Skateboard Culture Calls New Brunswick Home

More observant pedestrians of the Rutgers College Avenue campus will notice metal hand rails stripped of paint and scratched up along the staircases of Brower Commons. On Cook campus, many of the wooden rails near Hickman Hall are gnarled and worn smooth.

They are the tracks of skateboarders who liken interesting architecture to training facilities for their sport, which has left a legacy of scraped concrete and unlikely star athletes in New Jersey.

The NJ Skate Shop, located on Easton Avenue,  opened in 2007 as a response to New Brunswick's reputation as a notable skating town with good spots to grind for beginners. It is the fourth NJ Skateshop location, with sister shops in Sayreville, Hoboken, and Princeton.

But while largely successful at selling skateboards and the sport's relevant gear, the shop sells less of it in comparison to its sister stores in Hoboken, Princeton, and Sayreville due to a lack of public skating facilities.

"The police and the university don't want kids skating on their property," said Chris Nieratko, one half of the partnership that owns the four shop locations. "But things are different different from 20 years ago when skateboarding was just a rebellious thing for teenaged outcasts to do."

The college did not return a request for comment.

Property owned by Johnson and Johnson or Rutgers have proven to be hot spots for skating in town. The modern architecture is appealing, and skaters refer to these accidental playgrounds as Training Facilities, or TF's.

According to Nieratko, skating icons like Mike Vallely cut his teeth in training facilities such as Richard Deiner Park, which straddles Route 18 behind the Campbell dormitory on George Street.

Some scenes of his famous trick videos of the 1990’s were even filmed there.

But he isn't the only one. New Jersey produces a lot of pro skaters such as Tom Groholski, Fred Gall and, most recently, New Brunswick's own Ron Diely

"This is why we chose the locations we did for our shops," Nieratko said. "In New Jersey's storied history of skateboarding, all of these towns are important."

But without a skatepark to call its own, the skaters of New Brunswick still operate with a level of discretion. Nieratko said he believes it’s the only kink in the hose preventing the skating scene from really blowing up.

Fortunately, the shop doesn't just sell the boards. It also sells an image. Luca Sumberac, who mans the register at NJ Skateshop and is an avid skater himself, says that skateboard sales are second to apparel.

"Shoes are the biggest sellers," says Sumberac. "A lot of people come in for the Nikes and Vans."

In fact, some of NJ Skateshop's customers who are comfortable wearing the shoes and shirts common to skater subculture have never stepped on a skateboard at all. According to Sumberac, apparel such as the broad-tongued shoes and snap-back caps carry a certain attitude that appeals to many who don't actually skate.

And for those that do, the wall facing Easton Avenue is literally decked out: skateboard decks hanging like graffiti-themed ornaments of different lengths and widths. After picking out a board and buying the trucks and wheels, a beginner can walk out with a skateboard for a little over a hundred dollars.

Of its customer base, Sumberac estimates only 30 percent to be Rutgers students. The bulk of the regulars are New Brunswick residents and visitors from neighboring towns.

Like Nieratko, Sumberac believes that a skate park will spur business.

“A [skate] park would really expand the business here,” he said.

While Deiner Park is the obvious choice for many skaters, he believes that Boyd Park, which flanks the Raritan River, is a better choice.

“It’s over the highway, so no one would hear the noise from the skaters and complain,” he said, adding that park is underutilized due to the fact that Route 18 cuts it off from most foot traffic.

But the city has made little progress with it. According to Nieratko, he and his partner approached the city about having one built, but the discussions fizzled out. City spokesman Bill Bray confirmed that the city was still interested in building a skate park, but safety issues and concerns about vandalism are sticking points.

“The concept is still alive and there have been some recent discussions--minus the NJ Skateshop folks,” said city spokesman Bill Bray. “Not to say their input would not be welcomed, but the discussion has been more internal from a where-do-we-begin perspective.”

Either way, New Brunswick’s NJ Skateshop has nowhere to go but up. The shop is located at 29 Easton Ave. It is open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is closed on Sundays.

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