On October 6th 2018, Skull Skates celebrated their 40 years of existence, making it Canada’s oldest skate brand. The event was held at the Red Gate Revue Stage on Granville Island, in Vancouver BC, Canada. The evening was hosted by Renee Renee and DJ Vinyl Ritchie was in charge of the tunes. Speed Wobble opened up the show and then Dub4reason from Gifu, Japan, took the stage and started playing with their mix of Dub, Doom and stoner rock. Japanese sculptural metal artist Junk Law was also present with pieces of amazing metal sculptures. Happy 40th Anniversary Skull Skates!!!
Photos by Olga Aguilar and Sara Siraj of Out of Step Productions.
Junk Law Art Website – http://www.junklaw.jp/exhibition.html
Sara Siraj photography – https://www.instagram.com/outofstepproductions/
Olga Aguilar photography – https://www.instagram.com/saraalysa/
Junk Law artist- https://www.instagram.com/junklaw666/
DUB4REASON vocalist – https://www.instagram.com/master_kame/
Skull Skates – http://www.skullskates.com/catalog/
40 YEARS OF SKULL SKATES: NO MORE BAD FUTURE.
INTERVIEW WITH PD
INTERVIEW BY MURF
What made you want to start Skull Skates and a skate shop over four decades ago?
The shop [ PD’s Hot shop] actually opened 42 years ago in 1976 due to a scarcity of pro equipment in Canada at the time. Skull Skates started two years later in 1978 because we wanted to make better skateboards than what were available at the time.
Describe some of the highs and lows in retail for Skull Skates over the years?
Highs would be all of the amazing events we have either produced or taken part in sponsoring over the years including the one we just had for the 40th anniversary with dj Vinyl Ritchie, mc Renee Renee, hardcore band Speed Wobble supporting Japanese dub-metal band Dub 4 Reason headliners. Japanese sculptural artist Junk Law was in attendance and displayed an amazing metal sculpture commemorating the 40th and the big surprise of the evening was Mr. Chi Pig doing two SNFU songs with Dub 4 Reason. A low point was maybe living in the shop sleeping under a clothing rack and taking bird baths in the sink cause I was so broke for a year or so in the early ’90s. I was just so grateful to be dry and warm …could have been worse!
What are your tactics for paying the rent when things are slow in skateboarding?
Having had personal interests in many other things informs how the flow of the business goes. It gives us the ability to design, pioneer and innovate in areas like snowboarding, cycling, skimboarding etc. These other interests always revolve around the foundation though, which is skateboarding.
Which parts of running a skate shop have been the most rewarding for you personally?
Our shop, being a community hub as any good skate shop should be, plus skateboarding is and has been my job since I was 14 years old. If you love skateboarding, it just doesn’t get any better!
With people doing a lot of ordering online nowadays, does that effect you or do you have a loyal customer base that just loves coming into the shop?
We began our mailorder service our first year in business and have never stopped. We launched skullskates.com in 1995 and continue to supply the world via that platform. These things augment our business but our shop is open 363 days year as we find many Skull customers to be stoked on the interaction with our shop thugs and the ability to see, touch and compare things before deciding their best option.
What are you looking forward to over the next 40 years?
We have never looked into the future with any kind of distance, there has never been a business plan at Skull Skates it’s more of a day by day deal. Skateboarding will go were it wants to as it always has and we will be there right along with it.
Is skateboarding at a peak in Vancouver, in comparison to the past? Is it going down or up or is it level?
Our opinion is that the act of skateboarding worldwide as an action has never been healthier, but the industry side of skateboarding is fucked mostly because of greedy brands over-supplying the market with sub-standard Chinese made goods. It does not matter what the industry is, when the supply becomes greater than the demand, it’s a buyers market. That’s basic economics.
Describe to people why you sponsor Bill Danforth. Why wouldn’t ya?
Bill Danforth IS skateboarding. Period. Skull Skates is down with skateboarding. Nomad’s abilities on and off the board shine every time.
What is your duty now for the future?
Our job as the oldest skate shop and oldest skate company in our country is to continue turning pedestrians into skateboarders wherever and whenever possible. No More Bad Future!
Is there anyone you want to thank or give respect to that helped you out through the years?
Family, co-workers, supporters, riders, artists and everyday people that have made Skull Skates what it is for the past four decades, plus that kid that bought a sticker in the shop today.
Congratulations to Skull Skates on keeping it rolling for 40 years!
