2012 marked an epic shift in my skateboarding journey. During the year of 2011 I was thinking about a career managing a storage yard or working in a library, but instead I decided I was going to open my own shop and start my own brand. I had never had retail business experience, I barely had any money, and in many ways I didn’t know what I was doing at all when I started. The one thing I knew for sure was that I loved skateboarding and I loved my skate scene.
Through skateboarding I have learned more this year than I ever learned in a year of regular school. Business, accounting, & countless other skills have been added to my repertoire, all for the sake of my new dream. After half a year of work full of setbacks and disappointments my shop became a reality. on June 21st, 2012 (Go Skateboarding Day) Bud’s Hidden Shop was open for business.
The last six months have been a dream come true. In the beginning I could barely believe that my vision had manifested. The shop seemed surreal. Now I feel like the shop is my second home. Skateboarding has been the most impactful passion in my life, and having the chance to be a bigger part of my local skating community has been an honor.
Now that I have gotten the hang of the shop I aim to have updates on So What Is Skateboarding weekly if not daily. If you look on the right side of the website you will see my @OuRoot Twitter feed which will be updated with the best new skate videos, photos, and more. My style of posts will be changing as well with shorter posts happening more often to keep the updates rolling.
So, what is skateboarding? Skating is a lot of things to a lot of people, but to me it is a way of life. I didn’t start this website to make any money, and I didn’t open my shop to get rich. I do these things because skateboarding is what I do, and I want to make it a bigger part of my life by making it my job. I may have to close Bud’s Hidden Shop in six months, but it was a risk I had to take. Whatever happens I want to help provide a genuine skateboarding experience to the new generations of skaters for years to come. Have a Rad New Year!
So What is Skateboarding? 