I'm a little bit unsure how I want to begin this little essay I'm about to write here. So, I'm going to randomly begin here:
Michael Brooke (of Concrete Wave Magazine) and I (of The Solitary Life Blogger Crappiness Worldwide)... technically speaking... are vile and relentless competitors.
It's true. Technically speaking, we're both media outlets. Technically speaking, we're both competing for the same sorts of readers. Technically speaking, we're also competing for many of the same advertisers. Technically speaking, we both have personal and professional agendas that don't always mesh together well. Technically speaking, we're probably each others biggest critics (or, is a better word "critiques"?). Technically speaking, we're also many times competing for the same stories, the same contributing writers, and the same photographers.
So, yeah. Technically speaking, maybe we should both wise the hell up, and start fighting each other tooth and nail. Because we are, after all, competitors.
However, here's the everyday reality: Michael Brooke and I are actually super-good friends. In reality, we actually share a lot of resources. Michael writes for The Solitary Life, and I write for Michael. We undertake a lot of projects together. We spend a lot of our time bouncing ideas and insights off each other. We definitely learn a lot from each other, and value each others opinions. We allow Michael to advertise his magazine on The Solitary Life, and Michael also advertises The Solitary Life to his readers at the magazine. When the shit really hits the fan, we're both grabbing for the phone to call each other and figure out what the hell needs to be done, and how fast we need to get on it. Realistically speaking, we actually offer each other a lot of mutual support, and mutual respect. Even though, technically speaking, maybe we're both absolute retards for doing so.
So, I guess the obvious question becomes: Why are we so stupid?! Why don't we just do what we should be doing, and start calling each other "gay", and kicking each other in the nuts at every available opportunity...?
Well, the answer is this: We actually get a whole hell of a lot more done... and, cause a lot more damage to the "status quo"... and, I might add, we have a shit-ton more fun doing it... when we work together, than either of us ever could hope to ever accomplish by being jerks to each other, kicking each other in the gonads, and strictly going it alone.
Yesterday I was at a skate shop, talking to a skate shop owner about the Homegrown Summit. This guy was fundamentally, a really awesome guy. Very bright, super articulate, mega insightful, and he had a pretty witty sense of humor to boot. Basically: The kind of dude that's always a pleasure to meet. Just, a really rad all-around bloke. I don't need to tell you who it was: He knows who he is. And, I'd really like to thank him tons for his time, and his insights. I learned a whole bunch of stuff. Among them: The present-day outlook of the average, everyday, struggling skateshop owner.
But like a lot of shops, this guy did have one philosophy that I sorta had to fundamentally disagree with. And, that philosophy was that he- as a shop owner- is an island. An individual. That simply sees no need in working with anybody else, on anything else. The only thing that matters in skateboarding, he said, was Individual Effort, and Individual Results. Skaters are, after all, selfish and solitary people that are at their very best when they're left entirely alone to do selfish and solitary things.
Which, of course, I naturally agreed with. Somewhat. I do, after all, run a blog called "The Solitary Life". If there's any guy that can totally appreciate the value of selfishly solitary pursuits, and selfishly solitary results, it's me.
The key word in all of that, however, is "Somewhat". The problem is that I [obviously] do not subscribe to this theory of "100% solitude, 100% of the time". As illustrated by my "Michael" example above, I do have the capacity to recognize the value of collaborative effort, when a collaborative effort actually helps to advance my generally selfish and solitary agenda.
Here's a few more examples that any skater worth their shit can relate to: Building a ramp. Or: Building a backyard bowl. Or: Creating a DIY skate spot. Or: Starting a DIY skate company. Or: Starting a DIY skate shop, for that matter. It is absolutely true that any single skater can undertake these sorts of projects all by themselves, without any outside assistance whatsoever. It is absolutely true, that any skater would be well-served by showing just this sort of individual spirit, and individual initiative. It is absolutely true that any skater could learn a whole hell of a lot from the individual experience. And it is absolutely true that, conceivably, any individual skater could get it all done, perfectly fine, all by themselves
But: Having a collaborative effort behind these things usually does a lot more for skateboarding, and yields a lot more fruit for the individuals involved, than they would if they were strictly individual projects. A Helping Hand is, after all, a Helping Hand. And so: Even as a selfishly solitary guy... I do sometimes value giving... or, getting... a helping hand with things.
