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Let's Talk Shop: Customer Service

This is the latest installment of The Solitary Life's of "Let's Talk Shop" articles aimed at helping skateboard shops build better businesses. In this article, I'm going to talk about something that, really, every skate shop owner and employee should already understand: Customer Service. Specifically, giving your customers Good Customer Service.

Here's the problem: In the last two years, I've walked into approximately 200 skateboard shops. At least. It might even be more than that. Out of those 200 shops, I can easily count on two hands, the number of shops that gave me "good customer service". The bigger problem is, I'm not alone. I regularly hear horror stories from everyday skaters, about shops that made... how can I say this nicely? "Persistent Customer Service Goofs"?

I think that's putting it pretty nicely...

Even today, I asked one of my skater-buddies at work how often he's gotten good customer service out of a skateboard shop? The answer was something like, "Oh, jeez man. I dunno. Maybe, once in a blue moon or something...?" Believe it or not, that's actually a pretty atypical answer. A far more "typical" answer, is "never".

I'm gonna tell you something, straight away: You're not going to find anyone in all of skateboarding, that is a bigger proponent of the independent, locally-owned skateboard shop than Yours Truly over here. But the simple fact is that, at least some of the problems that are facing skateboard shops today are caused by the skateboard shops, themselves. And, "customer service" would clearly fall into that category.

Customer Service is the one thing in your shop that is almost always free of cost... and likewise, free to give. Money just can't buy a positive outlook, or the ability to treat people with kindness, friendliness, or respect. But when it comes to running a successful business, positivity, kindness, friendliness, and respect sure can make you and your shop a whole hell of a lot of money...!

Assuming that's true, then I would probably... if I were a shop owner, today... make this piece mandatory reading for not only shop owners and managers, but for all shop employees as well. Everyone in your business... from the top, to the bottom... needs to fully understand the importance of serving your customers, and serving them well. In my world, skateboarders deserve the very best that any shop could offer, in terms of taking good care of their customers.

I mean, really... what sort of customer would freely admit to being more than happy with second, or even third-best...? What kind of customer is going to be happy with mediocre-to-shitty customer care...?!

When I talk about "customer service", I can easily break that down into three sub-topics:

- Friendliness,
- Knowing (And, Having) The Product, and
- Salesmanship



Friendliness


Out of the three, "friendliness" is the least expensive. And more often than not, the most important.

When I walk into a skateboard shop, I expect more than anything else... to make a new friend. I guess that's just how skateboarding brought me up, y'know? To make easy friends with other skaters? To have some respect for your fellow skater? Now, clearly, this doesn't happen as often as I should. Not to me, at least. And, as far as I can tell, not to too many other skaters, either.

The question becomes, why...?

Is it because, as pampered primadonna Americans, we're just raised to expect "good service" at every turn... but, not to have to give it to anyone else? Are we really that self-centered of a society? Or: Is it because shop owners, managers, and employees seem to think that they're just "cooler" than everyone else...? For my part, I don't know. Nor, do I really care. All I know is that, if the shop that I walk into isn't friendly and welcoming? Then I'm probably gonna turn tail, and walk my ass right out of there. No questions asked, and no answers needed. Just like any self-respecting customer would do, if they were in the same situation.

You're seriously not gonna find this sort of candid, no-bullshit honesty in TransWorld BUSINESS. But, you'll find it here on The Solitary Life. And, the honest truth is: If you're not making friends? Then, you're probably not making sales. Or, at the very least: You're not making as many as you could be...!





On the "friendliness" front, very few people in the entire midwest can beat Jeremy and Liz from TOC Skateshop in Terre Haute, Indiana. These are two of the most skater-friendly people, ever. Hands down.



Let me give you guys an example here. Let's start with something as simple as... answering the telephone. When I call a skate shop... I expect someone to answer the phone, first of all. If it's not a person, than I expect at least a machine to pick up, and give me:

- The shop's name, - The shop's address, and - The shop's hours.

You wouldn't believe how many shops don't do this...

But, let's assume that I get an actual person on the horn. In that case, I expect:

"Hello! You've reached Bud's Skate Shop! How can I help you today?!"

And, I expect that voice to sound pretty perky, and upbeat. Friendly...! Maybe even, happy that somebody called.

You'd be amazed at how many shops that I call, answer with the singleword, "Buhd's...". Just like that! "Buhd's". Drab. Unenthusiastic. As if I just woke the dude up from a nap, and he's pissed off by the inconvenience of actually having to answer the phone.

Believe it or not, you can easily lose a sale by giving off bad vibes when somebody walks in the door, or answering the phone like you're some sort of asshole. As a "core" skate shop, you just can't afford to lose sales to this sort of thing. Sales are hard enough to come by, as it is.



Knowing (and, Having) The Product

Knowing (and, Having) the product is a little bit tougher. The truth is, skateboarding changes really, really fast. Fashions and trends come and go at light speeds. There's only about 10,000 companies out there, trying to sell you 50,00000,000,000 new products. Add to that, that the internet has made every little kid an "expert" on everything skateboarding, and you can see the challenge of the task at hand. And, forget about actually stocking every item in the universe: That alone could easily bankrupt the average skate shop.

