Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay And Zach Krage.
Hi Lindsay and Zach, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Anthem Skatepark and Board Shop began in 2015 after an opportunity and need surfaced in our community. The city had been operating a small outdoor skatepark through the Park and Rec department, and when they decided to close it down, we decided to do our best to pick up the pieces. Opening a skatepark was not in our plans, but we wanted to ensure people had an outlet to skateboard. By working with the city, we were able to form an agreement to build and operate an indoor park inside the city’s old “West End Rec” building, which was no longer being used as a recreation center.
Our goal is to build a strong and supportive skate community by focusing on the community and the people we serve. We host skate camps for all ages, private lessons, skate competitions, and participate in regional events whenever possible.
After many years of work behind the scenes, we have recently been awarded a grant to build a free outdoor park surrounding our building. We never want kids to be denied participation, and having this outdoor park will mean greater accessibility to our community and surrounding cities.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been many ups and downs, as is true for most small businesses. Operating a business that was classified as a fitness center during Covid meant we had to shut down for several months. We had to get creative – we started a website and offered curbside pick up and delivery of skate goods so people could continue to skateboard outdoors.
The other struggle is that skateboarding is not supported like other, more traditional sports. Despite skateboarding being in the olympics now, cities and communities still don’t support the infrastructure the same way they do other sports. What many people don’t know is that skateboarding requires intense focus, dedication, and grit, and unfortunately, many have an inaccurate perception of skateboarding and of people who skate.
Another challenge is keeping the sport accessible in our community. We have done what we can to keep our prices low and have always prioritized the community experience over profit. We both work day jobs in additional to operating Anthem, and running this skatepark and board shop feels like an extension of doing what we love. Zach is a high school teacher and Lindsay has been serving with AmeriCorps at a local rural school and cares for a small farmstead.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Zach and Lindsay/We are both creative individuals by nature and have many avenues of how we incorporate the arts into Anthem. Zach enjoys filming and editing and has helped to make several skate videos of our team riders. This summer we held a ‘Skate and Create’ camp for kids, where we grew skills, taught filming and editing, and had a video premiere to showcase their work. Lindsay is a sewist and makes custom goods for the shop, as well as screen prints shop goods and has recently been working on screen printing skateboards.
We are working now to develop our own skate brand, where boards would be screen printed in house.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
There are a lot of challenges with running a small business, and having patience has been the most important lesson. Everything takes longer than you expect, but sticking with your goals will pay off.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.anthemskateshop.com
- Instagram: @anthemskateshop
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@anthemskateparkandboardsho4324
