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Skate Shop Is Decked Out With Gear For Coming Park

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By GEORGE WILKENS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 21, 2007

NEW TAMPA - 'Kinked grind rail' and 'street spines' were part of the vocabulary in the Downes household before the family opened New Tampa's first skate shop.

Donna and Bill Downes were drawn into the business by their son, Michael, now 13, a Benito Middle School eighth-grader and avid skateboarder.

That experience with skateboarding, coupled with Internet research, prompted the couple to open D-Bordz in July 2006 at 10353 Cross Creek Blvd., a short distance from their Creekwood home.

'We took an active interest in what he was into,' said Donna Downes, who staffs the store five days a week. 'With him being such an avid skater, we started thinking. There wasn't anything around here that was convenient.'

The Downeses leased a store in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center and began stocking it with dozens of top-name boards, components and accessories, including everything from apparel to skateboarding videos and games.

'It's a small space, but we've got it filled up,' she said of the 850-square-foot store.

The extensive line of boards - or decks - includes all the top brands. 'We go from A to Z,' Alien Workshop to Zoo York and dozens of others, she said.

Of course, she stocks her son's personal favorite deck, Zero. 'That's where Michael was such a great help,' being familiar with the most popular brands and helping decide which to offer, Downes said.

Customers can select components from the store's large line of trucks (axles), wheels, bearings, locknuts and, for the top of the deck, grip tape.

Many choose to assemble their own custom board. 'Sometimes that's the fun part,' Downes said. Others take advantage of D-Bordz's free labor. The store also offers free adjustments.

The cost of a custom board can prompt sticker shock among parents new to the sport, Downes conceded. 'You can really get a nice setup for around $130,' she said.

It can go higher. 'It's all personal tastes,' and the cost jumps if the customer opts for more pricey options, such as Swiss ceramic bearings that cost $100, Downes said.

Citing her own experience with quality, or lack of it, Downes recalled being the parent of a then-10-year-old bitten by the skateboarding bug. She bought Michael 'a cheap starter board.' It was torn up in a matter of days, she recalled.

The store also carries brand-name skateboarding shoes and a full line of safety gear, always recommended for the sport and required at public skate parks.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited city skate park is scheduled to open next year in the New Tampa Community Park, 17302 Commerce Blvd.

In March, construction began on the community center in the 40-acre park, slated to open early next year, along with the skate park.

Brad Suder, project manager for the $500,000 skate park near the Freedom High/Liberty Middle schools campus, said the city is about to solidify the skate park construction contract, and completion in anticipated.

Efforts to get a New Tampa skate park were launched in April 2002 by residents, followed by meetings, a petition drive and lobbying the city for funding.

D-Bordz opened before it was a certainty. 'We had heard the rumors there was going to be one, but nothing was concrete,' Downes said. The skate park will eliminate the need for skaters to travel to facilities in Brandon and elsewhere, she said.

'I think it's going to be very crowded, but it's definitely something we need,' she said of the skate park, predicting it will spark even more interest in what industry leaders say is the fastest-growing sport among young people, involving 13 million in North America alone.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: D-Bordz Skate Shop

WHERE: 10353 Cross Creek Blvd., Suite E (Cory Lake Isles Professional Center)

WHEN: Open from 11 a.m to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

INFORMATION: Call (813) 649-8850 or e-mail d-bordz@d-bordz.com.

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4847 or gwilkens@tampatrib.com.

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