For my part, it's not so important that a shop carries the exact wheel that I might want. So long as the "type" of product that I'm looking for is well-represented, I'm usually happy enough with that. Even here, a lot of shops epicly fail. I've seen shops that strictly carry only hard wheels between 50 and 52 millimeters (ie, "street wheels"). But, what if I don't street skate? What if I ride bowls, ramps, ditches, or masonite skateparks? What if I have a longboard, or a cruiser? What am I gonna do with hard, 52mm wheels then...?

I hear a lot of shops say, "Well, no one comes in asking for those types of wheels!" The reason why that's the case, is simple: It's not up to the customer to "ask" you for a product. It's your job, to "have" it on hand. After all, why would a customer bother to "ask" for something that you obviously don't have in the building...? Why wouldn't they just go home, and order it online instead...?

For my part, I never go into a skate shop, and "ask" for anything. Most shops are laid out pretty logically. Boards are here, trucks are there, and wheels are in the case. If they have something that I want, it's usually pretty obvious. Likewise, it's just as obvious if they don't have anything that suits me, or my style.



Salesmanship

"Salesmanship", like "friendliness", is totally free. If I go in looking for a good, solid board that fits my style of skating, and my physical size... I expect that your "sales team" would be able to steer me in the right direction. I expect that your sales guys would point me to the hottest wheels, the newest decks, or the most durable and comfortable shoes. I expect that a salesperson would be there to tell me about new kinds of skating, and the products that are ideally suited to those sorts of things. People generally go to a specialty skateboard shop, to get personalized care, expert service, and unparalleled know-how that they just wouldn't expect to find at say, a big-box athletic supplier (Zumiez? Dick's Sporting Goods?). If you don't give them what they expect... then really, what's stopping them from going to a Zumiez, a Dick's, or to the handiest online retailer...?


That, is the stone-cold reality that I believe all "core" skate shops are facing these days. The problem is that, once you lose a customer... it's almost impossible to get them to come back. I should know, because it's happened to me.

As much as I support the "local core retailer", the cold fact is that I rarely shop at one these days. Why? Well, as far as my "local" skate shop goes... I went in one day, looking for Abec 11 wheels. I was told... like, I'm some sort of retard or something... that the "Abec" rating only goes up to 9, and that it has to do with bearings... not wheels. The problem was, the guy behind the counter must have assumed that I was just some kook that didn't know what in the hell I was talking about. The truth of the matter was that, at the time, I was working in Concrete Wave Magazine's marketing department. Given my position, I just so happened to have Chris Chaput's office, home, and cell numbers in my cellphone. Chris Chaput, if you don't know, is the guy that owns Abec 11 wheels. So clearly, the company does exist. But I couldn't convince the guy behind the counter of that one, nosiree. It almost makes me wanna ask them "Who's the 'kook' now, assholes...?!" But at the end of the day, it's really not worth it. It's just not that big of a deal to me, man.

The other shop just doesn't have anything that I wanna buy. Sure, they're more than happy to "special order" me something (if I prepay for it, if I'm not mistaken). But at that point, why don't I just go online, "prepay" the bill, and have it delivered straight to my house...?

Of course, Zumiez just sucks. Their "customer service" is an absolute joke. And I just can't bring myself to shop there, in any rate.

So, once I realized where I stood with all of my local shops, I began shopping around online. And, lo and behold, I found good 'ol Mike Hirsch at Socal Skateshop (www.socalskateshop.com). Socal does have a brick-and-mortar shop... somewhere in Southern California, I'd guess. It doesn't matter to me where it is, exactly. So long as they do have a brick-and-mortar shop, I'm cool enough with that. All I know is that, Mike always has the coolest shit in stock. He always, always knows what he's talking about (he truly excels, in that regard). And, he's the friendliest guy you could ever hope to deal with. I buy a lot of shit from him, and he always treats me right. That's why we give him free advertising at The Solitary Life, month after month. Because, he's truly a servant to skaters everywhere. And, he's clearly happy as a clam to do it.

He's not the only one, either. Dave at Sk8Supply is always good people, too. There's a few more, but I forget. I mostly shop with either Mike, or Dave.





This is Socal Skateshop's storefront from the outside (on the left), and from the inside (on the right). Mike Hirsch and crew obviously take a lot of pride in the way their store looks, and the wide variety of products to choose from. This is the way that every skate shop should look, in my book. The fact that you get expert know-how, and impeccable service are just the icing on the cake...!



Now, as a shop owner, you tell me: Why would I ever go back to shopping at your shop, ever again...?! Once I've built up a good working relationship with Mike and Dave... why would I ever defect, and take the "risk" of shopping at your place...?

I have to say that, if your shop consistently fails at customer sevice? Then your business probably deserves to fail. Period. I don't care how many demos you host, how many contests you throw, how many BBQ's you have, how good your prices are, how many boards you have on the wall, or how close you are to my house. If you treat me like I'm some sort of jerk? Then, you're dead to me.