Collaborative efforts actually extend far and wide in skateboarding. Besides the media example that I opened this essay with, another example of a major collaborative effort might include IASC. Where the bigger manus collaborate on projects. Not always successful ones... I've made an entire career, after all, based on pointing out IASC's seemingly endless list of flaws. But to be fair, a few of those IASC initiatives have actually been really, really cool. The Public Skatepark Development Guide, for example, was a real winner for IASC. And it actually helped get some really good, free, public skateparks built. Which actually helped everybody... the entire community of skateboarding.
In my eyes, that sort of thing is the ticket. That's when collaborative efforts are at their best: When everybody helps, and everybody gets something out of it. Put another way: When "the greater good" and "the selfishly solitary" can see eye to eye, and get along just dandily.
Even outside of IASC... when we look at the current crop of "smaller companies"... again, there are major collaborative efforts going on there, too. Many of these small companies work together quite enthusiastically on all sorts of projects, big and small. I talked to a company owner yesterday on my way to Cincy that is actually building a website for one of his direct competitors. Well, you might ask yourself: Why would he do such a thing?! Why in the Lord's name would he openly help his competitor market their products, and reach their customers more effectively?! His answer? "We're all friends here, and there's more than enough for everybody. Those dudes are my brothers. Of course I'm gonna help 'em out, dumbass!" Many of these small companies are actually banding together, and launching independent distribution companies, to better get their products to market. It may sound weird for small companies to work together on these sorts of things... after all, they are all "competitors".
But, there's also a quiet understanding afoot that if one small company wins in the marketplace, then they all win in the marketplace. If all of these efforts actually make it easier for everyday skaters to make individual, DIY contributions to this industry of ours... well, why not play a part in that?! After all, shouldn't the skateboarding industry be run by the very skaters that it's there to serve...? Small companies are the first guys to say "Yes" to that one. So: They're paving the way for even more skaters to own even more companies that can realistically survive... even thrive... in the current-to-future marketplace. Because everyone thinks that would be great for skateboarding. And so, everyone seems to be lending a helping hand to make that happen.
Thinking about it: The only place where there is not a widespread acceptance of collaborative, mutually beneficial support, is among the independent retailers. The independent retailers, after all, are the islands of the industry. They are generally hateful and bitter competitors. And as such, they're all generally at each others' throats, all the time. Which is not only fundamentally out of touch with what skateboarding is all about... it's also horrendously out of touch with what's going on all across our industry, today.
I might add: It also conveniently helps those capitalistic, corporate ass-munchers at Zumiez, via the "divide and conquer" theory. Just wanted to point that one out really quick.
I, for one, have spent the better part of the last three years (maybe more) trying (in vain) to talk to shops, and get them to understand the obvious benefits of communicating with each other, and/or working together towards common goals. But, let's forget "working together" for a minute. That's a pretty hefty long-term goal, when it comes to the everyday skate shop. The much more immediate hurdle, is just getting them to talk to each other. That's plenty hard to do, all by itself.
Every shop that I talk to... every independently-owned, skater-owned, "core", whatever-you-wanna-call-it skate shop... feels mighty weird about talking to other skate shops. Doesn't even have to be the guy right up the street, or across town. It could just as easily be a shop across the state, or across the country. I ask these guys, "Don't you have things you'd like to ask other shop owners? Don't you have questions and insights you'd like to share with somebody that you can relate to? Somebody that understands your challenges?"
And of course, every shop that I talk to says "Sure, Bud! That would be awesome if I could do that!"
But then: No shop does anything at all to make that happen. And the whole circle begins anew.
