The Effect of COVID-19 On Skate Shops

No one saw this coming, but we’re doing the best we can. We’re focused on our webstore right now. We’ve uploaded a hardgoods section to the site. Every hardgood we have in the shop is now available on the site. That’s what seems to be the biggest need for people right now. Before this, we only sold our own Andrew product on the site. We’re getting orders everyday online and it’s a blessing to have the support from customers all over the world that have been clicking the checkout button. We partnered with a site called Parade, and are getting some orders from them as well which has been a great addition.

Are there ways brands can support shops right now?
I really don’t know, this is tough time for everyone, big and small. There’s a ripple effect across the industry and this hurts both the shops and the brands. We all need to continue to market our brands, but do it in a way that takes into account the current climate. We are going to get through this, but all the shops will have a lot of older product that they need to move when they come up for air. So it’s important that the brands that shops might be carrying, figure out interesting ways to keep demand for that product going forward, so it doesn’t go stale. Right before the quarantine went into effect, we were able to shoot some new content for our current season to give our customers something new and entertaining to look at while everyone is home on their phones.

How do you think this will all affect your shop in the short and long term? Are you seeing any positives because of this?
Honestly, at the end of the day, if the US government can provide support, so that my employees can continue to get paid, that’s what we need right now. That’s what’s important to me. Most of them are young men with their first apartments, getting their first taste of real life and making sure they can navigate this tough time with a little bit of income to keep the fridge stocked and the rent paid, that’s what I’m aiming for. Because we will rebuild as an industry, especially if we can all get the help we need. Obviously, this is a crazy thing that no one expected. But it does give you a perspective check and makes you reevaluate everything and take a step back. And that sparks new ideas. We’re talking about releasing some B side edits ahead of the video we are working on, our books have never been so organized, and our back stock is getting a well needed cleanup. When you’re caught up in the rat race and just focused on the day to day, you miss things. This is helping us look at everything that might have slipped through the cracks. We will rebuild and get through this. We will get the momentum back and be stronger than ever.

 

SEASONS SKATE SHOP
ALBANY, NY

Trevor and CB of Seasons Skate Shop
Photo: Jersey Dave

How have you adapted with everything going on with Corona?
Corona has affected us mainly by breaking up our day to day flow. We are closed to the public. That said skateboarders are an amazing breed. The online support we have received in the past two weeks has been great. Friends from all over the place showing love. We have been busy daily keeping up with just that. Thankful for all of it. We’re currently running the shop by showing up everyday, shipping and receiving, adding items online, consolidating and organizing everything on there, sending everything in the store free of shipping charges. Also, we’re getting serious about finishing projects that we have been chipping away at and longer term stuff like renovations, organization, storage, etc.

Did you have a big online business before this?
I don’t know if we had a big online business. But again- homies all over the place, coupled with a constant flow of shop gear in here, made it so most days at least something ships out of the shop. We have always spent time every day on our online store. We really try to make it easy for everyone to get what they need. We had a pretty good online flow before this all started.

Are there any product releases or content you’ve created that you’re pausing to put out, or are you moving forward with everything you’ve had planned?
Our timeline is currently pretty stacked up. Lots of projects, lots of shop gear. We haven’t purposely pushed anything back as of right now.

Have the brands you carry been supportive?
Yeah it’s amazing. Lots of brands have pulled back their own web stores in hopes of driving their people to the shops web stores instead. Our friends at Crailtap, for example, have been making sure to post links to our online store numerous times. Vans is coming through with an insane project where shops like us get to design a shoe for their customs site. When a pair is sold they pass on the profits minus their cost and shipping to us. They put that together fast. Pretty amazing.

Sounds like your community overall has been really support.
Yeah man, the community is all in this together. We have been working with everyone individually via phone calls,emails, DMs, etc, to get people what they need. Although its obviously not chill right now to go to the skatepark and all chill in close quarters, skating as a whole could definitely stay healthy and even thrive. Our downtown here in Albany is empty. It’s crazy. And that creates quite a desirable atmosphere for skateboarders. It’s becoming weird as we speak though.  Not sure if we are going to start being told not to skate (or go running or biking or whatever) alone at some point soon. A lockdown or whatever would be pretty fucked up, but for now it seems like skating aloneish is cool. Hope it stays that way.

What can everyone do to help at this time?
Stay healthy, stay safe, have common sense, keep skating if possible, keep supporting one another in all ways. Venmo tips to bartenders is pretty sick. Stuff like that is awesome to see. A community collectively being scared and disrupted all showing love to each other. That’s the shit.

How do you think this will all affect your shop in the long term?
Depends on how long this madness lasts. We are in New York State which has the scariest numbers right now. So it could be a while. I don’t expect to be slammed busy everyday of it. But we will be here doing what we can for every and any one throughout this. I think once everything has mellowed out and the businesses are clear to operate as normal again we are going to see a sense of community stronger than ever. Excited for that.

 

HUMIDITY SKATE SHOP
NEW ORLEANS, LA

Philly Santosuosso of Humidity Skate Shop
Photo: Trenity J Thomas

How has Corona affected your business?
We’re going on two weeks with our doors closed. We’re still taking online orders, but we’re not even really supposed to be out at the shop packing and shipping them. The city is talking about fining people now. We asked everyone that’s ordering stuff to give us some time with shipping. We’re basically shipping once a week, when orders build up. My main concern right now is safety and I’m not trying to put my guys at risk. I appreciate all the support and the online orders. We need it 100 percent. There’s also the part of me that says everyone really shouldn’t be going out skating with all their friends right now.

Have brands you carry been supportive?
Yeah, we have a Vans shoe coming out. They have this program and other shops are doing it too. Basically, the shops design a part of the shoe, we designed a top cap, and then customers can customize the back. It’s all through the Vans site, it ships from them, but they give us profits on it. That to me is really cool and helps. The homies from Parade have helped a lot, too. They hit me up asking if we had specific items and we did, and they had a customer that wanted a bunch of it.

I don’t really think it’s on the brands to solve this. It’s kind of like none of us know what to do, so we all just have to work together to help one another. Shops shouldn’t be looking to brands to figure this out. I talk to Jim (Thiebaud) like every week and all the factories are closed, they can’t make wheels, they can’t make trucks right now. Of course they will figure it out, but it’s messed up for everyone right now.

How has your community come together?
We have one of the most amazing communities I’ve ever seen. And we have the sneaker community too, so it’s even a bit bigger than just the skateboarding community that comes out. And everyone has offered to help. But I’m just telling everyone to stay put, stay safe, stay home and let this thing pass.
Seb (Walker) did something really cool. He’s selling his paintings online for $20 and then telling the person that buys it to pick a skate shop and he donates the $20 to the shop.

But overall our community is amazing. I’m going to try and put something big together when all this is over. Like a huge skate jam and get other small business around us involved, too. Do something big for everyone.

How do you think this will affect your shop in the long term?
I think this is going affect a lot of things. Like online shopping for sure. But also I can see people traveling a little less. I don’t think people are gonna be splurging like they were, because now they can see how quickly everything can change.

Are there any positives you’re taking from this?
Well, I miss skating again. I miss just having coffee in front of the shop. So it’s helping with perspective. It’s also helped with more time for creativity, not just through the shop, but as a skateboarder. I have a lot of stuff coming up, another collection with Butter Goods, some cool stuff with Vans in the works for down the road. It’s been good to just be creative, and honestly to forget about the day to day at the shop for a bit. Like I’m not here just trying to figure out how to be the best business. This is what I love to do for a job, but it’s sick to focus on me and being creative right now.