Laconia High grads launch mobile skate shop
When Tom McCormack was growing up in the city, there was a burgeoning skateboard culture, with a locally owned brick-and-mortar store and a skate park for kids to hone their skills.
Since the city opened its new skate park in 2020, and with Meredith also adding a new skate park, local interest in skateboarding has spiked. Frequent use at the skate parks serves as evidence of this shift.
McCormack was at a skate park in Derry last November, marveling at the resurgence of one of his childhood passions, when he was struck by inspiration.
"I was like, dude, there's nowhere to buy anything," McCormack said.
His idea was to create a business offering boards, equipment, apparel and maybe a few snacks to supply skateboarders. But he said he never considered a conventional store, which would be fixed to a specific location. Instead, he envisioned a mobile shop - a vehicle, stocked with gear, that could pop up at any skate park, or anywhere skateboarders might be located.
A quick call to his friend Brad Aubut - both are members of the Laconia High School class of 1999 - and the plans were in the works.
By February, The Grind Box, their mobile skate shop, was on the road, and the response has been rewarding, McCormack said.
"We've sponsored a couple of snowboard competitions, now we basically are going to travel around to all the skate parks in the area," McCormack said. "We're the ice cream men of skateboards."
One reason their business hit the road so quickly was because Aubut already had a suitable vehicle, a Mercedes van he had been using as a place to sleep during snowboarding trips. Aubut, who works in school maintenance, and McCormack, a stone mason, refitted it for skateboarding supply. They can fit "50-ish" skateboards and skateboard decks, as well as wheels, trucks and other necessary hardware. They also have apparel, stickers and limited refreshments. The van is set up as a retail space, so people can climb in and browse, or they will also deliver direct to customers. McCormack is planning to also offer skateboard lessons.
It's an activity McCormack said he's happy to see.
"It gives kids an outlet," McCormack said. "There's no rules, anybody can do it, and once you buy your stuff, it's free."
It's proved challenging to get some companies to sell to them because they aren't a fixed-location store. That surprise is a problem they are working on solving.
"We want to start our own brand of boards," McCormack said, noting that they've already picked out a name. "We're in talks with manufacturers."
Several local businesses have helped launch The Grind Box as sponsors: White Mountain Brewing Company, Granite State Customs, The Brick Front, Tiki Boats of NH and Channel Waterfront Cottages.
McCormack said launching the business has been a great deal of effort, but "it's a fun job. It's my passion, it's not work. It's a lot of hours and brainpower, but it's not work."