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Carve Skate Shop
The idea for Carve Skate Shop was first hatched by a group of devoted longboarders tired of dealing with skate shops that had no expertise, no interest, and no selection in longboards. The idea began to fester in my head as I saw more and more longboarders in the parking garages and on the streets of Houston. What was the worst that could happen? I end up with a bunch of sweet longboards? So after much thought and consultation I took the plunge. Carve Skate Shop opened its doors in June 2008.
The budget was extremely tight. I found a little hole in the wall, fixed it up as nice as I could and spent all my money on boards, trucks, wheels, and hardware. No sunglasses, no shoes, no wallets. I could not even afford street and pool decks. But what I did have was what all my buddies from the garages, and the hills of Austin, and the trails of Katy, and all of the other longboard spots wanted: sweet gear.
I sold out of a lot of good stuff quick. I reordered and picked up 2 of the hot sellers and maybe another set of wheels I didn't have. Slowly I inched towards the skate shop I wanted Carve to be. New products would come in and everyone would test them. I had the heads up on what was going to sell because I skated! Just a matter of either trying it out myself or listening to another skater who had tried it out. The court of public opinion can be brutal in a tight knit community. Good products boomed and bad products just sat. Soon everyone who longboarded was on the good stuff.
Now my shop is like a club house. The newest bushing, sliding puck, or whatever gets the heaviest scrutiny imaginable by the locals coming into to "see the latest". New longboarders are getting turned on to the sport and old longboarders are getting refered to us by friends. Skate sessions at the garages, skate parks, ditches, trails and everything imaginable are coordinated at the shop.
Along the way, my buddies and I started skating more than just longboards. So I started buying decks for the pools and the ditches, popsicle decks for the street skaters I met, and pumping boards for the trail riders. Every month I tried to expand into another aspect of skating. One month it was pool wheels, the next month street trucks, the month after that aluminum downhill decks.
Now I'm pretty dang proud of my shop. We keep up with the newest trends and maintain the stock of the tried and true. Still no clothing, shoes, sunglasses, or whatever. But we have a ton of sweet sticks and we play on them most every day!
-Scotty Sheridan
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