the industry running.