Skateboarding enthusiasts relishing new Downtown shop
May 11—The Bird electric scooters have flown the coop, but a new Downtown skate shop is helping provide another means of transportation and recreation.
Devil's Island Skateboard Co. at 725 Francis St. is giving skaters an outlet to purchase skateboards and accessories without having to travel out of town.
Owner Dylan Hay has wanted to own a skate shop since he was in high school. Once Hay could take a risk and open his own store, he embraced the opportunity.
"I'm just trying to like, really build that community that I never had as a kid, so that's really the main reason," he said. "We just didn't have one, and I felt like I could do it, so I just went for it, and here I am."
The shop had its grand opening in April and sells boards, trucks and wheels, and it can accommodate customers of all skill levels.
"A lot of times, people come in and they're new to skating and they've never built a skateboard before, so I don't charge anyone to do that," he said. "I'll just build it right there so that they can see how it's done."
Customer Rudy Barbosa said the new shop will help younger kids who want to get into skating.
"It's easy access for them to come in, get a good deck, go out and learn some tricks, and I think it's good for the community," he said.
Before Devil's Island Skateboard Co. opened, Barbosa would have to travel to Kansas City if he wanted to go to a skate shop, and it would take a chunk of time out of his day.
"This is about five minutes away from where I live," he said. "Rather than driving an hour and a half almost to get there (to Kansas City).
Barbosa said the new skate shop will pair well with the new skate park the city plans to build as soon as this year.
"It's great to have this (shop) in our community, because tons of people are going to want to go out to that skate park, and if they don't have the right equipment, they could get hurt or something like that," he said.
After being open for nearly a month, Hay said many customers have shared their excitement for the new shop. He gets to learn how they started skating and how long they have enjoyed the activity.
"Everyone's super stoked, like, 'Oh my God, I'm so glad there's a skate shop up here,'" he said. "That stuff is really exciting just to like, be able to be here to provide that for those people."
