Southside Skatepark
Southside Skateshop

1994 FAQ Southside Skatepark and Southside Skateshop

Southside Skatepark Southside Skateshop established 1994.  Open seven days a week at both Southside Skatepark established 1994 in South Houston and Southside Skateshop since 2011 on the west side of Houston.  Information about Southside Skatepark can be found here while Southside Skateshop information is here.  Give either Southside location a call to discuss any questions you have at 7139460414 or 2812015479.  Contact us via email at info@southsideskatepark.com.  We check our mail box every day and love getting mail as well.  Immediate 24/7 response would be direct messages in either of our two Instagram pages @southsidehtx and also @southsidewestheimer.  We also have facebook pages available for direct messages at Southside Skatepark and for the west side of Houston location Southside Skateshop.

Southside Skatepark established 1994 has literally been built on the keep it local way of life.  When you spend with Southside Skateshop you are impacting your local skateboarding community.  Those funds are applied to our skateboarding scene and directly impact your skateboarding community.  We wish we could say the same for all the resources spent on regional skateboarding.  Unfortunately many of those funds are pulled out of our skateboard community and never return.  We support your skateboarding by creating and executing many special engagements throughout the year in a variety of ways.

Contests, Camps, Special Releases, Premieres and So Much More

Southside Skatepark Southside Skateshop develop new event ideas and execute these events to the best of our abilities.  Some examples would be 20 Years of the Texas Skate Jam benefiting the Make a Wish Foundation, Game of Htown Mini Series, Skateboarding Lock Ins, Grind for Life Street and Bowl Skateboard Contest, Old Man Bowl Jam, Skateboarding Photo Shows, Local Skateboarding Video Premieres, Fall Winter Spring and Skateboard Summer Day Camps, Special Collaborative Releases, and anything we can think of that would strengthen our skateboarding scene.  Our most successful and rewarding event is certainly 20 years of the Texas Skate Jam.

The Texas Skate Jam has Raised Over $900,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation

Established in the summer of 1997, the Texas Skate Jam is the world’s longest running charity skateboarding event.  Once a year skateboarding enthusiasts from all walks of life gather at Southside Skatepark in Houston, Texas to witness the world’s top skateboarding talent.  All event proceeds benefit the Make a Wish Foundation of the Gulf Coast.  To date the Texas Skate Jam has raised over $900,000 in the 20-year history of the event.  We all come together for a great cause, to raise funds for terminally ill children.  It’s amazing what skateboarding and skateboarders can accomplish when they use the talent and drive they found through skateboarding to the betterment of an entity they choose.

Southside has been Cultivating the Culture Since 1994

Southside Skatepark Southside Skateshop have been cultivating the culture since 1994.  Today we are working harder then ever to keep inspiring young people.  Our goal is to help them get out there, create and get involved in their communities.  They have the ability to launch brands, create films, artwork and so much more to express themselves and develop their voice.  Experiences in your young life help shape your understanding of what you are truly capable of.  We encourage our skateboarding scene to make the changes they want to see in the world around them.  Often times while working at Southside Skatepark and Southside Skateshop it can feel like a think tank.  People bouncing ideas around and discussing how to bring their vision into reality.  We try very hard to help them through our own experiences and cheer them on during each phase of their development.  We understand that our skateboarding scene is only as strong as we make it and together we have a powerful collective voice.  Skateboarding needs every participant to make a positive impact in their own unique way.  The more skateboarding you do the more you change your understanding of the world around you.  It is a very exciting growing process and we are all in skateboarding together.

Video Premiere’s, Supporting Local Brands, Photo Show’s

The more grounded skateboarders feel the more likely they are to produce tangible products and communication transmissions.  Through skateshop and skatepark interactions empowered skateboarders take to the streets to create their vision to be shared.  Many skateboarding videographers, photographers and entrepreneurs continue on to do huge things in society.  Professional careers and job creation come to mind with their out of the box thinking and problem solving abilities.  Often times bringing close friends along for the ride as they form legitimate businesses quick to adapt to our ever changing world.  There have been many success stories born of the skateboarding experience.  Some examples would be every single skateboarding brand carried in our shops, too many to name.  Outside of skateboarding a good example would be videography accessories equipment manufacturer Wooden Camera.  Motivators, organizers and leaders can often get their earliest understanding of their emerging skill sets through their skateboarding experience.

Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer Day Camps

Southside Skatepark continues our Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer Day Camps.  It’s always inspiring how much skateboarders can improve in four days of skateboarding camp.

