Josh Moen has turned a childhood hobby into a family business.
Moen grew up skateboarding with his father. When he joined the Air Force, he wanted to be the first professional skater in the Air Force. That dream didn’t work out, but skating still runs in his blood.
Last week, Moen opened a new skate shop called Hub City Skates, located on Main Street across from the courthouse.
“Crestview needed something like this,” Moen said. “There a lot of skaters in Crestview that have no place to go other than another city. This was kind of like a dream thing for me.”
Moen also owns Hub City Tattoo, while his brother-in-law owns Hub City Barbers. Adding a skate shop to the family business made it easy for Moen to come up with the business name.
“When we opened this store we said we were going to keep the theme going,” Moen said. “Keep it Crestview.”
Hub City Skate offers hats, T-shirts and many skateboarding accessories including decks, wheels and stickers. When a patron buys something at the store, Moen will put it on their skateboard for them. He will also fix or add accessories now sold in his shop.
While the store might be small in size, the store’s impact is far bigger.
“Kids want something they can get out and do,” Moen said. “Skateboarding is a lifestyle. It’s exercise, it changes people’s mentality.”
Moen has only had his shop open for a week, but he already has big plans for the store’s future. Hub City Skate has partnered with Vitaliano restaurant to try and raise $300,000 to build a skate park in Crestview.
Moen told Rick Conlee, manager at Vitaliano, about his idea and within minutes Conlee asked how he could be involved. Conlee said Vitaliano could put a smaller pizza restaurant in the park as part of their partnership.
“At a skate park often times you’ll see kids will come and they’re there all day and they’re hungry,” Conlee said. “If Vitaliano can provide the pizza, (Hub City Skate) can provide the area and we just have a great partnership.”
Moen said adding a skate park is important because there is a lack of things for younger kids to do, but it is also something everyone in the city could use.
“There has to be a place that’s safe,” Moen said. “It’s not just for the youth. I’m 43 and I still enjoy it, but there’s got to be a place to go.”
To donate to the skate park fund, visit the GoFundMe page, or drop off donations at Vitaliano, Hub City Skate, Hub City Barbers or Hub City Tattoo.
Skate park donation sites:
- GoFundMe
- Hub City Skate: 462 N Main St.
- Hub City Tattoo: 194 Main St.
- Hub City Barbers: 211 N Main St.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: New skate shop opens; looking to build skate park