This, is what your customers are thinking. They're probably not saying it! Because, they're probably not as rude as I am. But, I can guarantee you this much: They're definitely thinking it.
If you work at improving your customer service? Then, you've just gone a long way to making yourself a success. Nobody can do it for you... you'll have to tackle this one on your own. I sincerely hope that you read this, understand it, and use it to make your business stronger, healthier, and more profitable.

Analyzing The Analysts: Why Billabong Is Failing

Let me start off by saying this: I don't usually spend too much time reading financial analysis of publically-traded "skateboard companies". But considering that I've been bored at home with a pretty severe back injury for the past two days... I simply couldn't find anything better to do while I was laid up and rendered immobile in bed.

Of the many "industry analysts" in the market today, my personal favorite has got to be Jeff Harbaugh. Jeff's a great guy. We've had a pretty lively discussion here and there over the years. And, to be totally honest: I've learned a lot from him. He's also a very funny fellow. As "funny" as a business writer can be, I suppose... maybe even, a tad funnier. And, he's hella smart. That much is obvious, if you ever read any his writings. I would fully recommend that you do... at least once in your life. But, whether you make it past that "once" is pretty questionable.

The problem is that Jeff's so fucking brainy, that I don't really understand what he's talking about most of the time. The same held true for his recent analysis of the Billabong report, which I also totally failed to completely understand.



The Billabong Report

This week, my reading-of-choice was Jeff's analysis of Billabong's annual report. Jeff's story was sub-titled "Why Their Retail Strategy is a Match to the Economic and Industry Environment". It sounded sort of intriguing, at first. You can read it here, if you'd like:

http://www.jeffharbaugh.com/2010/08/30/billabongs-annual-report-why-their-retail-strategy-is-a-match-to-the-economic-and-industry-environment/


But, be warned! In it, you're gonna find a whole lotta crazy "analyst-speak". Stuff like currency fluctuations, Australasian sales reports, "less promotional retail environments" ("Huh?!"), EBIT ("Earnings before interest and taxes"), "remuneration reports" (Don't even ask me what the hell those are), and a couple of pages about the various Billabong-owned retail stores, and why they're basically a really good idea for Billabong to pursue.

In short: A whole lotta stuff that the average skater won't really give two tosses about.



The Billabong Empire

Before I begin my personal "analysis" of all of this, let's take a quick look at who Billabong is, and what they own. Courtesy of Wikipedia, which you can find here:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billabong_%28clothing%29


In here, we see that Billabong owns:

- "Billabong", the surfwear brand (Duh)
- Von Zipper (Sunglasses?)
- Element (Mall-store skateboards, more "softgoods" than you could ever imagine, shoes, and some lame-ass, johnny-come-lately "longboards")
- Palmers Surf (A retail chain, I assume?),
- Nixon (Watches and shit)
- Xcel (Some sort of surf-stuff that I couldn't care less about)
- Tigerlily (I'm frankly too scared to even look this one up),
- Quiet Flight Surf Shop (More surf shops),
- Dakine (Snowboard packs, waxes, and other "essentials" that nobody seems to need),
- Sector Nine (The current "sales leader" in the longboard game),
- Two Seasons (Another retailer),
- RVCA (We all know what that is...)... and, most recently,
- West 49 (The Canadian equivalent of Zumiez).



The Problem

The basic problem that I'm dealing with here, as I see it... is that most of our industry, as well as the analysts that watch and cover it... are fairly quickly running off of a giant cliff, and falling into a huge chasm of consequence from which they won't be able to recover. I call it the "Putting your eggs into the wrong damned basket" syndrome. Let me explain:

Most of the industry is banking on this paradigm of "corporate skateboarding" being "the future of our sport, and our industry". They tend to see it... if I'm reading it correctly... as a reasonable and logical "evolution" of our business model. The same sort of "logical evolution" that has historically affected other "business models" that are more or less unrelated to skateboarding. The key words here, as far as I can tell, are "historical" and "unrelated".

For my part, I'm not sure that the business evolution that affected a company like, say, Ford in the late 1950's... or Burton, in the 1990's... has any bearing whatsoever on what's gonna happen to the skateboard industry in the next five or ten years.

In layman's terms: Just because something was true "in the past", doesn't mean that it will be just as true in the future.

Remember: At one time, everybody who was anybody was convinced that the Earth was flat. I'm assuming this might have also included the "Earth Analysts" of the day...?

If we take a hard look at Billabong from Jeff's perspective... we do see a vast corporation with many diverse holdings and acquisitions under its belt, that has it's own retailer chain in place, and that has a pretty impressive cash-to-debt ratio... or whatever. So, from a "corporate analysts" point of view, yeah... maybe Billabong does look pretty fancy-ass over there.

The problem is that, from a skaters' point-of-view... all I see is a horrendously "dated" business model, filled with a bunch of brands that reek of either gayness, decline, or indifference. None of which bode well for Billabong's long-term future.

