Juggling hardcore and mainstream customers requires more skills than a nose manual. Source asked European skateshops about their state of balance.
Skateshops rarely survive on core customers alone. Fashion victims, sneakerheads and other species are supposed to bring in that extra Euro to pay the rent. But while we’re obsessed with handing out the labels – “hardcore” and “mainstream”, the transition from one to the other slowly smoothes away. Brands with a core skateboarding background are opening up, whilst mainstream brands prove that they can enter this sensitive market successfully. Skateshops – and skateboarders – have to redefine their self-image. Holger von Krosigk inquires about the convenient and less convenient truths of handling the (core) business.
Sometimes little things can leave an impact that is far greater than anything anyone can imagine. Best selling author Malcolm Gladwell calls this a social epidemic. This is what happened to hip hop culture, and Gladwell would likely compare that to measles in a kindergarten class – starting with one little grommet who will ultimately spread the virus to all of his companions. It reaches the tipping point and everything blows up. It may also explain what happened to the virus of skateboarding or, excuse me, to “skateboard-related fashion/lifestyle/sneaker-culture”.
Indeed, the virus skateboarding’s retailers are concerned with doesn’t include switch nosegrinds or Kickflips. But the impact of skateboarding on the level of streetwear and lifestyle is off the charts. The good news is, when the mainstream buy themselves a piece of skateboarding quite often this happens right at the local skateshop. It sounds easy, and we could end our success story right here – mission accomplished. There’s just one thing that is continuously interfering with the mass adoption and consumption of skateboarding; the soul of skateboarding.
Skateboarders, who are they again? Let’s try an old-fashioned definition: “urban counter-culture-guerrillas with an above average representation of individualism and the unconquerable will to never surrender to its greatest enemy – the masses.” This definition may not be up to date in 2008, but those are the roots. And with the largest part of the retail industry still in skateboarders’ hands, I can feel some tension. It’s that never-ending story again, of skateboarding vs. the masses.
For skateshops, however, the acceptance of the mainstream has become an essential step in order to survive. Even die-hard core shops are bound to compromise by selling to customers who have never heard the grinding sound of trucks on concrete. Some retailers don’t care; others are struggling to stay true to their ideals. The important question is, exactly how important are mainstream brands and customers to individual shops? And where are the limits of expansion for a business bearing the label of ‘skateshop’? In other words, where is the tipping point - the threshold that downgrades skateboarding to a pure hobby inside a streetwear boutique? Since everyone has different views on what’s mainstream and what’s core, I decided to interview a handful of European store managers and ask them to define their position.
Drawing The Boundary
If we start asking retailers how much of their turnover comes from the mainstream corner, we should start by defining this segment. Flo Schneider from Partizan Skateshop in Mainz, Germany, says it’s a matter of perspective. He wouldn’t sell mainstream brands but notes that “maybe Nike SB or Volcom go in that direction, but I would hardly consider anything in my shop as strictly mainstream.” While for Rasmus Boje from Manual Skateshop in Arhus, Denmark, mainstream begins with “brands like Carhartt, Skullcandy, Adidas and Nike”. And Germany’s Pat Lindenberger, a professional skateboarder for Trap Skateboards – as well as core shop rep – the mainstream begins with Vans, although he concedes that they do have a strong skate team and a good image. John Boot of Left Skateboardwinkel in Rotterdam, Netherlands, has a different but plausible definition, “There is only one mainstream article in our shop and that’s shoes. A lot people wear sneakers and where do they find the best assortment and all the exclusive models? In a skate shop.” But even John adds, “We don’t buy stuff specifically for mainstream customers. Well, maybe for mainstream skateboarders.”
Even if there are different opinions on what’s mainstream and what’s not, it’s interesting to speak in terms of percentages. In other words, where does the money really come from? I asked shops to disclose the percentages of their turnover – mainstream to core. Manual’s Rasmus Boje says he has a good quota of 30% mainstream and 70% core, while Left Skateboardwinkel’s John Boot sees 80% on the core side. Bard Grøttum of Badlands Skateshop in Tromsø states proudly that he has 90-100% turnover from core skateboarding products. However, most core shops realize that they are losing out on sales by not stocking mainstream brands.
Skateboarders Have Changed
The subject becomes even more complicated if we try to define core and mainstream customers. Flo Schneider, for example, questions skateboarders’ consumer behaviour and sees a transition, “Skateboarding is changing – with metrosexuality and the ‘superstar wannabe’ trend. Skateboarding itself isn’t the thing anymore – sad but true. And even if the kids take up skateboarding, it’s often for the wrong reasons – because they want to be like Ryan Sheckler or Bam. Those people have no feeling for skating and would buy at H&M if they would find the right gear there.” Flo’s answer is to boycott those trend followers by banning certain products from his shelves. Rasmus Boje has two explanations for mainstream brands to move towards skateboarding. “On the one hand, skateboarding has become more mainstream. On the other, skateboard brands are leaving blanks in their assortment. Skateboarders have become more fashion oriented, so if skateboard brands aren’t offering those products we have to find them somewhere else.”
