Small Business Spotlight: Subsect Skateshop

For 26 years, Subsect Skateshop has been the go-to place for skaters within the region. Located in Downtown Des Moines’ (DSM’s) Historic East Village, Subsect is the only true shop available locally for skaters and by skaters.

Owner Kevin Jones has been involved with the business since Day 1. Although he’s not the original owner as he purchased Subsect about seven or eight years ago, Jones is a familiar face for customers, having managed the store for many years before taking the helm.

Subsect supplies anything you need to skateboard, from the coolest selection of decks, replacement wheels and trucks, other parts and gear, plus shoes, apparel and more. “Everything we carry puts money back into the skateboarding industry – which is so important. If kids want to be sponsored and get to the Olympics, supportive skateboarding companies are necessary to get those kids engaged. We are big believers of that,” said Jones.

Subsect Skateshop: How It Started in Downtown DSM

The original Subsect was on University Avenue in the Drake area in 1997. Since then, the shop moved around from Valley Junction to Urbandale, but for the past 15 years it sits at its final resting spot in Downtown DSM.

“For years and years, we wanted to be Downtown. For older guys, we’ve always treated Downtown like our skatepark. At the time, the East Village was starting to take off, and we couldn’t find a new space to lease. One of the past owners [of Subsect] saw this old building for sale. He bought it, and the rest is history!” said Jones.

Jones mentioned they knew skaters would come to Subsect Skateshop no matter where it was located within the region, because Subsect is the premiere supplier in the area. When the store was first established in the Historic East Village, they didn’t have much walk-in traffic. “At the time, we thought ‘Oh this is rad!’ Back then, everything in the East Village was a few blocks away [from the store] but still close enough,” adds Jones.

 

Now, How It’s Going in Downtown DSM

Now, the shop sees the benefit of pedestrian traffic. Plenty of the store’s customers aren't skaters, but instead come to shop the unique selection of apparel and limited-edition shoes. Jones said, “We know we have rad clothes and rad shoes. You don’t have to have a skateboard to come here.”

Jones reiterated that Subsect is still the go-to spot for skaters to find community within the region. “On Saturday mornings, you can find a group to meet up with before skating. We’re the meeting spot. And we want to keep that homebase feeling going here in Des Moines.”

He also emphasized the sense of community he’s found as a small business owner with other like-minded business owners in Downtown DSM. “We truly love being in the Historic East Village near so many other great businesses. We all look out for one another, and that’s pretty awesome! Let’s all lift each other up.”

"We've slowly turned Ernie’s Boondock into the local skater bar,” he joked.

Lauridsen Skatepark: A Des Moines Dream Come True

Jones’ dedication to the skateboarding community in DSM is evident. He spent nearly three decades collaborating with local leaders to bring the Lauridsen Skatepark to life in Downtown DSM. He served on the Skatepark Cabinet, volunteering time and talents to ensure the successful completion of a $6.1 million fundraising campaign.

The Lauridsen Skatepark opened in May 2021, and is now the largest skatepark in the U.S. It boasts 88,000 square feet of skateboarding including two skate bowls, a skate promenade, a skateable art sculpture, stairs, ledges and more.

“The skatepark is 25 to 30 years of my life. We opened the park by hosting the Dew Tour right out of the gates in May of 2021, which was an Olympic qualifying event. It was a nice boost to the economy [coming out of the pandemic] and a boost to local tourism. That skateboarding played a role is pretty awesome,” said Jones.

Hosting Pro Skateboarding: Des Moines + Dew Tour

The 2021 Dew Tour event brought 300 top skateboarders from around the globe, representing 38 countries. Tickets sold out each day, drawing 2,000+ fans daily to the park.

And the momentum continued. The Dew Tour pro skateboard competition was such a success, they chose to come back to Downtown DSM again in 2022. The second edition of the event in Downtown DSM brought a whopping $9.3 million in economic impact to the local area.

“It was awesome that they came back. You’d see these pros that already have their fave restaurants and bars. I had been telling them for a long time there’s a cool skateboard scene here and everything is easy. Finally, we got to show them too,” added Jones.

Jones shared an anecdote about professional skateboarder, Shawn Malto. Originally from Kansas City and now residing in California, Malto skated here at the Dew Tour and pops into skate at Lauridsen Skatepark occasionally. His love for the city has grown, and he likes to serve as a local tour guide to fellow visiting skaters. “You want ideas on a restaurant? Just ask Shawn, he doesn’t even live here, and yet he’ll go into detail on suggestions for you on where to eat, where to go,” laughed Jones.

Des Moines Skateboarding Meets a Growing National Industry

When asked about the changes to the skateboarding industry in recent years, Jones says it has been mostly for the better and mentioned there is a growing number of newbies including young kids interested in learning to skate. “If your kid wants to skate and you didn’t, it’s new to the parent so we’ve adjusted our approach in the store to educate both the kid and the parent to be even more informative,” said Jones.

Coming in for the first time can be intimidating, but Jones emphasized that they work hard to ensure the first experience with new customers is a good one.

Photo courtesy of Lauridsen Skatepark.

  Another change? Skateboarding became an official Olympic sport at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Being included in the international spotlight as part of the world’s leading sports event has skyrocketed interest in the skateboarding industry overall. This, coupled with the timing of the opening of Lauridsen Skatepark, no doubt has been part of DSM’s secret sauce to reaching skateboarding success in recent years.

“When the weather is nice, the tourism! I grew up as a skate tourist and planned places to visit based on skate parks available in other cities. Now people come to Des Moines as tourists to see our skate shop, and experience our skate park,” said Jones.

Photo courtesy of Lauridsen Skatepark.

The Trick: Supporting DSM Small Businesses

When you shop locally and support businesses like Subsect Skateshop, you’re directly supporting the people that live here — including community leaders, dreamers and changemakers like Jones.

“In all the meetings I've sat in to raise money [for Lauridsen Skatepark], it wasn’t the big online shops here at the table fighting for the local scene. It’s the local people that are looking out for the local community,” said Jones. “All these small businesses work hard to support the local community. Let’s make a point to support our local shops, restaurants and other small businesses in return.”

About Subsect Skateshop

Location:
309 E Walnut St
Des Moines, IA 50309

Hours:
M – Sat: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sun: Noon – 4 p.m.

Learn More:
Website: subsect-skateshop.myshopify.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Subsect-Skateshop-100042073337397
Instagram: instagram.com/subsect
X: x.com/subsectarmy

Find tips on Downtown Des Moines (DSM) parking and navigation and additional Downtown shops and retailers. Plus, follow @downtownDSMUSA on Instagram for more epic, things-you-just-can’t-miss happening around Downtown.