Tell us about the recent event you threw in support of the Black Lives Matter movement?
June 14th, on a Sunday, we held a Black Lives Matter push through the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. We had an attendance of around 200 skateboarders throughout every area of the city! We all came together in unity for the cause.
That day and that push meant the world to me and everyone else there because of the non-stop oppression of minority and people of color in this country, for decades. We are fed up and there is no better time to go against the grain than now.
That’s an amazing respond.
Yeah, the community came together stronger than ever that day. It was such a beautiful sight to see. I can see the awareness it has brought to the skate culture already, not that they already weren’t informed.
What are your thoughts on the recent push to support black owned business?
This whole movement has brought an insane amount of support pushing black owned businesses. I hate that it took all of this for it to become something important to the masses. I most definitely have seen a spike in business since all of this. I couldn’t complain one second about it either.
How did you have to adapt to running the shop since COVID?
Pushing through COVID with a very small, infant business was tough, but if we can make it through a month and a half of doors being closed to the public we can make it through anything. We never had an online shop before that and in the beginning that was something I wanted to do. It took a world pandemic for the to come to fruition.
Things are slowly getting back to normal, in a sense. Business has been better than it ever was. I learned in these trying times that doubling and tripling down to work harder pays off, no matter how much of an uphill battle it feels like. The shop has taken off to the next level with customer volume, demand for newer product and a lot of entry level skateboarding.
Going back, where are you from and how did you start skating?
Originally from Lawrence, Indiana and I always saw skateboarding as a kid and ended up really taking a liking to it and trying it at the age of 12. All of my friends were older and were so good, so by the time I started skateboarding, I was way behind.
What led you to opening the shop?
It’s every kids dream to work in a skate shop, right? I moved back from Los Angeles and managed a shop located in Carmel, Indiana for about a year and a half called RISE Skateboard Shop. The owner and I had briefly talked about him selling me the shop and things ended up working out in my favor and I bought it from him! The biggest blessing that could’ve happened in my life.
What are your goals with the shops?
My goals for the shop are forever changing, but the main ones are to offer something the scene hasn’t had or seen before. All the way from events that are held on behalf of the shop to the daily ins and outs visually of the store front.
What do you look for in the brands that you bring in?
I expect the brands we carry to be for skateboarders and skateboarding first and foremost. I have been working on crossing a boutiqueish aesthetic styled shop with the classic skateshop vibe. So I want the brands that we carry to reflect exactly that.
What brands do best for you?
Top selling shoes would be Vans and New Balance. Top seller board company would be between Primitive and Quasi. Top seller in clothing would be between our Minus soft goods and Quasi and Grand. Of course the infamous Spitfire and Thunders will always be a consistent staple sell.
These brands do well because of location without a doubt and how we introduce them to our audience. Carmel is a good area of the city and it makes sense for the customers to be attracted to those type brands.
What can brands do to support shops today?
For me personally, I think brands need to be tapped in with shops as much as possible. Between social media and helping fuel local based events, etc. It’s essential. It is a full circle, shows unity amongst both parties and that’s what the kids want to see.
How do you market and promote the shop?
I always stay out and in the community. Whether I’m out skating and filming with the guys riding for the shop, skating with the kids at the local parks after hours or doing any event to where I can run a pop up shop or be a vendor. Networking with people outside of the skate industry to build up the scene and our community. Staying active and engaged on all social media platforms, that is key.
Does online make up a big part of your business?
Online now more than ever is playing a huge part in building our business and clientele. In most social media posts, I will put our site domain in the caption. The site is updated daily to keep up with current incoming inventory and the latest product.
What excites you about working in skateboarding right now?
Everything about working in skateboarding excites me right now. Being young, bright eyed and being able to have the access to so many tools in this day and age to build up business is enough to keep me going every single day. The sky is the limit. I just want to lift and push the local scene up as much as I possibly can.
Skateboarding has been my life for the last 14 years and I want to show any and everyone that no matter where you come from, no matter your background, and no matter how many odds are stacked against you, that you can make something of yourself and for yourself if you put in the work!
Backlip, Photo: Alex Gonzales
What are you focused on for the rest of the year?
I’m focused on building this business as strong as I possibly can the rest of this year, and even better every single year after. I have multiple film projects I am working on with the guys riding for the shop and myself that we plan on premiering later this year. More pop up shops, more events for the community. More pushing equality for everyone, that’s the example I can only hope to display for the masses. Never stop dreaming and never stop working towards your next goals, they aren’t that far off!
Thank you, Aaron. You’re doing great things.
I’m thankful for this opportunity to get to chop it up with you, Ben. Big respect.