Skateboarding Camp allows Flexible Attendance and enrollment now available online.  Camp is at Southside Skatepark  and meets 10am-2pm Monday through Thursday.  Your skateboarder will be grouped based on skill level and an instructor will help them improve as much as we are able.  Jason’s Deli Kids Meal are included and orders will be taken at check in.  Daily Southside Skatepark Admission wristbands are a part of camp as well.  That allows your skateboarder to stay and skateboard after 2pm when Southside Skatepark opens to the public. This is also great for parents that may have a conflict and can not pick up immediately at the end of camp.  Helmet Rental is available to all camp attendees at no charge. To enroll your skateboarder you can now check out at our all new Online Store.  Choose the number of days you want to attend and the month and proceed to check out.  Southside Skatepark is indoor allowing our skateboarding camp to take place rain or shine.  We have been hosting skate board day camps for over fifteen years.  We are always amazed at how much the skateboarders progress in such a short time.  Some basic goals for our beginners are learning to ride the transitional ramp features of the skatepark.  This is in hopes of teaching them to drop in on the mini ramp or quarter pipe.  We do have more advanced skateboarders enroll also.  We accommodate them by suggesting challenging new ideas that they can apply to their current skill set towards achieving.  We also make sure to have high level camp instructors such as David Langston, Tate Malpass, Hollywood Martinez, Dakota Roberson and Chris Luhring who work our camps from time to time.

New Ramps/ Higher Level of Maintenance / New Product in Store

Being Built out of Wood Allows the Skatepark Staff to Make Changes to the Street Course, Mini Ramp and Bowl

Southside Skatepark has remained open and supporting skateboarders since 1994 for a variety of reasons.  With our skatepark being built out of wood it allows the skatepark staff to make changes to the street course, mini ramp and bowl.  As we create new terrain to engage and enhance your skateboarding experience we boost attendance.  Southside Skatepark experiences a higher level of daily maintenance then other skateparks.

New ONLINE STORE Now Available!

Southside Skateshop within Southside Skatepark and Southside Skateshop on the westside of Houston have new skateboarding product consistently being offered.  We pride ourselves on having the skateboard brands you know and love while also taking the time to educate and explain the new emerging brands as they are made available.  We work tirelessly assessing new brands and deciding whether or not they are a part of where skateboarding is taking us as a community and if they should be made available in our stores.

Serving skateboarding since 1994 and with skateboarding being what helped us achieve such an amazing longevity we gauge the support of skateboarders for each and every brand we carry.  We also actively monitor the performance the brands we carry.  If we notice consistent quality failure we discontinue our support of the brand and remove it from our store.  Southside Skateshop and Southside Skatepark staff believe it is our calling to provide you with the highest performing skateboarding product available.  We take our product selection seriously in an effort to help our customers avoid low quality product.  Everything in our store is being ridden by professionals seen in Thrasher Magazine, on television in Street League and out skateboarding the streets of world.

Southside Skatepark after hour rental is available for special events.  We host private after hour Southside Skatepark Rental Fridays 10pm-1am, Saturdays 9pm-12am or Sunday mornings 9:30am-1:30pm.  Parties are a $100 deposit to hold the date and a $200 balance when your party arrives.  When Skateboard birthday or Skateboard Christmas shopping for your skateboarder all you need to know are three things.  A short list of favorite board brands, the size of the wooden skateboard deck and size of wheel they prefer is all you need.  Staff can fill in the remaining specifics through their knowledge and experience of choosing components that often sell together.  All skateboarding product hardgoods sales are final unless unused and in original shrink wrap.  This allows you to have something wrapped for the occasion and also allows your skateboarder to come in and exchange if there are any issues.  All purchases at Southside Skatepark and Southside Skateshop locations are eligible for store credit only.  We also assemble anything purchased at Southside Skatepark and Southside Skateshop locations at no additional charge so you are ready to ride as soon as you walk out the door.

“Skateboarding is hard enough, let’s make sure that everything else beyond ourselves and our abilities is on point!”

Our entire staff are active skateboarding participants that your skateboarder might even know or have heard of.  With a combined 75+ years of skateboarding experience we understand what your young skateboarder is going through as they strive to progress on their skateboard.  We offer small group instruction at our Skateboard Day Camps.  When asked we offer advice in the shop daily regarding skateboarding technique on a variety of topics.  We use our experience and understanding of the act of skateboarding to help customers spend correctly and get their skateboarding component purcahse right the first time.  This saves our customers money and helps them achieve their personal goals on their skateboards much more quickly.  We find ourselves always saying,”skateboarding is hard enough, let’s at least make sure that everything else beyond ourselves and our abilities is on point!”

Southside Supports a Small Group of Talented Local Skateboarders

Southside supports a small group of talented local skateboarders as they attempt to transition into the industry as Amateurs and potential Professional skateboarders.  We help them build up their names through team trips to national contests.  We also take weekend trips regionally to document their skateboarding to share on social media platforms and promote their emerging abilities.  We provide our team monthly shop decks as needed and an in store discount on all available product.  We do our best to help them have more new product under their feet more often through a variety of shop brand flow from various companies.  At this time the Southside Skatepark and Southside Skateshop team consist of David Langston, Dakota Roberson, Justin Vinson, George Karvounis, Chris Luhring, Derek Simon, Tate Malpass, Frankie Gamboa, Hollywood Martinez, Nathan Pacheco and Max Peterson.  Some up and coming new talent that are skateboarding towards being fully on the Southside team would be Anthony Reyes, Jay Corleone, Jordan Miles and Brendan Sanders.   Past skateboarders that have been a part of the Southside Skatepark Southside Skateshop team or have been consistent locals that have gone on to have careers in skateboarding have been Guru Khalsa, Jason Womack, Nate Broussard, Darrell Stanton, Cody McEntire, Peter Ramondetta, Ernie Torres, Wayne Patrick, Ben Raybourn, Raney Beres and many more.  