Sales Space
The compromise between hardcore and mainstream is reflected in the shops’ turnover, but also in the utilisation of sales space. Badlands Skateshop in Tromsø, Norway, is a textbook core shop, but as owner, Bard Grøttum says, “shoes and clothing take up most of the space.” It’s a compromise, he admits, but a necessary one, “In the end you’re running a business, and if you live in a city where skaters haven’t heard of Julien Stranger or Karma Tsocheff, you have to compromise. If the shop is going downwards, you have to make some changes, even though Johnny Hardcore might think you’re selling out. But as long as you give back to the skateboarders, it’s fine!”
With the inclusion of Volcom, Partizan Skateshop, consciously wants to attract more ‘normal’ or ‘mainstream’ customers, but without losing touch of the hardcore philosophy. “As long as you care about skateboarding and give back to the scene, I don’t see a problem. With Volcom, Partizan will go towards a shop-in-shop concept and reserve a specific corner of the shop for Volcom”, explains Flo Schneider.
The influx of mainstream products can bring new opportunities, but not without risks. Thomas Walker from SigSagSug in Winterthur, Switzerland, sees better margins, more reliability, but also the risk of losing image. “It’s really difficult to find the right mix of mainstream-oriented and core products. Everyone has to decide that for himself. We are somewhat in between.” he laments.
The Must-Have Brands
In the ‘credibility vs. money’ game, most shops go for a good balance. Almost unanimously, shop-owners agree that certain brands are essential if a retailer wants to survive in the competitive market. “Lifestyle brands like Carhartt”, says Rasmus Boje. Thomas Walker adds “DC, Vans, Billabong, Plan B, és, Matix and many more”. John Boot says it’s not only about the brands, “it’s important to keep an exclusive assortment.” But for small shops, he says, “DC, Vans or Nike SB are indispensable... but only because there’s probably not another shop in town selling those brands.”
About Compromises
– And The Limits Of Expansion
Most skateshops have their own ethics concerning what they do and what they don’t do. While they agree to open up in order to survive, every shop has its own limit – often a difficult personal decision for store owners. If it’s a core shop, blankboards or rollerblades are definitely ‘no-go’s’. Flo Schneider goes one step further, “I have stopped selling certain brands because they are completely fake. I’m against it, and I will try my best to boycott this hype. We want to educate our kids to a certain extent.”
These decisions are, of course, pure luxury. And as we know, not everyone can get his hands on every brand. Bard Grøttum cites one ironic experience. Running a core shop with just the right attitude, he asked a distributor for Consolidated boards. However, they would only sell to another shop in Tromsø – a chain store. Meanwhile, the heads at Nike SB figured that Badlands was the ultimate pick in the town – and sold SB’s exclusively to Badlands. So this is why Badlands not the chain store, sells Nike SB. And here we have the ‘mainstream’ Nike SB in the core shop, exclusively, and ‘hardcore’ Consolidated Skateboards in a chain store.
Chill Out Space
Just because you can find Nike’s and Carhartt around almost every corner doesn’t mean you can’t find out which store is core. Just look for the screen with the skateboard videos and the kids chilling on the couch: sales space vs. hangout space. And if you ask me, that’s what a real shop needs - real skateboarders. The downside is that your average jock on a mission to find that Volcom zipped hoody to complete his counter-culture outfit may be deterred to find 16-year-olds hanging around and making fun – possibly of him. But most store owners have their way of handling the skatepack. “It’s the classic problem,” says John Boot, “skateboarders just have to know that without normal customers a lot of shops can’t exist. You have to explain it and they will act normally – for a while!”
Bard Grøttum, owner of “the last shop in Norway with a VCR”, agrees... he would never tell a kid to move out of the way. “That is one of the main reasons I started Badlands - to have a shop where skaters could meet up, watch a video, talk about whatever and just be skateboarders.” And John Boot concurs, “They can do almost everything they want but they’re not allowed to skate inside the shop, although sometimes they do.”
A New Definition
As we can see, the crucial point about core skateshops is not only the brand portfolio but also the right definition of goals. If a store owner compromises by attracting more mainstream customers in order to be able to give back to the scene and keep things alive, everyone is happy. In the 80s, most windsurfing shops were wiped out because the impact of windsurfing on fashion began to wane. Skateboarding may lose some of its exclusivity as more and more brands flock into the market from outside. But skateboarding as a culture and form of art is too genuine to become superfluous. As Bard Grøttum points out, “There will always be good people and shops and companies to carry the torch and keep it good. We have to work harder. If you want to be core, you have to shed some blood, sweat and maybe even tears.”
In the end, it’s a matter of expectations. It may be impossible to run a skateshop in a good location and rely solely on hardcore skate brands. But leaving aside the small compromises, core skateshops aren’t run just for the sake of profit maximisation. All of those interviewed here, accept a decline in sales in order to stay true to their ideals. They go for the smooth transition, and in the opinion of this writer, smooth transitions are always good. Crazy people. Good people.
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