In a world of so many shops with both a growing and falling skateboard scene across the world (sometimes seemingly happening at the same time) we at Schlaudie Skate Co drive the push for #SupportYourLocalSkateShop. Local skate shops are the back bone of the local skate communities. We at Schlaudie want to identify a skate shop a month and try to bring a little bit of attention to the shop, their community, and the love they create toward the passion of skateboarding.
Today, I have Kevin from Norse City Boardroom. I caught up with him at the end of a shift right in the middle of this crazy Covid-19 Pandemic. I first came into contact with Kevin much the same way that many people do in this digital age, on Instagram. Norse City Boardroom has only been stocking Schlaudie products since earlier this year but in that time, I feel we have begun to build a great friendship and his passion for skateboarding is easily seen.
We began talking today about the shop it's self. Located at 18800 Front Street in Poulsbo Washington, Kevin stated the shop is in the historic downtown Poulsbo. The buildings are old there. Like, real old. The area was built by the early settlers from Norway and some of the buildings were built in the 1800s. The population is somewhere around 11,000 people.
Kevin stated he opened the shop two years ago and just had their two year anniversary on July 3rd. I congratulate him for making it two years. That may not seem long but in an ever changing "rollercoaster" of a skateboard industry, you never know what next month is going to bring. I asked what made him choose the name "Norse City Boardroom" for the shop. Kevin explained that growing up in California there was a local shop in Santa Cruz that he went to simply called "The boardroom" It was one of many shops he supported growing up. He stated the "Norse City" part is simply due to the town's heritage. A fitting name if I do say so myself.
We discussed the reason for opening the skate shop. Kevin informed me that at age 51, he has had the passion for skating all his life. He joked and stated a big reason for the shop is because his wife complained about so many skateboards all over the house. He decided instead of piling personal decks in the house, he would just get a store front and be surrounded by wood all day. The perfect job for someone with this much love for the world of skate. It was once said that a man who truly loves his job never works a day in his life. He said skateboarding is just something that never leaves you. He absolutely loves it and at 51, it is his whole life.
We talked about The Boardroom, the shop in Santa Cruz growing up. I explained that I actually never had a shop growing up in my town. It was not until I was in my early 20s before our first shop opened. It only lasted a short time before Zumies arrived and opened across from it. The shop was forced to shut down nearly immediately. I asked if The Boardroom in Santa Cruz was his local the entire time. He advised it was one of many but he actually grew up in Fremont, CA. He just really enjoyed skating Santa Cruz so he would go to that area to skate and end up at The Boardroom due to that. Kevin told me the area was full of shops. If you did not skate, you rode BMX and there was support everywhere. I told him I really feel like that would be amazing. Having never had that kind of support myself, I do feel like I would be a better skater today if we had so much skateboard support in my home town. I am truly jealous. Kevin explained that he agrees. He has seen so many skaters come up due to the support their local shops give.
I asked him what his favorite brand was growing up. Kevin, growing up in the 80s, explained Powell Peralta was a real big influence during the Bone Brigade era. With that, he admitted that his favorite skater however was Kevin Staab, who was actually with Sims.
Because the Bones Brigade was mentioned, I asked about his current team and whether Norse City Boardroom had a team at the moment. Kevin stated they tried to put one together when the shop first opened but he said life kinda happened with the riders. Things came up and the team faded a little bit. As a brand owner, I can easily understand that. It is a strong commitment by all involved, especially the riders. Kevin stated he does have a flow rider, a guy who does both Skateboarding and Snowboarding. He informed me his rider just got his first true sponsorship with snowboarding. I give big props to him on that. Congrats on making that level of success so far man.
Before we finished up the conversation, I asked Kevin if he had any words for the riders of the world looking to improve in their skateboarding and sponsorship levels. He said something that I fully agree with and support. He said "Always try to first support your local skateshops and or companies!" adding that he supports all of his area's small companies, including Schlaudie even though we are not from his area. In reference to Schlaudie, Kevin said "We support all you guys stand for!" We do appreciate the support, Kevin and we are proud to have grown our friendship with you, our relationship with Norse City Boardroom and look forward to your long coming success! Thank you for supporting Poulsbo, Washington and skateboarding!
Need a skateboard? Contact Norse City Boardroom!
Norse City Boardroom
18800 Front St
Poulsbo, Washington 98370
Ph: (360) 626-1376
Insta: @norsecityboardroom
Website: www.norsecityboardroom.com/
-Justin
Schlaudie Skate Co