Of course, I'm no surfer over here. And clearly, Billabong has "positioned" itself as a much larger "player" in surf, than skate (or snow, for that matter).

Still, I think that my basic assessment still holds true: While the next quarter or two might look pretty chipper, and maybe there's a few good years left in The Bong's business model... I still can't see any of these brands being serious contenders, five to ten years out. A lot of them are losing customers, right now.

And, what's worse: The paradigms that govern our industry are changing, as well. That means that the entire "retail" paradigm, from the top down, is also under attack as we speak.

I'm seeing that one happen right in front of my eyes, every day.



The Paradigm Shift

Let's take "Billabong", the surfwear brand for starters. Who wears Billabong, here in central Indiana...? Well, the average "Billabong" customer is typically a clueless, 30- to 40-something male that thinks that the "wave" motif is kinda stylish, and "fresh". Being in Indiana, of course... miles away from any beach... none of these guys actually surf.

Even worse: Their kids- who also don't surf- usually opt for Hollister gear. Because God forbid, they don't wanna be caught dead wearing the same knock-off, fake-ass surf shit that their parents are rocking... which is sort of ironic, considering that Hollister is a "brand" that's rooted in pure fiction, while Billabong is actually kinda legit, and actually has some real surf-history behind it. But, none of that matters. Kids know everything, you can't tell them jack shit... and of course, perception is always reality. What does that mean? Hollister rules, and Billabong blows. And, that's just the way it is.





For most middle-americans (and even, a great many coastal-americans), Hollister represents the most "legitimate" paradigm in all of surfing. And, this is a brand that is widely known for being built on pure fiction...! This represents one end of the market spectrum, while your local, "core skateshop" is at the opposite end. Billabong, like so many others, is caught in the "murky middle" that's to be avoided at all costs.



In the world of skate, the situation is even worse. Element had a ton of credibility "back in the day" (which, to most kids, was about five years ago). But today? Element is the mall-store choice for "posers" and "noobs" everywhere. Sector Nine still has a few fires burning under the surface... but even they too will be eclipsed sooner than later by a whole second-and third-generation of longboard brands that are already smaller, faster, and far more "cutting edge" than Sector Nine ever was. Let's face facts: The last time that Sector was "cutting edge" was somewhere between 1993 and 1999. In those days, Sector was pretty much the only game in town. Today, the world is quite different. The longboard industry is "evolving" and "maturing". Whoever thinks that Sector Nine will be an "industry leader" in the coming years, is simply out of their minds. Any quick read of Concrete Wave and/or Silverfish Longboarding will tell you that Sector Nine is not a "leader" at all. Their advertising in Concrete Wave is "spotty" at best, which obviously means that an "inconsistent message is reaching the target market". And as far as Silverfish is concerned, Sector Nine doesn't even exist.

Those happen to be the two most credible medias in the entire longboard world, and Sector Nine's not even a real player in either one of them...?! What does that say about Sector Nine, today? Let alone, tomorrow...?

Even Abec 11... a specialty wheel manufacturer that has a hell of a lot more "credibility" than Sector Nine ever will... has a whole army of even smaller and more nimble competitors (that make superior products, mind you) nipping at their heels, in the form of Alligator, Orangatang, and Seismic.





Things are moving pretty quickly in the world of skate. Clockwise from top left: The brand-new Abec 11 "Centrax"; the Bennett "Alligator"; the Seismic "Hot Spot"; and, the Orangatang "In Heat". If you're a serious longboarder...? Then, you're probably riding one of these wheel brands... not, Sector 9's mass-marketed, middle-of-the-road widgets.

But, that's what mega-companies like Billabong "specialize" in! So, where's 'The Bong' gonna go from here...? A bigger company that makes lower margins on increasingly generic "pricepoint" product...? Or, a smaller company that can catch up to, and then out-develop the competition...? Well, on the "development" side... the "competition" is obviously pretty stiff, and already miles ahead. So, I'm bankin' on pricepoint crap.

Oh, almost forgot! Where'd these images all come from...?! Socal Skateshop (www.socalskateshop.com). Aka, "the internet". Which is where an awful lot of Billabong's (read: "traditional retail's") former customers are going these days... not, a Billabong "corporate store".


If you dare to transpose those various "assessments" over the entirety of Billabong's holdings, what would you see? A bright future for Billabong's shareholders? A fire sale to "liquidize" their assets...? Some sort of bankruptcy...? Or, an eventual "partnership" with Wal-Mart or Target...?



"Small Is The New Big"

That's a quote from Seth Godin that I heard from Michael Brooke a couple of years back. At the time, I thought that it was a pretty obvious truism. Today, it's more obvious than ever.

If we're going to use the various experiences and lessons learned from "unrelated industries" as our "operating benchmarks", then let's face facts and go the whole hog: "Big", is out. "Big", is dead. "Big", was the ultimate measure of success for decades. But, not today! The fact is that Ford was huge, in the 1950's. And Billabong is huge, today. But, if we look at Ford's "global performance" over the last 50 years, we can very clearly see that the car-consumer of today is vastly different than the car-consumer of today. And likewise, the goals of a car maker are vastly different, as well.

