The Skateboard Industry.com

5th grade....1985. Knee board style on toy store boards which quickly evolved into removing that tail skid and actually trying to learn tricks, then getting my first “pro” board in 6th grade...Lucero “Jester” behind the bars with some Gullwings and OJ’s.

1992...stumbled into my first skate shop job. Was hired to build a ramp in the basement of a local shop and when it was all done I guess they knew they could trust me since I’d had a key to the place for a month and half and everything was still there, so they offered me a job. So I worked at a shop and had access to an indoor mini whenever I wanted...it ruled. They were good people.

Well, we did our own thing in May of 2000 so eight years I guess...actually I think it was just under eight. We initially tried to get something off the ground in 1998 when the shop with the ramp closed. Nick, one of my partners of Escapist, worked there with me.

Total shoe string budget...I think it was like $30,000. Totally wingin’ it credit card style. Not exactly the smartest but hey, we had a vision and had to use any means necessary since we couldn’t get approved for a business loan. I still remember Adrian and I showing up to Nick’s work with the lease, he was like, “So we’re really doing this, huh?” Inventory was so bare bones...10 decks, 6 sets of trucks...really embarrassing actually.

About 15 months...working there wage free that whole time, open to close 7 days a week and trying to run my record label when I wasn’t at the shop....needless to say I had a nervous breakdown after a few years...had an anxiety attack that sent me to the ER the night we did a Foundation demo.

Three.

Each for about 20 years. It’s a requirement for our employees too...which at times comes back to bite us...haha. Skateboarders can be slackers.

Almost six years.

Direct....a little through distributors here and there. We love the relationships that come with buying direct, but can definitely understand the “one-stop” appeal of buying from distributors.

Money stays in skateboarding. We pay to bring pros to town, do video premieres, etc. We’ve also been known to fix poorly built skate parks renegade-style in the night, er wait... We’re skateboarders so we’ll always have that drive to make the scene better, not just milk it. What sucks is that so many companies have lost sight of this fact and are opening chains that are impossible for a small independent shop to compete with. They¹re forgetting who got them to where they are now...following the path of Airwalk.

Get ready to sacrifice every ounce of your free time. The irony of not being able to skate because you own a skate shop is pretty hysterical & sad. It’s great though...part of you definitely still has to be that little kid who gets all giddy every time he sees huge stack of skateboards.