Mar. 2–Toby Johnson’s an old man in the skateboarding world. At 43, and with a few gray hairs poking out from under his ball cap, he might as well be called grandpa.
During the late ’70s, Johnson was one of the state’s top-ranked skaters and worked at one of San Antonio’s first skate parks. Eventually, though, family duties called, and he spent the next two decades managing auto repair shops and raising kids.
But the boarding bug dies hard, and now Johnson’s back in the business.
About a month ago, he reopened the city’s only indoor skateboarding facility, S.A. Skatepark — a series of ramps, handrails, ledges and a swimming pool-like bowl housed in a Northeast Side warehouse. Its previous owner closed the 10,000-square-foot park, formerly known as The Tank, several months ago, unable to turn a profit.
“The community has been supportive so far,” Johnson said, leaning over a counter covered with graffiti left by the park’s teen and pre-teen clientele. “We’ve had really good turnouts with no real advertising — just a few fliers. I’ve had parents say, ‘Thank you for keeping this place alive.'” The park had 125 paying customers its first Saturday, and interest appears steady, he added. His customers, the majority younger than 16, pay $7 to skate on weeknights and $11 all day Saturdays and Sundays.
Johnson requires skaters to wear a helmet and sign an insurance waiver saying they won’t sue the park — located at 4306 Naco Pass — if they’re injured in a spill.
Johnson said he expects to have better luck with S.A. Skatepark than its previous owner, who focused more on BMX bikers than on boarders. Bike sports, he explains, draw an older crowd — and one less likely to spend money at a place such as his.
“The under-15 age group is what we’re concentrating on,” Johnson said. “At that age, they’re still getting support and allowance from Mom and Dad. Once you get over 17 or so, that support goes away and you tend to be tighter with your money.” Although experience in the auto industry has helped Johnson with stocking inventory and managing the books, dealing with his teen and pre-teen clientele, he adds, is more akin to coaching baseball — which he did for about five years.
“The companionship and everything at the park reminds me of Little League,” he said. “It’s just that instead of managing 10 or 15 kids, now it’s triple that.” Johnson has no employees other than his family. His mother, D.J., and 15-year-old son Benjamin help out at the park. His 7-year-old son Charlie, also an avid skater, is there most days.
Thanks to a growing interest in skateboarding, places such as S.A. Skatepark are proliferating across the country, experts said.
Skateboarding has become a $5.2 billion industry. And there are now some 12 million U.S. skaters, almost six times the number of kids who play Little League baseball.
“Baseball just lasts during the summer, but kids are skateboarding year-round,” said John Bernards, executive director of the International Association of Skateboard Companies. “Skateboarding has become mainstream.” Although attendance at S.A. Skatepark has been good so far, Johnson said, the $11-a-day admission price alone isn’t going to keep the venture afloat.
“If I didn’t have the food and this,” Johnson said, motioning to a wall of colorfully painted skateboard decks for sale, “I would have to charge $18 to cover my expenses. I try to express to the kids that if they buy their cheeseburgers or Gatorade here, they’re helping the cause.” Johnson said he also knows he’ll need to make constant upgrades and changes to keep kids’ interest.
Professional skaters including Finland’s Arto Saari have dropped by the park to skate alongside the locals, and Johnson recently began offering lessons and formed a park-sponsored competitive team. He also plans to have concerts, movie nights and other promotions to keep things interesting.
“Moms don’t drop the kids off at the mall anymore,” said Damian Hebert, owner of Houston-based skateboard distribution company South Shore Distributing. “They drop them off at the skate park, and they stay all day. You have to keep changing little things to keep the kids interested and coming back through the door.” Even though Johnson thinks he’s making all the right moves, he’s still taking a wait-and-see approach.
He borrowed $10,000 from a bank to reopen the park — an amount he can pay off by selling his hot rod, a ’67 Chevy Nova — and he’s paying rent month-to-month until May, when he must decide whether to sign a long-term lease.
“Either I’m filing Chapter 11 in May or I’m signing a big lease,” he said, breaking into a smile. “But at this point, I’ve got to say it looks pretty good.”
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