Skate Shop Day 2025
This Saturday, February 15th is “Skate Shop Day”. To celebrate, we’ve shared some stories, anecdotes and thoughts about a handful of skate shops that have positively impacted us. These will be told from the perspective of Birling co-owner Adam Wawrzynczak.
Seasons
Back in 2017, my brother and I drove to Albany for a concert. After checking into our Airbnb, we went straight to the local skate shop – “Seasons” for some insight into the city. The shop itself was beautiful. It was well stocked with a great brand curation and after some introductions with the homie behind the counter, we got into some more pressing questions to make our time in Albany as best as it could be. 1- where can we find some weed, 2- where are some cool restaurants, and 3- what skate spots should we check out. The dude went above and beyond to ensure that we had all the information that we needed. His answers were deep cuts, not just the shit that we could’ve learned from google. His recommendations for skate spots or restaurants were personalized to our liking. He’d ask “well, what kind of spots do you like skating” or “what area are you staying in?” etc. It was so rad…and as for the weed, he simply dug into his bag and found a nugget to give to us for free. There was a real sense that he took pride in his shop and his city. He was keen on being a proper ambassador and that inspires me to try to do the same in Ottawa. Long live Seasons!
Humidity
I have never been to New Orleans but I hope to make it out there one day. One of a thousand reasons why I want to check it out is to visit Humidity skateboard shop. I love skater owned shops, especially when the skater who owns the shop rips as hard as Philly Santosuosso. Seriously, check this shit out. It’s inspiring. Philly works so hard to keep the skate scene going in New Orleans with events, cool collaborations and more. In particular, back in 2019, Humidity ran a program where if a kid brought in their report card with straight As to the shop, they’d get a free complete. Take a minute to read this Jenkem interview about it. This program is one of the coolest things I have ever seen a skate shop do. When people talk about skate shops going above and beyond expectations and truly working hard to earn the support of their community - they’re talking about shops like Humidity. Sick name for a shop too. Long live Humidity!
Working Class
Back in 2018, I pitched an article idea to SBC called “shop swap”. The idea was that we’d check out a random Canadian city with their local skate shop playing the role of tour guide. Afterwards, they’d come down to Ottawa and we’d return the favor. They’d write an article about their time in Ottawa and we’d write an article about our trip too. Dan Mathieu at the time was stoked on the idea and suggested that we pilot it with Working Class skateshop out in Moncton, NB. We might as well call Dan cupid, cause this suggestion sparked a love affair with Moncton, Working Class, and especially shop owner Justin Allain. Justin was down with the idea and opened his house up to me, Aaron, Shogo, Adam Leclaire, and Scotty without hesitation. Our trip was awesome (as was theirs when they came down to Ottawa) and it was all thanks to Working Class. Justin is a sharp dude with such a positive attitude and a love for his local skate scene. Ever since that trip, we’ve been in touch, often bouncing ideas off each other that benefit both of our shops. He inspires us all the time! Long live Working Class skate shop!
Fisheye
In the summer of 2014, I visited Rome, Italy after spending some time with family in Poland. There is so much to do and see in Rome; it can be a bit overwhelming…and at the time, the city felt a little cold. It didn’t help that I was alone and yes, these types of cities are probably so tired of dealing with tourists. I get it. Warmth isn’t always guaranteed. In any case, after a few days of doing some more standard tourist activities, I went searching for warmth in the best way I knew how – by visiting a local skateboard shop. Fisheye skateshop, located in the “Trastevere” neighborhood provided me with exactly the kind of warmth I was looking for. The owner was so friendly and so genuinely curious about the Canadian skateboard scene. He asked me all kinds of questions and even popped out his laptop to get me to show him some Canadian skate videos. I typed “RDS – FSU” into YouTube and watched his excitement unfold. I remember specifically he grabbed his hair and yelled “No! They do this in Canada?” at the clip in the intro of the skater stealing the gun from the officer’s holster. He then returned the favor and showed me some local skate videos and past event videos from Rome. Although the shop isn’t around anymore, Fisheye made a lasting impression on me. I spent close to an hour in there and when I asked to buy some shop gear as a souvenir, the owner wouldn’t let me pay. He gave me some gear and insisted that they were gifts. I often drink out of my “Fisheye” coffee mug reminded that a skateshop can really have that kind of an impact, especially on “out of towners”. They can make someone’s day.
DLX
Lastly, although they are not a shop, we need to give a standing ovation to the whole squad over at DLX. Have you ever noticed that they are one of the only distributions that do not sell their brands on their website? They’re only available at the shops that carry them. That’s epic! It’s one of the many amazing ways in which they seriously support skateboard shops. Another is with special product “drops” for "Skateshop day". DLX is a true leader in our community and above all, I am so impressed with their “actions REALized” program. They have organized amazing fundraising charitable campaigns of various subjects over the years including several for cancer research, mental health institutes and even one for disabled skate programs led by Dan Mancina. Although there is a whole squad of individuals turning the gears over at DLX, I would like to recognize Jim Thiebaud in particular. He sent over a generous box of REAL decks to be used in the “for pivots sake” program back in the Antique days before we were even an authorized dealer of DLX products. He just liked the program and wanted to contribute to it. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Jim on one brief occasion and I have to say he lives up to the hype around him for two main reasons. 1) he is very humble and 2) he is an incredible listener. Thank you Jim and everyone at DLX for all that you do for skateboarding. We love you!
