Is it the industry, or is it Evan Smith?

[Shtonk]

Evan with some dark tidings for the industry in this interview. I'm wondering, is he correct in saying that "nobody's buying anything" or is nobody buying UMA because, well...

https://www.thrashermagazine.com/articles/getting-weird-with-evan-smith/

[Mean salto]

Not sure what he means exactly. You'd assume customers are buying skateboard hardgoods in general but as everybody's been saying for the last 14 years how much money can you make when there's a zillion little companies.

In a recent madars interview he talks about how a lot of companies are making major cutbacks, not adding any one new to teams and element isn't doing tours or ads anymore so it could be "nobodys buying anything" as in the big companies aren't paying for anything anymore. If you want to go on tour and make a video you(as in pros) have to do it yourself

[Ghost Face]

I'm not buying it.

[pool coping]

so many people i know in construction are out of work right now and that's the canary in the coal mine.

[Sizzle]

If you want to go on tour and make a video you(as in pros) have to do it yourself

hmmmm…. thank u for clarifying *stuffs zip ties back in glovebox* *slowly reverses out of kb’s driveway*

[augustmoon]

Wonder why he’s shocked that a product called an “Uma Landsled” isn’t flying off the shelves

[Dustgod]

Wonder why he’s shocked that a product called an “Uma Landsled” isn’t flying off the shelves

I love Evan Smith but I have to agree with you

[DanCorteseFromMTVSports]

To each their own but I feel like Uma (through their edits) is not wacky enough to be a wacky company and not serious enough to be a serious company. They're just kinda....there.

[apport]

To each their own but I feel like Uma (through their edits) is not wacky enough to be a wacky company and not serious enough to be a serious company. They're just kinda....there.

they’re not there, there is there!

[Newphone]

It’s funny just thinking about a sober Evan worrying about a consumer spending slowdown.

[Warmup]

It’s funny just thinking about a sober Evan worrying about a consumer spending slowdown.

Quite the character arc

[manysnakes]

so many people i know in construction are out of work right now and that's the canary in the coal mine.

Commercial real estate is hanging by a thread and an estimated $1.4t in non-recourse loans will come due before the end of 2025.

And yeah, the market is absolutely saturated. It seems like a lot of Covid-era product has finally been cleared out of retailers, but that means it's sitting in skaters' closets waiting to be used.

[Newphone]

Expand Quote

so many people i know in construction are out of work right now and that's the canary in the coal mine.

[close]

Commercial real estate is hanging by a thread and an estimated $1.4t in non-recourse loans will come due before the end of 2015.

2025?

[manysnakes]

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so many people i know in construction are out of work right now and that's the canary in the coal mine.

[close]

Commercial real estate is hanging by a thread and an estimated $1.4t in non-recourse loans will come due before the end of 2015.

[close]

2025?

Yes. It's still early.

[SatanicPanic]

Maybe the “I’m getting back into skateboarding after 20 years “ trend is over

[Billy Bitchcakes]

Every single pro under the sun wants to have their own half assed board company, they can't join in on making their piece of the pie even smaller and then be surprised when they're struggling to shift decks

[Hevonen]

To each their own but I feel like Uma (through their edits) is not wacky enough to be a wacky company and not serious enough to be a serious company. They're just kinda....there.

Yeah, also if I wasn't on slap I wouldn't even know it's a board company. Name kinda sucks

[Newphone]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

so many people i know in construction are out of work right now and that's the canary in the coal mine.

[close]

Commercial real estate is hanging by a thread and an estimated $1.4t in non-recourse loans will come due before the end of 2015.

[close]

2025?

[close]

Yes. It's still early.

Wasn’t sure what year you ment to type, no doubt on the commercial real estate.

[Theme For A Jackal]

Whole economy is in a slow period, not unexpected after the boom we had after Covid. Interest rates are through the roof in an attempt to stop inflation and now people don't want to buy.

Not gonna pretend to be an economic expert but I sell commercial vehicles and the past two years we did gangbusters. Selling everything that wasn't tied down, 3% interest and automatic approval for anyone over a 650 credit score. Now they want 700+ credit and you're lucky to get 7% interest... if you're below 700 you're lucky to get 13% and will probably be closer to 20%.

[TheDingus]

Also, brands panicked and overproduced during covid which lead to shops over stocked and it’s going to take a while for everything to even out (if it ever does). Skateboarding is on the decline right now so it might take a while. Meanwhile people are still starting new brands and making more shit and that’s messing stuff up too. Oh and uma is pretty bad as well.

[GoneWithTheSchwinn]

Every single pro under the sun wants to have their own half assed board company, they can't join in on making their piece of the pie even smaller and then be surprised when they're struggling to shift decks

This. As great as it is to see people doing their own thing and putting what they want out. Too many companies are bad for the whole.
I really like Uma and everything they do but I think it flies over the head of the average skater.

[yungthug]

Any shop owners out there wanna chime in? What have you guys been seeing?

[tkp]

Around 2004 I was talking to Lance Mountain at a demo and I asked him how The Firm was doing. His nearly immediate response was something along the lines of:

"Selling skateboards sucks"

At the time I was working in a skateboard shop where boards were flying off the wall and kids were showing up super stoked to get their first board, so I couldn't relate.

But if you're on the other side, trying to convince shops to add your boards to their already crowded wall, I imagine it's no fun.

[AldusMinutiae]

I imagine it's hard when sales calls go like:

"Hi, would your shop like to carry Uma?"

"No, we're not interested in Cariuma" *click*

[rocklobster]

Maybe the “I’m getting back into skateboarding after 20 years “ trend is over

True, you may get an occasional older skater whose willing to splurge, there will always be newer skaters picking up their first setup and core skaters still supporting their shops / brands, but boom time is over and its run rate level sales. Having a name like Uma Landsleds without a star studded team isn't helping their bottom line.

Haven't made it to portion of the Madars interview where he talks about getting dropped by DC, but I suspect Boardriders looked at their P&L and realized it's time to cut loose a riders (like Evan Smith) who aren't on-brand.

I also struggle to find the new "it" brand after FA / Hockey lost steam in the 2022, 10 years (I think) of them being the hottest brand on the board rack is very respectable. Violet and Limosine had some early interest but that's died down in the past year.

[Ricky Vaughn]

Hard to believe. All I see are Uma Landsleds in the wild.

[manysnakes]

I imagine it's hard when sales calls go like:

"Hi, would your shop like to carry Uma?"

"No, we're not interested in Cariuma" *click*

lmao

[KGB]

so many people i know in construction are out of work right now and that's the canary in the coal mine.

Come to the DMV. It doesn’t ever stop

[rocklobster]

I imagine it's hard when sales calls go like:

"Hi, would your shop like to carry Uma?"

"No, we're not interested in Cariuma" *click*

Did they add Landsleds after Cariuma came in to differentiate themselves?

[mamba]

Any shop owners out there wanna chime in? What have you guys been seeing?

Not an owner but i work in the shop. Everything has been slowing down, especially boards. Can’t tell you how many single sheets of grip that have been sold in the last few months. Always the same story, either they’re skating wall boards they stocked up during covid or they got a board on sale from online cause of the increased prices of boards

Boards are reaching 80 dollars retail before tax from Baker Boys. 88 for heroin shaped boards. dlx are at about 70-75.  Boards wholesale cost continue to increase each time we get new boards in. Quasi indicated in their next drop that their board prices will be going up.

While uma may not be cool, they’re definitely not the lamest brand we have on the wall by a long shot. The industry is hurting for real