Skateboarding kept them together when they were kids, and now it’s brought them back together in business.
Steve Hild, Erik Miller and Bob Stolte all grew up skateboarding in Fairport. Now they own Old Skull Skateboards, a business Hild founded as a hobby. Hild’s the only one still living in Fairport, but his partners are close by: Miller lives in Canandaigua and Stolte in Rochester, where all three work full-time in other jobs. Hild is employed by a glassware company; Miller, for a property management firm; and Stolte, a fire inspection service.
They take turns running Old Skull Skateboards, which offers a large variety of skateboards — including their own brand, which shares the name of the store. “Their brand is reminiscent of the wide “old school” skateboards they rode in the 1980s, many adorned by skull designs.”
They have some of the older skateboards for sale in their shop off High Street in the village of Fairport.
Hild said he started skateboarding when he was about 8. He had about 10 when he was 29 and set up a Web site from his home and started selling them.
“To me, it was more of a hobby,” Hild said. “I wasn’t making any money off it.”
He got temporarily sidetracked to marry Michele Walton, a Rochester teacher, and house hunt. In the meantime, he ran into Stolte, who had expressed an interest in opening a business. Miller also joined. They each put up $500 and opened a small shop in 2008 in the village of East Rochester, later moving to their hometown.
“We knew that it would be great to have a retail store,” Hild said. “We all talked about it, offering high-quality skateboard equipment.”
Among the brands they offer are Creature, Girl, Real and Toy Machine. Customers can buy complete boards, but Hild said most chose to customize, building their personal ride by selecting the deck (the board), wheels, bearings and trucks (piece that holds wheels to the board) separately. The owners are happy to help them put them together, switch out parts and make repairs. They also sell safety gear such as helmets and knee, elbow and wrist pads.
Accessories include stickers, sunglasses, dice, key chains, wallets, backpacks and other items — all made by skateboard companies. The addition of clothing — including brand name T-shirts, hoodies and shoes — is fairly new.
But, besides being great exercise, skateboarding is a culture of individualism, and Old Skull Skateboards is happy to be a place where young skateboarders meet. The owners enjoy talking about different skateboard tricks and how the names and styles have changed over the years, watching new eyes light up with excitement.