Even when a chance to do so something presents itself front and center, shops are generally pretty damned hesitant to seize the opportunity. A few years back, I worked on a concept called "The Collective". Which was essentially a free-to-join skateshop union. The philosophy was simple: Strength In Numbers. And, Job One being to get shops talking to each other, and sharing ideas, experiences, and expertise amongst themselves. Although it was a minor success, it was in many more ways a dreadful failure. Some shops were hesitant to participate. Many were openly questioning of the whole shebang. Others still were outright negative, while a few of the more memorable ones were actually pretty hostile and hateful.
And, the net result was that many of these shops went right back to being islands. Not all of them. But: Most of them.
The irony here is that, while the independent retailers largely decided to stick their heads in the sand, or up their asses... the media, and the manufacturers actually developed really good working relationships amongst themselves, and with each other. So while the "intended beneficiaries" didn't get a damned thing out of it, the "unintended beneficiaries" actually got a shit-ton out of it. And while I'm happy that somebody ultimately did get something out of it, I still walked away thinking that the whole gig was really pretty fucked up. Because the "intended beneficiaries"... the guys that were supposed to get the most out of it... actually ended up getting the least. And, that was largely due to their own hesitation to even get on board with the concept.
Now, if you know me at all, then you'll surely understand that I am not a guy that gives up particularly easily. I love me a good challenge, and a tough nut to crack. Independent skateshops today, are the last of those tough nuts. The whole reason for having an Industry Summit, is to have The Industry... independent retailers included... come together, and work in a collaborative manner that benefits everybody involved. Including, the independent retailers.
Yet as I'm putting this all together, I am seeing once again the specter of the same-'ol-situation happening all over again: The media and the manus getting a hell of a lot lot out of the ride, and the independent retailers not even being on the wagon.
At some point, the independent retailers have to understand that winning at "the game" means having a willingness to step up, and play the game... play it well... and, play it to win. Because if you're all about losing, then why in the hell wouldn't you just throw in the towel, concede defeat straightaway, and march your ass home...? It might make sense to you. But, it sure as hell doesn't make any sense to me.
I get asked a lot, why am I so passionate about these things? What's in it for me? Well, really, there's not much in it for me at all. Minus being an interesting project, and an opportunity to make a difference somewhere, and/or learn something along the way. All things that I'm pretty motivated by. Mostly what I actually get out of all of this is a migraine, and a recurring chain-smoking habit.
But, there's other reasons why I masochistically torture myself on a regular basis with these sorts of "fun little projects". Here's one of them that hits close to home: I, as a skater, quite literally grew up in an independent skateboard shop. I whittled away a hell of a lot of my formative years hanging out in skate shops. Watching, listening, and learning. As a kid, it was my afternoon day care, and my learning portal to all things "skateboarding", as well as a whole lot of pretty important "life lessons". It was a vital part of my youth, and it really did shape, in many ways, the adult that I am today.
And even as an adult, I still heavily rely on independent skate shops to get from here to there. A case in point: In my many travels back and forth across this great skateboarding land of ours. In that case, I literally rely on independent skate shops to get my fat ass from "here", and to "there". Skate shops are an infinitely handy and informative, nationwide network of people that know what the hell is going on in their backyards. When they know what they're doing, at least. As a roving reporter, that shit is kind of important to my work.
Try walking into a Zumiez, and getting directions to the local skatepark. Trust me: I've certainly tried. And, trust me: It's absolutely fruitless. Bordering on ridiculously hysterical. I'd probably laugh my ass off, if I wasn't crying already.
Without "real" skate shops, my days as a storyteller would definitely be over. No shops? No scenes. No scenes? No directions. No directions? No travels. No travels? No adventures. No adventures? No misadventures. And, finally: No misadventures? No stories.
And so, there ya go. Frankly put: The idea of living in a skateboarding world without independent retailers scares the living shit out of me. Skateboarding, without independent retailers to support local local kids, local scenes, and local skateboarding communities, just wouldn't be "skateboarding". It would be lifeless.
As I rode back to Lew's after a long day of "skateshop diplomacy", I asked the kid that I was toting around how he would be personally affected, if his local independent skate shop ceased to exist. Immediately, he replied that he wouldn't be affected one damned bit by it at all. Which is probably, a pretty common mindset. Which might go a long way toward explaining why so many independent skate shops are going out of business, today. The customers just don't give a shit. Let alone, two shits.
