For Ridgewood Shop, Skating More Than a Business

For skateboarders throughout the area, Underground Skate Shop in Ridgewood is one of the few independent retail destinations in North Jersey to pick up boards, gear and attire.

But Underground goes beyond its Hudson Street store in its relationship with local skaters.

“I see Underground trying to represent the North Jersey skate scene,” says owner Clint Pires, who opened Underground’s second storefront in Ridgewood last March.

Beyond the retail business, part of Underground’s mission is advocating for space to ride in a region sparse on skater-friendly concrete.

Last summer, Underground ran events and a camp for hundreds of kids at the portable skate park installed seasonally near Gradydon by the parks and recreation, Pires says, and the store hopes to continue the work advocating for more local skate parks.

Predating the shop’s opening in Ridgewood, Underground has also worked with Solid Foundation, a charity that promotes a safe place for kids to skate in a church parking lot in Midland Park.

“We’re trying to work with them now to get the world’s first free indoor skate park,” says Pires of a fundraising effort by the foundation. The goal, he says, is to use the sport to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble.

Part of Pires’s decision to locate was the proximity to the work in Midland Park, as well as a local client base dating back to a previous location within Drop-In Skatepark, which has since closed.

“We wanted to stay close to the area to support the kids that supported us,” he said.

The store, striving to be both a supplier and hangout for local skaters, sells boards, shoes, pads and other apparel at its Ridgewood location, 43 Hudson Street. You can reach the shop at (201) 857-3000, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.