SKATE PHARM - CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
We talk to Skate Pharm owner Nic Powley about modern skateboarding and catch up with the brand’s Pro Team Rider James Bush
Nic Powley
Those among you with a sharp eye will surely have noticed the return to prominence of the skateboard. With the likes of Adidas and Apple Watch using deck demons in their latest advertising campaigns perhaps it is time for another peak in interest in skating.
From the California long boarders and backyard pool surfers of the 80s to the Tony Hawk cohort of the 2000s, skateboarding has always been an alternative pastime of a dedicated underground legion.
But after it was announced that the e-sport would be joining the Olympic roster of events at Tokyo 2020, this might be about to change. In Kent, for many years, the skateboarding scene has continued whether it was in the public eye or not. Revolution Skatepark in Broadstairs has long been the scene of many an ollie and the coastal towns have always had a committed cluster of kickflippers, but there is definitely something grinding down in east Kent.
One of those pushing the Kent scene is Nic Powley, the owner of board gear retail outlet Skate Pharm who opened his second shop in Thanet in summer 2017.
Packed full of boards, wheels, trucks, clothes, shoes, caps and, of course, stickers, Skate Pharm kits out skaters from around the UK through their website while the Kent locals can grab their garbs from Unit 4 at the Westwood Business Park in Margate, or on the beachfront of Margate’s Old Town.
With a group of Team Riders including a crew of local up and coming talents, to national players skating at pro level around the world, Skate Pharm is a big part of the local fakie fabric.
“I’ve been skateboarding for 30 years,” says Powley. “I think I started after watching Back To The Future!”
Powley was one of those envied people who also made his passion his job, by working in skateboarding for 15 years as well, as Team Manager for Vans while also working on the UK Championships and with the famous NASS Festival.
“I’ve lived all over the place, but I moved back down to Kent to have my daughter,” explains Powley. “Had a bit of a mid-life thing and was thinking about what I was going to do in the future. So Skate Pharm presented itself as an option.”
Starting up the unit shop and growing the online business, Skate Pharm (originally named Skate Pharmacy before some red tape weasels got involved) bagged a following and the seaside.
“We always had a plan to have a shop in Margate. So when the opportunity came up in May (2017), we took it quick. I think we had two weeks’ notice from when we got the keys to opening up. It has been really good but there is a totally different customer base between the two shops.
“This (the Unit) pretty much just attracts skateboarders, but the one down on the beach has more tourists. It has helped, because we have had a lot more people coming to the unit now after seeing the one down the front.
“The beach shop is smaller, so most of our hardware like boards and wheels are in the unit. We do more complete skateboards and long boards down on the beach for people to pick up and go.”
So what about the popularity of skateboarding? Is it a renaissance?
“I would say it goes in waves of popularity. I would say it has been quite commercialised with Nike and Adidas getting involved heavily recently, and obviously with the Olympics is coming up. But it is hard to tell and skateboarding can be regional. Like in Manchester it is still massive, but then in other places it has died out.”
In Kent, Skate Pharm backs its local Team Riders giving them a platform on its website as well as a number of other benefits.
“Our local Riders get support like discount in the shops and get supplies and all that. But our National Team Riders are guys I know from my years skateboarding and they are just down with representing the shop.
“It is great for us because they are at pro level and they wear the branding of the shop when they go around the world. They tag us on their Instagram posts and spread the word. It’s cool that they are all stoked on the shop.”
Having their brand on skaters competing at festivals all around the world is pretty awesome but Powley gets a great buzz from the Kent element, too.
“Yeah, seeing it on the pros is great, but so is just seeing someone walking down the street with one of our t-shirts on.”
NATIONAL TEAM RIDER FOR SKATE PHARM
Name: James Bush Age: 24 Signature Move: Beer
Favourite music to skate to: Don’t skate to music! Rather chat! Favourite trick: Anything involving a melon
How did you first get exposed to skateboarding and what made you want to take it up?
My American cousin came to England, he skated and I thought he was cool, so I thought skating was cool. Simple as that.
When did your skills start getting recognised and when did you start picking up some sponsors? How did that come about and how did you end up getting involved with Skate Pharm?
Well, I started skating at 10 years old, I first got sponsored by Arkology skate shop when I was 15 (Andy King selling bits out of his van), and he was a friend of Rob Selley, so then I got on Motive skateboards and it all started from there (Thanks boys, much love)
You live in Milton Keynes, which has been an important part of the UK street skating scene due to it's architecture, but you have made numerous trips to Kent to film with the Skate Pharm crew for various video projects. How do the two places compare?
Yeah, Kent is so much more crusty! But it also encourages a bit of creativity which I truly love. The spots in MK are technically incredible but it causes bland stair and ledge skateboarding, so Kent opened up a whole new ball game for me. Even the gaps and stairs just seem different, which I love.
So you just turned pro with a signature board on UK brand Fabric Skateboards, what does that mean to you, is it quite a big deal?
Haha, yeah I guess so. Obviously it was the dream when I was a little kid first stepping on a board. I love Fabric so much so it means a lot that they wanted to make that decision. I still don’t think I’m there though, but does anybody?
Skateboarding seems to be more in the public eye than ever before, it seems like there's new skateparks opening all the time, do you feel like it's a good time to be a skateboarder?
In a way yes, it’s amazing, when I was young I had so many fights because of being a minority and I guess it’s less intimidating to be a skateboarder now, which is cool, and also you’re never short for legal facilities.
At the same time though, as a kid I relished the atmosphere of everybody hating, so I guess it’s lost the subculture atmosphere it used to have to an extent. Also I guess I enjoyed the aspect of skateboarding being illegal in most places you did it, the thrill of jumping fences, whereas now you can skate the perfect stair set or ledge in a park without the worries which also takes something away from it for me.
Are competitions still an important part of skateboarding or is it way more important this days to have social media presence and get footage out online?
Comps will always be an irrelevant part of skateboarding to me. But the online output also offends me. I guess I miss video parts. Working for two or three years on a video part and truly being stoked on the things you’ve done is what skateboarding should be about.
You must have had great opportunities for travel and adventures, is there anything that you've done through skateboarding that you’re particularly proud of?
Getting my part from Get Lesta’s last video on Thrasher is probably the highlight for me; alongside all the bits that have happened with Sidewalk magazine. And I’m stoked to have stuff in Vague, Grey and North magazines. I don’t know, I guess I’m just happy to be involved with things that I watched as an excited kid, it’s an honour.