But then, he sat and thought about it for a minute or so. And as he thought out loud, he started talking about how that shop had really always been there for him. How that shop had given him a sense of self-worth and of self-esteem, while all of the other shops in his 'hood were way too cool to even be bothered with talking to him. How this particular skate shop always had a welcoming vibe, a friendly smile, and easy answers to all of this kid's questions. And how this shop had really supported him, and his skateboarding, right from Day One.
And as he thought about it, he said "You know what? I guess I would be pretty affected by it." And the more he thought about it, the more affected he realized he'd be. The final answer being that he would actually be quite affected, bordering on "extremely affected".
My biggest worry in the world, is that skateboarding is made up of millions of skaters, and skate company owners that are not as reflective, or not as imaginative, as that kid that I was toting around in my car yesterday. I think that we all assume that losing a nation of independent skate shops is really not "that big of a deal". After all, the internet has put everything and anything that we could ever hope for, right at our fingertips. Skateboards are a dime a dozen, and available any time of day, any day of the year for instantaneous purchasing gratification. And that's great! As far as it goes.
But, the question becomes: How far does that really go...?
My ultimate nightmare is waking up one day down the road... many years into the future... and having all of us say to ourselves "Holy crap, skateboarding sucks! This is pretty fucked up. Where in the hell did all of this shit start to go wrong...?!" And looking back, and realizing that unbeknown to us, the independent retailer did way more for skateboarding, than merely "Supplying skateboarders with readily accessible consumables". That the skate shop was far more vital than we'd ever imagined, for reasons that (at the time) we did not fully recognize, let alone understand.
And, worst of all: Realizing that through our own actions (or, inactions), we quietly allowed them all to fade away.
For my part, a lot of the reason that I'm spending such a gigantic chunk of my time working on this Homegrown Industry Summit Shindig, is to have exactly this type of conversation. With everybody. Of course: I could always take the easy way out, write the essay, throw it up on the 'ol blog, and be done with it. But, I think that cultivating interpersonal relationships is something that I'm really into right now. To be honest, I'm just really sick and tired of typing on a screen. At some point, even a selfish solitary jackass like me likes to hit the road, and meet some actual, bona-fide people.
That's what skateboarding is really all about, isn't it...?
But for that to happen, I need independent skate shops on board. And by "on board", I need them to do one simple thing.
And that is: Show Up.
There's one more thing that I think every skateboard shop, every skateboard company... hell, every skateboard business... needs to understand and [hopefully] embrace. The biggest critique that I have heard about these trade shows/industry summits/whatever-you-wanna-call-'ems, is that they merely exist to do bu$ine$$. To buy and sell stuff. Which is partially true.
But: Not entirely.
In my world, these things do more than just being a place to do business. In my eyes, they also exist to help perpetuate business. There's a key difference there. And, it's an important distinction to make.
Let's face facts: A lot of skateboard business owners start businesses with the intent to help other people. In the realm of skateboard shops, a lot of these guys (and gals) start shops in order to help kids. Skaters. Their local skate scenes, their local communities, whatever. I hear that a lot, actually.
Well, here's the problem: A skate shop can only help other people, if it succeeds and prospers. The same goes for any company. In order to help other people, the first and foremost thing that any business needs to do, is to perpetuate it's own existence. The harsh reality being that a business that goes out of business, isn't in any position to help anyone at all.
The biggest downfall of most trade shows- as I see it- is that they are generally far too narrow in scope, and purpose. "Doing business" is only part of the equation. But, the far bigger part of the equation is helping manufacturers and retailers network, interact, and discover better and more sustainable ways of perpetuating their businesses. For the benefit of everybody involved.
That's where we... all of us that are involved with this project... all hope that a summit like Homegrown can make a difference. But, like so many things in skateboarding: There's no way that we can do it all by ourselves.
Without skate shops on board, the whole rationale for having an industry summit ceases to exist. Then, it's back to "lack-of-business-as-usual" for everyone.
And I don't think that anybody really wants that...
