Blindside has been a dedicated skate store in Victoria for over a decade now. Located in the ‘fashion capital’ of Melbourne (Chadstone) the store has kept its own vibe and always stocked a pretty solid range. In fact, I’d say that Vince is one of the more adventurous buyers in the country choosing rad brands and styles that most others would be too scared to try… Heard of Makia yet? It’s a rad Finnish label coming to Blindside very soon and is well worth checking out. Read on for more from Vince about how the store came about and where it’s going!
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First up Vince, what’s your background? Where did you come from and what’s the history of Blindside?
I grew up in Vancouver, Canada. I got me first skateboard from a neighbour when I was about nine years old – it was a crappy plastic old schooler but I loved it. I got my first proper board in the April of ’86 and never looked back. Blindside’s history is a little convoluted… It was first opened in late 1996 by Jetty Surf. At first it only sold hardware (there was seriously like 400 decks on the wall) and shoes. It didn’t take long to realise that they needed racks for the Tec-tees, way baggy jeans and fat cargo pants. In ’01 I was looking to open a skate shop and herd that Jetty Surf’s new owners were looking to sell Blindside. It was my favourite shop in Melbourne. To me it was a no brainer. Last year I went out for Tepenyaki with a couple of friends, while the chef was flinging cooked egg at us Frankie was talking about how he had been with DC for over 10 years and was thinking about a change. He had a couple of things he was looking at doing and wondered if i was interested in being a partner in any of them. The next day I was thinking about how Frankie’s skill set was so different from mine and that a partnership with him would really work so I called him and offered him the chance to buy into Blindside. He did.
The newly refreshed Chadstone store has changed a bit. How long was the original store in there for? What prompted the change?
The old shop closed one month before its 12th birthday. It was time for a change… The old shop had twelve years of love and was looking decidedly shabby. So it was time.
Did you do the shop design yourself or did you have help?
Frankie did most of the design work with our designer Mark Judd.
What was the inspiration for it? It has a lot more of a ’boutique’ look about it – I love the entrance, and the wood finish you’ve used.
When the old shop was new it had a lot of people talking we wanted to try to recapture that in a new way. Early on in the process I was thinking about a rain forest vibe with tree images on the walls, vine shop fittings and a little stream flowing throw the shop i was suffering from insomnia at the time and may have been clinically insane. I started to sleep again and a more lucid shop design was created, then Frankie came on board and it took off from there.
Onto product … What’s the fastest selling hardware brand you have instore at the moment?
Girl/Chocolate
What about footwear?
Nike, Adidas, Gravis and Vans.
Have you got anything new about to drop instore that you’re excited about?
Shit loads. There’s Makia a new super clean brand from Finland. We are doing a guest art series with some of Australia’s best street artists and photographers. The web shop goes online next month.
Makia looks amazing – I caught the range book the other week and it is good looking gear. So you’ve got our friend Frankie working with you now? Who else is there with you?
Yep. When people get a job here they don’t tend to leave… Ariel has been with us for ten years, Simon three, Nick two and a half. Isaac is the newest guy.
Who’s on the shop team nowadays?
Nick Bell ,Sam Gorge, Richard Flude, Paul B and Pat Roberts. We are putting on a new skater next week (we will let you know then!)
Have you got any plans for the near future you can let us in on?
We are going to open a new shop next year. Location is still secret.
Thanks for taking the time to chat Vince! All the best!
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Blindside
Chadstone Shopping Centre
Lower Level, Shop BO72A
1341 Dandenong Road
Chadstone, 3148
Phone: 03.9568.8822
Web: blindside.com.au
Opening Hours:
Monday to Wednesday 9am – 5.30pm
Thursday and Friday 9am – 9pm
Saturday 9am – 5pm
Sunday 10am – 5pm
