Dandys Skateboards owner Andrew Maiorana got into skating at the beginning of high school and, after a few years off the board, he got on a roll again after COVID-19 made his temporarily forgotten hobby highly appealing once more.
Cruising around town, Mr Maiorana reflected on the lack of diversity in the skate gear on sale around Shepparton and decided to do something about it, by opening his own shop.
He said the local skating community was “super excited” to see him get started, and was eager to be able to shop for gear locally, rather than buy online.
“They’re super keen on supporting the locals and being able to get what they want, so I’m glad I could do it for them,” he said.
Mr Maiorana proudly stocks as much Australian and local stock as possible, as well as major international brands.
One local brand featured is Shepparton designed and embroidered streetwear by Big Jobs Co, a fashionable endeavour launched during lockdown in 2020 by Chris Cook and Zach Agius.
Mr Agius said he hoped his clothing label and Mr Maiorana's new shop would help one another build a bigger platform.
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An experienced salesman, Mr Maiorana gets satisfaction from helping his customers find a skating setup that suits them down to the ground.
The design underneath the deck of a skateboard — the wooden board to stand on — typically features artwork or a graphic design that says something about the tastes or interests of the person who owns it.
Mr Maiorana said one of the biggest decisions when buying a deck or a complete skateboard setup was selecting a design, and he hoped the variety of choice on display in his store would excite more Goulburn Valley skaters.
“You look at the graphic, you see the graphic, as soon as you look at it you know what one you want,” he said.
“Yeah, that's the kind of love-at-first-sight thing.”
The retail space is carefully designed and laid out, with most of the renovations done by Mr Maiorana and mates.
He put the finishing touches on the space the night before opening the doors, and the final product is fitted out with a stylish wooden feature wall, a TV playing skating shows and neatly arranged rows of fashion and gear.
Despite having seven years of retail experience under his belt, Mr Maiorana said he was nervous on his first day of trade.
But butterflies were quickly replaced by a rush of relief, as new customers crossed the threshold.
“When that first sale came in I was pretty rapt, and it was closely followed by another,” he said.
“I'm super happy it's rolling along, so that's good.”
● Dandys Skateboards is located at 12 North St, Shepparton. The shop is open 10 am to 6 pm from Tuesday to Thursday, 9a m to 5 pm on Saturday, and 10 am to 3 pm on Sunday. Any changes to these hours will be posted on Instagram at @dandysskateboards.
