ASR Digital LineUp - (Page 15) BlackWax mashes up punk paraphernalia with skate decks, this range of products helps support its two locations in traditional mall settings. Lower right: Whaley’s vintage skate collection at Route 44 adds layers of soul to the shop. All photos: Woody Donahue Route 44 skate shop in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood, has had its ups and downs since it opened in 2000. The first location was torn down for condo development, and the second location almost burned to the ground. Now in their third spot at 2002 El Cajon Blvd., Route 44 is not only a skateboard shop and museum, but it also sells vintage clothing alongside records and posters. Store Manager Mikey “Ratt” Whaley has brought his personal collection of vintage skateboards and other skate-related items to the shop to make a small museum space for customers to peruse and belt out the ol’ “I used to have that board” while also digging among crates for records or finding the coolest vintage clothing from the same time periods. It’s a great sell for older skaters harkening back to when they were 15 and skated all day long.Whaley says they have plenty of days where vintage clothing and record sales far outpace the sales of skateboards. So far, the balance seems a perfect fit. In 1996 a small smoke shop opened in Jacksonville, Fla., called Nicotine. It was managed by a skater named Chris Maurice for the first three years, until he stepped up and purchased the store form the original owners. Maurice skated his whole life and felt the need to add some kind of skateboard section. To some it might feel like a weird fit, to have skateboards displayed next to a Humidor room offering a full selection of imported cigars and cigarettes, but to Maurice, it made seasonal sales sense. The shop now sells custom T-shirts from artists like Full Bleed from Tampa and Splitfire out of Baltimore. Today, Maurice says, the store’s skateboard business makes up about 40 percent of the sales.And the smokes even out cash flow cycles of a traditional skate shop. Now if I could just bring my dream of opening a skate shop that doubles as a bar, the circle of life would be complete. Maybe I will call it The Flat Bar: Drinks Up, Skates Down!
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