Active Ride Shop
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Active Rideshop, one of the premier retail and mail-order businesses in this industry today, emerged from that unlikely interior region of Southern California just east of Los Angeles, the Inland Empire. The first store was opened by John Wallace in 1989. Located in Chino, the small shop catered to adults participating in the surf culture that was then expanding east of Interstate Five.

Active is a well known skateboard shop to skateboarders all accross Southern California, they have over 8 stores and are planning to open more throught the years. They sponsor kids that have the talent to ride for them, every shop has a different bunch of kids that ride for them. "Local kids honestly do more for your business," he says. "The best skateboarder in town is the most influential kid at his school."--Shane Wallace.

Shane Wallace is the man running the stores along with his 2 brothers and his dad, I know Shane personally and he is a nice guy, if you ever see him at a demo, say whats up to him! Here is some info about Shane:

  • Shane Wallace began working at the original shop when he was sixteen. After graduating from high school, he helped transform Active from a softgoods-oriented store to a skateboard-hardgoods-focused business. As a result, the second shop opened in Rancho Cucamonga in '92 with a focus on hardgoods. Managed by Shane, the shop's inventory supplied his family's snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding habits as much as it did the local clientele. But when the store began flourishing, the Wallaces knew they were on to something.--TWS

  • Active is also big for making demos, they are basically the only shop around here that actually host demos, so thank them:

  • "Besides supporting skaters on all levels, Active shops manage an endless schedule of events and demos. This promotional part of the business is so overwhelming, they've hired a full-time employee to handle it. "We have our own street course, and we take it out at least once a week to local schools, churches, and store demos," says Wallace. "It's helped out our business so much." Last year Active did about 75 demos and went through two complete street courses."--TWS

  • Last November, Active hosted its first big contest. It took place at the Long Beach Convention Center and included a best-trick competition with prize money worth 5,000 dollars. That weekend the convention center was hosting a snow and skate expo. "There were brands from Tum Yeto to all the Sole Tech brands to snowboard companies," says Wallace. "It was really a cool thing."

Here is some more information about Active:

  • Even though Active's success has allowed it to grow six-stores strong, the company still likes to maintain a single-store family-type atmosphere. "Each store is run like a single shop," says Wallace. "Each store has its own group of kids it sponsors, and each shop has its own identity, where some brands do better in certain shops and some do better in another."

  • With a substantial mail-order business and six locations, with a seventh on the way, Active now employs close to 200 people. "We just took a survey," says Wallace. "There are probably about 30 to 40 college students and 25 people who said they want to make Active their careers. So there's a lot of pressure on us because we really like keeping a family atmosphere."

  • Most important lesson learned: "Our biggest mistake was trying to do a private-label brand within our stores. It's a serious animal. It makes you lose touch with your vendors, creates a lack of support from your vendors, and it separates you. You have to know: Am I the manufacturer, or am I the retailer? And that's how our industry stays healthy."-Shane Wallace

Active has a very Talented professional Skateboard team, their team consist of:

  • Eric Koston-Girl,Royal,Active,'eS,Diamond, Fourstar,Ricta...
  • Andrew Reynolds-Baker,Emerica,Indy,Spitfire,Active, kr3w...
  • Alex "Trainwreck" Gall-Kr3w, Spitfire, Emerica,Active...
  • Arto Saari- Flip,Etnies,Active,Indy,Ricta,Quicksilver...
  • Steve Berra- Alien Workshop, DVS, 55DSL, Active...
  • Geoff Rowley- Vans, Flip, Volcom, Fury, Active, Ricta...
  • Mark Appleyard- Flip, Circa, Volcom, Ricta, Thunder, Active...
  • Tom Penny- Flip, 'eS, Fury, Odessa, Kr3w, Active, Ghetto Child...
  • Adrian Lopez- Circa, Mystery, C1 Denim, Active, ...
  • Austin Stephens- Emerica, Toy Machine, Innes, Active, Ricta...
  • Kenny Anderson- Chocolate, Adio, Elwood, Active, ...
  • Daewon Song- Almost, DVS, Tensor, Matix, Darkstar, Active...
  • Jim Greco- Baker, Vans, Kr3w, Independent, Baker Wheels, 1984, Active...



 

 



 

 



 

 P-Rod when he was on 'eS

Doesn't he look better with Accels on?