SHOP NEWS: Q&A With Skatepark of Tampa’s Ryan Clements

adamsullivan

• December 12 2008
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Coming into their sixteenth year, the SPOT is everything a core skate shop should aspire to. Well-stocked retail area? Yes, at all times. Skatepark? A world-renown one, on site. Events? How about the most respected pro and am contests, for the past 15 years. Website? You bet, and it’s updated so much that I will probably get in trouble for plugging it because it’s a “competitor.” Online and mail order? Check, and mate. If it seems like I’m jocking these guys because they are my friends, well, you may be right. But if you think any of this praise is undeserved, I invite you to comment below and prove me wrong.

When I was in town for the Tampa AM, I got to catch up with General Manager Ryan Clements. Together with Brian Schaefer, Rob Meronek, Barak Wiser, and twenty-something other employees, these guys show us that skateboarding is a business, but it’s still skateboarding.

TWB: What made you decide to open a shop in the first place?
RC: I guess that when Schaefer had the idea to open the park that a shop just goes with the package. You may as well have a shop if you have a park, since your customer is already there skating, right?

How’s business this year compared to last year?
It’s about the same. We’ve seen a slight decline in hardgoods and some brands and we’ve made up that difference with new brands and going deeper in existing, profitable brands.

Have you noticed a change in the past few months, online or in the shop?
Online is a bit slower, but we’re doing sales to move product. I don’t know if that’s necessarily the best long-term approach, but it’s working right now. As for the Shop, we’re seeing less skaters come through the door to skate the Park, but we’re still experiencing approximately the same total revenue, which tells us that we’re doing an okay job of offering the right product to our customers.

Which brands are doing well?
Nike SB is by far our best performing brand overall with highest volume, sell-through, and margin. KR3W jeans kill it, but Altamont is next in line. For hardgoods, Girl decks have been doing particularly well this year, along with Krooked, Plan B, and Baker following. Spitfire dominates the wheels and Indy is in the lead for trucks, with Venture right behind. Of course all Skatepark of Tampa items do well, too.

How do events, like the contests and demos, help with the shop’s business?
There is a direct correlation between increased sales during any event, which is why we’re always trying to host something. If it’s not the Am or Pro [contests], we’re doing local contests, hosting demos, or having an art show. The more people we can get through the door, the better.

How does the skatepark help with business?
If you really break it down, we’re a retail store with a skate park attached to it. Anyone that gets into the skate park business without focusing directly on retail sales is most likely going to be out of business before too long. Do the math. How many kids at $6 per session is it going to take to pay the staff, rent, utilities, and so on? Having a park for us was always the main goal, but we learned a long time ago to focus on the store if we want to survive. Additionally, having the park makes us a destination spot, because if you’ve been here you know that we’re not getting anyone just driving by and thinking, “Hey, I should go in that dirty old warehouse to buy some new shoes.”

How big is your core group of customers?
On average we get a little under 1,000 participants per week. That means that’s how many kids check in to skate, ride, etc. That doesn’t include friends, employees, moms, dads, and anyone else that skates for free or is bros with us and doesn’t check in to ride. Also, that doesn’t mean that we get the entry fee for that many people either because some have free passes, ride for free ‘cause they’re homies, are on the “$3 List” and so on.

The Skatepark Of Tampa is located in a dirty old warehouse at 4215 East Columbus Drive, and on the World Wide Web at skateparkoftampa.com.