First State Skate Supply keeps boarders rolling
Spring has sprung, which means kids who spent the winter indoors are looking to get outside and burn off pent-up energy. For the Cape Region’s local skateboarders, First State Skate Supply is here to answer the call.
In business since December, First State Skate Supply owners James A. West III and Joe Moore said they opened the mobile skateboard shop because there’s a need. There are five or six skateboard shops in all of Delaware, said West.
First State Skate Supply is the first, and only, mobile skateboard shop in Delaware, said West, who got the idea from similar trucks in California and Florida. When he heard that Liquid was closing, he said he and Moore put their heads together and got to work.
West worked at Liquid Surf and Skate Shop for 11 years before the business closed in the fall. The two mobile shop owners met because West was at Liquid and Moore worked in the Taco Reho food truck, often parked in the lot next to The Big Chill Surf Cantina.
Moore said it took him about two months to fit out the truck, a former commercial vehicle for an electrician that was painted pink.
The two initially stocked the truck with what was left over from Liquid’s supply, and they have continued to add to the inventory. The truck now has two to three times the supplies that Liquid had, said Moore.
The truck carries new decks, trucks, wheels, apparel and safety gear. The truck also has a small workbench in the back for boards that need immediate repairs. It’s pretty much anything a brick-and-mortar store would have, said Moore.
West said skateboarding provides kids with an avenue to gain confidence. Kids are meeting like-minded individuals and creating friendships for life, but he said ultimately skateboarding is a solo pursuit.
“It’s all on you to overcome those fears and accomplish your goals,” said West.
Moore said he likes that skateboarding gets the boarders away from screens and outside being active. These guys work on tricks all day, sometimes finally getting it and then moving on to another trick, he said.
First State Skate Supply has set up shop in western Sussex County and as far north as Smyrna, but the truck’s primary home is Epworth Skate Park in Rehoboth. West is president of the park’s skate committee, and he said the church has been kind enough to allow the truck at the skate park a couple days a week.
In addition to the skate park, First State Skate also sets up shop at Tough Luck Tattoo, off Route 1, and Wharton’s Landscaping and Garden Center, off Old Landing Road, at least once a week. Moore said as the summer months get closer, they’ll be setting up at more locations, including Truckin’ Tuesdays in Milton. He said Sunday, May 19, they’ll be at Dogfish Head in Rehoboth, without the truck, and then Wednesday, May 22, the truck will be at the Georgetown Boys & Girls Club for an after-school event.
“We want to be a part of the community, and we’re promoting after-school activities,” Moore said. “There will be hotdogs and hamburgers.”
West said he and Moore update First State Skate Supply’s Instagram and Facebook pages every day to tell customers where they’ll be located. They can also be reached at 302-682-0999.
