Skatelab Launches Apparel Line In Wal Mart
adamsullivan
- March 05 2009
- 1,501 views
- 18 comments
Simi Valley, California’s Skatelab is known for their extensive skate museum, their massive park, and now their apparel line. Skatelab tees and hats are now sold in Wal Marts all across the country.
Owner Todd Huber explains the apparel licensing is nothing new, and has in fact been a part of the plan all along. “We’ve always wanted to expand beyond our building, he says, “so we’ve been licensing our name in several categories. We started with a few shirts in Macy’s, Taget and JC Penny’s, and after presenting our line to Wal Mart it was a really good fit. We came to them but they knew of us already.”
Huber says Wal Mart tested the line in a few stores last year, but by summer Skatelab apparel should be available in 1,750 stores. Shorts, backpacks, and other items are currently in development.
When asked if any Skatelab devotees were opposed to the licensing, Huber says: “Why would my customers give a shit? I think by now everyone knows it is almost impossible to build and keep a private indoor skatepark running and we have been doing it the right way for almost twelve years. I think my “core” customers know that all of our profits go right back into improving the skatepark so they will support it.”
In a recent Thrasher interview, Girl pro Mike Mo Capaldi offers his take. “They get to remake the park because of it,” he says. “Make it way better than it is now. They can sell out all they want; it’s just going to give me and my friends a way better place to skate now.” Capaldi grew up near the Skatelab, and honed his skills in the park.
“People instantly think dollar-signs,” Huber explains, “but if you know us—me and my partner Scott Radinsky—then you know it is not about the money. It’s about the skatepark, and always has been. Shit, I drive a rusty 1980 p200 Vespa everywhere.”
Tee shirts and hats sell for $7.50. Check out the park here, and view the apparel line here.
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March 5th, 2009 at 9:59 am
i don’t know about this. I would call it a sell out. Target is one thing, but walmart is a horrible store. They will probably have 20.00 skateboards with skate lab on them. I realize it is impossible to have a park and profit from it, but you still have to have integrity. I drive a piece of shit to, but thats part of owning a skate shop
March 5th, 2009 at 11:07 am
There are other ways to make money than this solution, what are you going to do when Wal mart stops buying from you and replaces it with Quicksilver? Short term solutions usually never work!
March 5th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Play with the corporate bull, you WILL get the corporate horns.
March 9th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
everythings corprate , the board your riding the shoes your wearing , the shirt you got on , wall marts were core skaters actually by there clothes , flannel seems to have gotten really exspensive lately.
March 9th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
actually some of the so called corest shops around , hate on shit but they sell nike sb and cons . what a wacky world we live in
March 9th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
which shops are you talking about 510 in berkley
March 10th, 2009 at 7:18 am
any shop that sell nike sb is not a core shop , i believe that nike sb is not attracting any new skaters but is taking money away from actuall skate companies , like emerica, lakai , and supra , there for we should not let this happen. dont do it
March 10th, 2009 at 8:05 am
thats a little funny, considering sb actually save some skate shops from going out of biz. I’m certainly not an sb fan, but they do bing in a new customer if you get the right stuff. We don’t sell sb to skateboarders. You have to manage them correctly or they will take over your shoe wall.
March 10th, 2009 at 8:38 am
i can agree with that i guess.
April 13th, 2009 at 10:17 am
“any shop that sell nike sb is not a core shop”
So…..are you saying that Nike am Thoetis Beasley and pro Omar Salazar are not core????????????
That’s a topic for another discussion. Lets stay on target here. Biz is biz and putting food on the table is everyones priority.
Here’s why I would do it.
20 bucks for a complete opposed to $100 bucks at a “core” shop. I don’t know any parent that would plop down $100 bucks for a complete for a kid just starting out and core shops will laugh at the thought of selling completes for 20 bucks. Remember, quality costs money and if you’re a core shop owner you only want the best for your customers. Your reputation depends on it.
So for a kid who got a glimpse of a touring pro and now has skate fever, $20 makes sense.
If he gets hooked cause he learned a kick flip in the first week, now you’ve got a stoked consumer who’s parents will fork over the big cash at the core shops.
Ask any pro about their first board.You might get an answer like “My first board was a janky piece of shit my parents bought from FEDMART.”
Selling to Target which means VOLUME for your contractors and making a few bucks can give you the “capital” for product R&D or in Skatelabs case, constantly putting in new park terrain or opening another park.
lbs og asks: “what are you going to do when Wal mart stops buying from you and replaces it with Quicksilver?”
Move on to the next.
What’s next? News Flash!
Nobody knows! Not even the so called experts. So short term is long term. What if Target and Walmart opened up parks in back of their stores and only charged a buck and no helmet and pads. Oh shit!
Todd,
Skatelab kicks ass! Keep up the good work.