In Ford's 1950's heydays, "success" was measured in how many millions of nearly identical units your company could pump out, and sell to masses of sheep-minded consumers that didn't have too many choices readily at hand. That is essentially where Billabong is, right now. Making tons of crap for consumers that aren't particularly "informed", or "saavy".

However: Look at the Ford of today. The Ford of 2010- as well as most of their competitors (who now number in the dozens, and not the "five" or so of 1950)- now make much smaller quantities of vehicles, but in dozens of "segments"... each "segment" aimed at a unique, well-defined, "emerging", increasingly informed, and clever audience. For proof of this, Google the new Nissan Juke crossover. A vehicle that will surely be considered awkward and ugly to most "mainstream" buyers, but will surely find a small band of loyal enthusiasts in some "niche market", somewhere.




The Nissan Juke... quite possibly, the ugliest vehicle ever built (Even taking into consideration the '58 Edsel, and the Pontiac Aztek... both abominations in their own right...). However: This is "the future" of everything... from automobiles, to...






... longboards! Bustin has carved out it's own "niche market" by offering "mass customization" as a practical means of operating. As a discerning customer, you can order any shape, any graphic, any color, and any size board you want... and built with whatever components you want. There are literally dozens of skateboard companies- hardgoods, and soft- that are increasingly tailoring their product lines to quick turnaround and customized fulfillment.

So, you tell me: Where does this leave the mega-corporation, the "independent" retailer, and the mass-market retailer...? Stale, out of the game, and dead. In that order.


Sure, it's not gonna sell bazillions of units. But: It'll sell enough to turn a profit for Nissan. And hopefully, at a profit-per-unit to justify the investment in those bug-eyed running lamps and horrendously oversized wheelwells.

We could also discuss farmers' markets. Where yesterday's "commodities" are found at today's "health-conscious, locally-owned roadside shopping emporium"! I heard a statistic from a farmer recently that said that his local farmers' market was responsible for only 5% of his volume, but 25% of his profits. Not too shabby, given that these things are usually sold by the bushel, eh...?

The simple fact is that, as the consumer find ever more options available to them... as well as ever more channels to research, compare, and purchase those options... net volumes decrease, while profit margins per unit sold tend to increase. Because, you're no longer selling masses of widgets. Now, you're selling highly specialized products to increasingly discriminating consumers.

So, what does that mean? Simple: The last fifteen years' worth of Jeff Harbaugh essays just went right out the window. Fifteen years ago, the prediction was more identical units, lower operating margins, higher promotional expenses, and rampant consolidation into an industry dominated and defined by The Mega Company. Which is both "right now", as well as "right, now".

But, it won't be either tomorrow...



The "Niche Future", is Today

Although I truly respect and admire the Jeff Harbaughs of the world, the simple fact of the matter is that I live in a world where the on-the-street observations that I make every day, tell me far more than the balance sheets of any major corporation ever could.

For example: I had a series of conversations with some of the "higher-ups" at Unity this weekend. Unity is a small hardgoods-specific brand out of North Carolina, and a frequent "advertiser" at The Solitary Life. They've been experimenting with some neat new marketing and sales initiatives over there, and I wanted to see how those were going. So: I asked.

And, the answer was exactly what I thought it'd be: Everything Is Up! Going great! Gangbusters, even!

Intrigued, I followed up by asking where the growth was coming from? Wholesale orders from independent distributors? Retail orders from independent skate shops? Maybe they finally got that call from Zumiez, or a Billabong outlet somewhere? Nope! The biggest growth market is in direct-to-consumer, online sales. Which is predictable, because the independent distributor paradigm (like the "corporate skateboarding paradigm") is dying-to-dead, the "core retailer" is too immobilized to move anywhere (or, try anything new) at the moment... and as for "big-box skate retailers", the Unity dudes would probably rather punch a Zumiez in the face, than to actually take a call from those fat old non-skating fucks.

So, in the world of a militant little brand with a big mouth (like Unity), there just aren't a lot of options... except to appeal directly to your target market: Other militant skaters that are sick and tired of the bullshit.

Problem is: It's working. Which only tells me that there's a lot of militant skaters out there that are all too willing to ditch everybody- Billabong, Element, the core retailer, and Zumiez included- and go with the smallest, and the "realest" game in town. And it's not just Unity, either. It's pretty much everybody. Every small, agile little company with a superior product and an audience that will listen, is taking the conversation out of the "retail store" altogether, and going to The 'Net, where everything "fun" seems to be happening these days.

Big Mess (a small company) just released a limited-run (13 total) series of Del*13 models (obscure '70s pro, but with a small and loyal online following), via an internet forum (not, a "retailer" at all), for a whopping $100 a pop ("favorable margins")... as "riders" (disposable consumer products)...!





