Shops / Shop of the Week
Shop of the Week: Campus Skate Store, Bishopsworth
Skateboarding has long been part of Bristol’s identity but shops dedicated to it haven’t always been easy to find, especially outside the city centre.
Located in the middle of Bishopsworth, Campus Skate Store is changing that.
You may recognise the name Campus Skateboarding as the not-for-profit behind Shredenhams. Campus Pool is their Bishopsworth site, which opened back in 2016 and offers much of the same on a more intimate scale.
While Campus Skateboarding was founded and directed by Andre Siedel and Tim Nokes, operations manager Monica Cavelho is at the heart of their flagship store day-to-day.
Having worked at Campus for over four years, her connection to the space – and the people who use it – is palpable.
Campus Skate Store is anything but ordinary. Found inside the swimming pool-turned-skatepark, with a cafe to boot, the space has been transformed into a bona fide social hub for skateboarding enthusiasts and the wider Bishopsworth community.
Campus staff are well-versed in all things skateboarding and are “always ready to offer advice and recommendations”, as stated via their website.
The shop itself has an eclectic but carefully curated selection of products.
From skateboards to clothing to keychains to their surprisingly popular selection of socks, everything reflects a considered approach to skate culture.
Monica explained that Campus is predominantly stocked with independent brands.
“In the big world of skateboarding, it’s important to support them,” she told Bristol24/7.
That means shelving labels from across the globe alongside more local names like Heathen Skateboards and Lovenskate.
While Campus’s ethical considerations are admirable, they pose a slight challenge for the store.
Monica confirmed that, as with most small skate shops, it can be harder to compete with larger shops. But as Monica puts it, “therein lies the trust with the community”.
In Bishopsworth, local support plays a big role in the shop’s success. “People here would rather buy from and support local,” Monica adds.
Campus can provide people of all ages with everything they need to get started and progress in skateboarding.
As stated on Campus’s main website, this includes “decks, complete setups, wheels, bearings, clothing, and shoes”, as well as services to maintain or replace equipment.
While it is Campus’s emphatic focus on community which sets it apart from other skate shops, Monica wishes this were not the case.
She hopes that relying on a single space for all your skateboarding needs becomes less unusual within the skateboarding world.
In the meantime, however, Campus Skate Store is there to rely on.
Main photo: Olivia King
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