Something Eric Visentin Wrote About Southside Skatepark

Southside Skatepark opened its Indoor Skate Park and Skate Shop in the Spring of 1994.  With a focus on providing rain or shine skateboarding and access to the most limited skateboard products for all skateboarders of every skill level.  Skateboards are in our blood, it’s who we are and what we do.  We make huge strides in the support of skateboarding and skateboarders every day.  It’s all about supporting the community and the skate board subculture itself.  Whether you realize this or not, you and your skateboard have already become part of the fabric that makes up Southside Skatepark.  No matter if you’ve only skated in your driveway and are just learning to ollie, or you’ve risen up through the ranks and have become so good at skateboarding a major company has you on a jet and flying to California to go on tour.  Southside Skatepark has literally become synonymous with the skateboarding subculture itself, through it timeless aesthetic and never ended consistent hours of operation over the last 23 years.  South Side Skatepark and Skateshop is the real thing, that cannot be denied, this is skateboarding.

Living up to the expectations of skateboarders and spectators alike can be difficult but we accept the challenge and work hard to deliver the best indoor skateboarding facility we can year after year.  After 23 years in business Southside Skatepark and Skateshop mean so many different things to so many different people, it seems to have taken on a life of its own.  Which is honestly just more motivation for us to really bring it and push hard to have the best shop we can, with as much exclusive product as possible and rebuild the skate park as often as we can. It’s the skateboarders themselves and their response to the new terrain that really hype us up and validate the park immediately after we complete a rebuild that makes it all worth it.  Another instance of Southside skateboarding would also be the super stoked customer and their parents that are just happy that brick and mortar interaction and expertise is even available for their new to the activity skateboarder.

We host a ton of skateboard events everything you see regarding anything we do or are involved in, it’s us made by us for you.  Skateboarding Contests, Skateboard Team Demos, Skateboarder Overnight Lock Ins, Skateboards Game of Skate, Skateboarding Bowl Contests, Skateboard Mini Ramp Jams and the Texas Skate Jam benefitting the Make a Wish Foundation have all been happening here annually for the last 23 years.  We are the most active participants in the skateboarding lives of those immediately around us and all those who make the pilgrimage to Southside Skatepark and Skateshop itself.  At this point Southside Skatepark has become an icon in the skateboarding world.  Many top professional skateboarders today at one time called Southside Skatepark home.  We also engage with skateboarding scenes beyond our city limits through various social media communication methods, in an effort to show them support and help them to understand we are all in this together.

Southside Skatepark’s largest event would be the Texas Skate Jam benefitting the Make a Wish Foundation of the Gulf Coast.  In fact, it is skateboarding’s largest charity event having raised $885,000 in its 19 year history.  100% of proceeds are donated to the Make a Wish Foundation of the Gulf Coast which grants the wishes of terminally ill children annually.  Once the Texas Skate Jam reaches our goal of one million raised, the Make a Wish Foundation will grant the wish of three terminally ill children in our name annually in perpetuity.  Southside is proud to have accomplished this amazing goal and we are so very proud to be able to share that achievement with all of skateboarding and skateboarders everywhere.  You truly are a part of us, thank you for all your support through your participation in the act of skateboarding itself.

Southside Skatepark means so much to so many that it is very difficult to explain what we are about.  The act of skateboarding itself, often misunderstood, is something that unless you are participating can be hard to grasp.  Skateboarding at its core is an active lifestyle the promotes camaraderie between young adults and bridges all social, economic and racial gaps.  We find common ground through skateboarding and the unknowing pursuit of some of the best times of our lives.  Skateboarders are some of the most free thinking and living beings on the planet.  It’s no surprise that so many skateboarders go on to be very successful entrepreneurs and self-starters in many industries.  How many of your friends who enjoy skateboarding are painters, skateboarding photographers, graphic designers, skateboard videographers, own their own business, are in school and maybe even hold down a full time job all at the same time?  Skateboarders cannot be stopped and Southside Skatepark is proud to host the incredible talent that skateboarders and skateboarding continues to create day after day, year after year.  We are humbled to have stood the test of time and the economic changes of the post-internet world.  Thank you skateboarders for keeping us in your hearts and thank you skateboarding for engaging all of us, urging us to take things into our own hands and be the best we can be.  We look forward to seeing you at Southside Skatepark and Southside Skateshop in the near future.