Here's the Big Mess board I referenced above. Only thirteen made at $100 a pop, they were gone in about 24 hours, via Skull and Bones (the online forum). Photo by natedogg75... ie, one of the happy customers. I see a lot of this going on, but it's a game where Billabong is entirely unprepared, and unequipped, to play.



My question is: What's this all gonna do to Billabong's "new equity", if trends continue as they're going today...?

Let me ask that another way, if I may: Let's say that Jeff is right in his assessments. Let's say that Billabong's "retail initiative" is the right course to take, right now. Well, Where does that leave Billabong's "retail initiative", tomorrow? When everybody stops buying mass-made, identical widgets in stores, and starts buying [relatively] custom-made, highly discriminating widgets online...?



If "Small is the New Big", than "Tiny must be the New Huge"

The fact is that, in a world where everybody wants to be an "individual", and nobody wants to be a part of "the herd"... the cards are clearly stacked against mega-brands that merely "market", or "play" unique and special... and toward a landscape of tiny little brands that truly are unique and special.

In this emerging world, Billabong (and, their associate brands) are gonna be toast. And I don't give two shits what their "balance sheet" has to say about it.

In these industries of ours, the pendulum of tastes, styles, and trends is always swinging to and fro in predictable uncertainty.

Twenty years ago, freestyle was huge. Ten years ago, it was dead. Next month, we're going to the World Championships where something like 2.2 million spectators are predicted to attend.

Twenty years ago, skateboarding was ruled by the "Big 5". Ten years ago, it was ruled by the "Little 100". Today, we're back to something like a "Big 7".

Twenty years ago, "skateboarding" was massive. Ten years ago, it was recovering from near-death. Today, it's bigger than ever.

Twenty years ago, pro skaters were superstars. Ten years ago, they were living on ramen. Today, they're bona-fide celebrities with reality shows.

What Jeff and his cohorts don't realize is that, twenty years ago, we had our first wave of "corporate" skateboard companies (and "lifestyle brands"). At the time, this was new, and novel! But a few years later, they all ceased to exist. Taken down by rapidly evolving events beyond anybody's control.

Today, we live in a world where "corporate skateboarding" again seems like a sustainable paradigm for the future of our business. Once again, we've all forgotten our history, and the true nature of this beast that we live with, and that supports us. The Beast, is pretty fuckin' fickle.

If you build an empire around The Beast, and his predictably unpredictable ways? Then the future is predictably gloomy. Get with the program, and get small. Before it's too late.

The Editor Speaks: Why "The Solitary Life"...?

I don't know about you... but to me, skateboarding (and, snowboarding) are all about being an individual, and not following the herd. The "solitary", not the "masses"...

It's all about standing on your own two feet, plowing ahead, and making it happen for yourself. Designing a world that suits your tastes, and then making "that world" a reality. Respecting the yesterdays, living for today, and always planning another kick-ass adventure for tomorrow. Living life to the fullest, and [maybe] inspiring others to do the same. Breaking new ground, even if you're the only one beating down the path. Fighting for what's right, even if everyone else thinks you're wrong.

As far as doing a blog goes... I've always wanted to do a 'zine. But they're sort of a pain in the ass, and kind of expensive. This is cheaper, and easier. It's also hella faster, more colorful, a bit more "vibrant", and accessible to a worldwide audience... for free.

This, is my 'zine. If you like it? Great! Start your own, write me a letter, and tell me all about it!

If not? Go screw yourself, because I don't care. I don't plan my life around armies of detractors, and I don't stop to listen to gripes and complaints. I'm too busy movin' forward. I have places to check out, people to meet, and stuff to skate (or, ride). You, can do whatever the hell you want.

Any skateboarder (or, snowboarder) in the world can relate to this sort of steadfast independence and determination. Regardless of whether you're a street skater, a vert rider, a mini-ramp champ, a longboarder, a cruiser, an old-schooler, a bowlrider, a speedboarder, a freestyler, a freerider, a racer, a slacker, a newbie, a grom, or a kook. It's all about you, and how you choose to live your life. Not them, or thiers.

That's what it's all about. That's The Solitary Life.


Bud Stratford
Head Kook,
The Solitary Life

Aperture: Toast Demo, August 29th, 2010

Today was the Toast [Skateboards] demo at James Dillon Skatepark in Noblesville, Indiana. Here's a few of my favorite pictures from the day:





Derek Crocker, blunt pop-out to fakie on the bank-to-tombstone. This shit was gnar as hell, but he put it down like a true champ.






Jody Wiegle, bringing a smooth frontside ollie in for a clean landing.






Michael Gage, reeling in a frontside smith in the bowl (while some bored kid misses out).






Jody, frontside tuck-knee.






Michael, backside bean plant hop-in.






Jody again. This may look like a frontside nosegrind, but it's really a bit more like an ollie over the deck to crooks.







Jody, stale over the hip (and into the bowl) while some kid follows. That's Carl (the owner of Toast) doing the filming.

