I've opened a skateboard shop within St. Louis Antique Mall, conveniently located a mile west of 170 on St. Charles Rock Rd. We currently carry new Yocaher and Shark longboards, downhill bombers, cruisers, surf skates and short boards, as well as a variety of used and vintage boards from the past several decades.
Skateboard shops in St. Louis are few and far between, and there isn't an independent shop that carries longboards in the area. As a longboarder myself, I felt this lack, and decided to carry them myself.
Yocaher longboards are awesome value skateboards, with decent components at a great price. The quality is far better than the cheap skateboards you might find at Walmart or similar stores.
I'm very impressed with the Shark boards. They come in a variety of configurations - my favorite is their surf skate model, which allows for easy pumping. The trucks on all the Shark boards are good quality, the bearings are ABEC 9 rated, and the wheels have a unique configuration that spit out rocks and obstructions.
I took up longboarding a few decades ago as the first modern boards were being produced. As a child, I experienced the frustration of small wheels and little skateboards that would throw me off after hitting a pebble or a crack in the sidewalk. I found that longboards, with their soft, large wheels and stable platform, are much easier for beginner skateboarders to enjoy, no matter the age you start.
As a parent, longboarding has been a good outlet for outdoor activity with my children over the years. I could cruise along on a board while my toddler pedaled a big wheel like mad along a bike path, and later, I've introduced my children to longboarding and now they coast with me.
If you'd like a new skateboard and you've got some old ones hanging around your house, I do offer trades on vintage boards. So far as I know, we're the only skateboard shop in St. Louis that offers this. And, if you've got some vintage skateboards that you'd just like to sell, let me know. I can always offer a bit of cash or a giftcard to the mall in exchange.
I will be offering group skateboarding lessons for rank beginners in the spring, and am happy to show anyone who buys a skateboard in the shop the basics of how to push, stop and get around on a board. I'd like to make skateboarding as accessible as I can for anyone.
