Who said it needs to be saved? 

I don’t have any answers, more a list of things I find myself pondering, and am hoping some of you out there might be willing to share your thoughts and predictions for the future. 

As Jenkem mentioned things were pretty great for skateboarding in 2018, the culture seems to be adapting and growing in several new directions while keeping alive some of the longstanding traditions like the full-length videos that we know and love. 

I couldn’t agree more, the culture of skateboarding seems to be headed in the right direction, although there’s been some deeply embarrassing moments and things we’d like to forget, for the most part, the community is still made up of some of the best, most creative, and resilient people on the planet. 

Similar to fast food, and cheap booze sales during a recession, skateboarding can thrive through anything.  If the economy drops off and the world is going to shit, skaters will always find a way to skate. 

I guess what I’m more curious about is what does it look like in the next few years on the business side of things. 

Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like we are at a tipping point. 

Phone > Brick & Mortar

Retail is getting harder and harder. Most brands sell directly online, and if they don’t yet, they will, it’s become imperative to stay in business. Any new brand starts with an online store first. 

Will skate shops survive the changing landscape? 

Every few months you hear of a legacy skate shop shutting its doors and not too many younger up and comers starting their own. 

Will the next generation have enough incentive to start the next wave of shops and keep skate retail sanctuaries going?

Or will the low start-up cost and minimal risk of starting their board/clothing brand or ‘influencer’ account on Instagram be too enticing? 

Are you into tech bro? 

The standard argument you hear over and over again is that the price of a skateboard hasn’t changed in thirty years to keep up with inflation or rising material costs. 

How can a shop or industry be expected to survive on such a small margin product? 

True, it’s a pretty crazy model, but the technology in a board also has not changed in thirty years either, they are still as disposable as ever. Several attempts have been made, but nothing has stuck to convince the masses that there is a board out there worth more than that $50-$60 sweet spot. Or more reasonable yet, the $40 shop board supposedly made in the same place. 

Will there ever be technology or brand valuation that can shift skateboarding into a higher margin product? If it is created, will skateboarders adopt it, history has pointed to no, but nothing is impossible, right? 

Skate shops don’t survive on pro board sales anyways, should we even keep beating this horse?  

A bigger pie  

Although it is growing, the skateboarding pie is a relatively small one. To be successful in skateboarding, it is borderline a necessity to sell to people that don’t skate. Recently some board brands have found untapped sales not only through direct to consumer sites but through high profile licensing deals that can appeal to collectors and those outside the immediate skate community.

Skateshops have relied on similar tactics to bring outside people in and keep their doors open. For a while it was snowboards, then the longboards & mini plastic boards, skate tees featured in Vogue, and one of the longest standing ones, quick-strike shoe releases. 

When the cycle of these outside customers go in and out of trend or completely fade away, where does that leave us? 

The powers that be  

The number of incredibly talented skaters out there without board and shoe deals can hurt your brain, but with all of the skateparks and brands that have popped up, skateboarding progressing in real time through Instagram and the further consolidation of shoe, apparel and media outlets, it is expected. There aren’t enough resources to go around.

There is a small number of skaters making the majority of the money while a large number of pros have side hustles to keep the dream alive.

The ‘skater owned’ shoe brands are hanging on but with some rumored to be going away. While the big four brand’s rosters are getting full and holding all the power. 

At one time skateboard hard goods companies and magazines were at the top of the food chain in terms of who ran the show. Although they’re still up there, an argument can be made that the shoe companies are now the ones deciding everyone’s fate. 

Is that so bad though? After all, they are the ones that managed to be able to pay some skateboarders even a fraction of what other top athletes make, have inadvertently funded some cool board brands, put a lot of money into growing skateboarding and are consistently driving traffic into skate shops to buy high margin products. 

You have to ask though, as a ‘Skateboard’ industry, where do we want to go? 

Who is driving our ship? 

2 Cents 

As I mentioned, I don’t have any answers, and despite the slightly ominous tone of everything above, I am not worried in the slightest. 

Going down the doomsday rat hole and pointing fingers can be fun, but ultimately it’s asinine and doesn’t result in action. 

Skateboarders will figure it out.

Changes will come, some won’t be pretty or polite, but they will always be tackled by some of the best to keep us moving forward. 

The youth will incite the radical changes, as they always have, and the industry will shift and refocus to try and keep up. 

There will always be skaters that care enough about the future to ride out the storms, to keep the shop doors open, keep the brands running when no one is buying and stay involved to ensure that the important parts of skateboarding’s culture have a fighting chance to live on. 

Thankfully, for some, skateboarding means that much. 

What do you think? 

Does skateboarding need to be saved? 

Or are we exactly where we need to be, continually figuring it out?