On The Road: Louisville, Kentucky

This weekend (August 21st, 2010), I decided to take a day trip to Louisville, Kentucky. Originally, I'd planned to spend the weekend in Cincinnati... but rain was in the forecast, and I didn't really feel like camping out in a thunderstorm. Louisville looked like it might have better weather, so I decided to do that instead.

The strange thing is, I've gone and skated Louisville at least fifty or sixty times over the last five years or so. But I typically go late at night, or during the graveyard shift in the early morning. The reason is simple: Louisville gets stifling hot in the summer, and the park's open (and lit) 24/7! So why not take advantage of that, and avoid the crowds to boot...?! The downside is that I rarely get to experience anything else in Louisville besides the park, and I've never visited any of the local shops, either.

So without further ado, here it is! My trip, in photos...:





Here's where I began my day: Lost in Shelbyville, Kentucky at a little corner coffee shop called Sixth & Main. What I was doing, was looking for a "new" skateshop that I'd discovered in the yellow pages called Gold Skate Shop. Now, you're probably asking me right now, why wasn't I in frickin' Louisville, skating?! Oh, here's why: The second that I arrived in Louisville and opened my car door to pad up, it began to rain. Like, buckets. So, this was "Plan B"- to go looking for this shop. The coffee shop guys let me use their internet, and I thought I was good to go.






While inside, waiting on my bagel and danish, I spotted this little gem! Anyone my age will instantly recognize this as one of the first-ever Apple Macintosh desktop computers ("Macs", for short, circa 1989 or so). The guys at the shop tell me that it still works, even after all these years. Kids: This is to the modern computer, what an Atari is to the XBox.

"What's an 'Atari'?!", you ask...? Never mind... Google it.






After about an hour of driving around in circles, and asking at least ten folks for directions, I finally found "Gold Skate Shop". Or at least, the address for Gold Skateshop. But, there was no skateshop anywhere to be found. So, I went 'round back...






... and, you can always tell where the skateshops "used to be", by the random promo you'll find in the strangest of places...






... which helped me deduce that this "Gold Skateshop" place actually used to occupy the back side of the building, on the lower level. My gawd, this place must've been fucking impossible to find, even when they were in business...! Maybe that explains why they came and went so fast...








Next stop: Jeffersonville, Indiana. Note the rainwater everywhere: The weather hadn't improved much.






The park looked fun... but sort of gnarly, too...






... because of weird stuff, like this wavy-flat-bank-whatever...





... or, these extremely abrupt quarterpipes. Or, those no-run-up-stairs...





... or, the harsh kinks in those "curved" blocks...






... but, this half-bowl looked fun! Now that, is straight up my alley! Next time...






The skatepark sits right next door to Jeffersonville's "Aquatic Center", which I thought was pretty funny, given all the "Aqua" that was falling all over the goddamned place. Just my f'n luck, man.






I wondered to myself if stealing this sign would be considered "vandalizing"? Because technically, I think it'd be considered "theft". And the sign doesn't say anything about "theft". I almost swooped it, but grudgingly decided against it. I've got a big enough collection, already.






Next stop: Asylum Extreme in Clarksville. Just a few miles from Jeffersonville, and right off of the interstate.






You don't see this in many skateshops, but it's the first thing you run into at Asylum in Clarksville. Asylum is part skateshop, and part "hobby shop" that sells all sorts of radio controlled vehicles, as well as a whole arsenal of paintball weaponry.





Brandon, the shop-employee that showed me around the place. Very, very friendly bloke. Note the weaponry hanging just behind him. Asylum has a second shop on the south side of town that I didn't get to this time around, because I'm a slacker.






These days, shop decks seem to be displacing more and more of the "branded" skate market. Here, you can clearly see the "brands" all over that back wall... yet, the "shop branded boards" are right up front, and on their own towering display. I can't blame shops one bit for doing this sort of thing. Most shop decks are still USA-made (unlike the "branded" stuff that is increasingly "imported")... shop decks save the kids a few bucks... the shops are definitely a hell of a lot more "relatable" to the average kid, than some ego'd-out, multi-zillionaire pro skater... and it supports the local economy, and the local skate scene. I'm waiting for an IASC "Under Sold" report to come out, to pick up where "Under Fire" left off. If IASC hates blanks, then shop decks surely must be the next big hit on their shit list...








Close-ups of the Asylum shop decks.






I thought the whole presentation was very well-done. The shop was impeccably clean, and everything looked very organized, and very easy to navigate. And their prices were pretty rock-bottom, too. All in all, a pretty good stop.






Next stop: 120 Clay St. in Louisville, just up the street from the Louisville skatepark. I had contacts for at least three different shops that were [supposedly] occupying this address... but all I found was an animal hospital. Later, I learned from the guys at Tiny Skateshop/Riot Skatepark that the shop changed hands a bunch of times, and then went out of business. Another one bites the dust...






Ahhhhh! Heaven...! Louisville's totally epic, all-concrete wonderland. That little brown building at the upper right was my next stop, but not until I got a few runs in first...!






"Heaven", up close and personal. This shit ain't for weenies, kids.






The small side of Nirvana, where the old dudes [like me] warm up, then chill out.






Now, don't even ask me why some guy would ever think to himself, "Y'know, Louisville's a pretty okay park and all... but dude, it just wouldn't be complete without a little bit of DIY fixing-upping!" This little DIY project was on the outside of a fucking 24-foot-tall, concrete fullpipe for pete's sakes! As if that's just not enough for ya, huh...?!?!






The vert ramp's showing it's age, but it's still a jewel...






This is a pretty crappy picture of Adrenaline Zone, the bike/skate shop right across the street from the skatepark. I got interrupted by some lady, asking me if I was the landlord.






And, here's the lady! Tina Scoggins, the wife of Adrenaline Zone's owner, Chris. She was so totally super-friendly once I explained I wasn't a landlord or a spy, that we totally hung out and had a chat for about half an hour. Just, a super-awesome person. One of the nicest people I've met in quite some time.






This is Chris (Tina's husband, on the left) and Adam (their employee, on the right). Just like Tina, they're both totally hospitable and friendly guys. While Tina and Chris were packing up to make an appointment, Adam showed me around the maze of the place, which led to:






An indoor mini ramp! Three feet on one side, four feet on the other side, and about ten to twelve feet wide. Free to skate for loyalist customers, and just a couple bucks for non-customers. That's a pretty interesting incentive to shop locally, right there.






The well-stocked board room. This is only about half of the decks- the rest are out of frame, to the right.






I see a lot of funny shit out on the road. This is the latest offering from Superior Skateboards... a new brand out of the Dwindle camp. I guess they've finally figured out that boobs sell skateboards. Especially barely-restrained boobs with bikini lines. The Chinese dudes that make 'em must've had a grand 'ol time heat-transferring these...






I always like to see some "diversity" in the skateshops that I visit, and this rack full of Chubby- and Fatty-equipped GFH Pygmies immediately caught my eye. It's nice to see GFH stepping up their wheel program, and flaunting 'em on their pre-assembled completes. Now, I want one!






Before he took off with Tina, Chris kindly gave me "easier-to-use" directions over to Home Skateshop on Bardstown Road. Bardstown Road cuts through Louisville's Highlands arts-and-culture district, and has a really "bohemian" feel to it. It was kind of rad, although the traffic totally sucked ass. Luckily, I swooped a parking space right in front of Home... and was immediately taken aback by the kick-ass, totally literal "home" theme of the shop.






Inside, the shop is extremely welcoming, beautifully finished, and logically organized. It just might be one of the most aesthetically engaging skateshops that I've ever walked into, in my entire life. No joke, shit, or foolin'.






Everything here screams "quality", and "attention to the smallest of little details". These guys clearly take a lot of pride in their shit.






I've never seen so many shoes in one space, in my entire life. This place was bursting at the seams with shoes. Probably because the owner (Thom Hornung) is the ex-Fallen-rep, current-Vans-rep for the midwest. He who works for shoe companies, clearly has no problem getting shoes...!






A pretty funny "cruiser" concept from the boyz at Deathwish. If you had a Creature "Bruekiller" handy, you could probably bust the nose right off this thing.






Okay, wait... I think I get it? You take the bottle, jam it into the deck... and yank the cap off? You'd better show me just one more time, because I'm still a little bit fuzzy...






After I drooled around Home for a while, it was time to zoom off to Riot Skatepark and Tiny Skateshop, which are in the industrial park that sits right off of I-64's Exit 15. In this pic, the shop is the door in front of the white station wagon; the park takes up the rest of the wing.






Almost there...






And here's the owner of the place! Gimme a week or so to track down his name, because I'm old and can't remember shit anymore. Cool cat, though! I remember that much, fersure!

There's also a skatepark in the building- that's Riot- but I got there so early that they hadn't turned on the lights yet, or opened it up. There's a small two or two-and-a-half-foot spined mini in there, though, that's about 12 or 16 feet wide. It looks like a shit-ton of fun. I would've loved to have skated it, but I didn't wanna piss off the neighbors or anything. Oh well, there's always 'next time'...






New Albany, Indiana. From the flood berm on the riverbank, it looks like a cool little scene.






And at first glance, the skatepark doesn't even look too shabs, either.






But, on closer inspection... things aren't entirely as they seemed, from a distance.






These stairs looked pretty legit, and those flat banks were pretty fun. But the park is old, and it's showing its age.






Now don't ask me why the parks department would cut out a handrail, but leave the rusty nubs sticking up out of the concrete. It's like, they just replaced a clear and present "safety hazard" with another, fully obscure (and even worse) hazard. It's easy enough to avoid an obvious handrail, but these nubs could easily become killers. Why they left the other handrail intact, is wholly beyond logic.






This short, hella wide quarterpipe was kinda fun, but totally gnar at the same time.






Note how the "coping" is set into the lip, so that when you grind, you're more than likely grinding the concrete under that fat, steel coping, instead of on it. Sketchy...!! But, fun nonetheless...






Homeward bound at the end of the day. Until next time, guys...