Interview with Ron Clune, owner
How did you get involved in this business?
I have been involved with skateboarding since I was about 13 and have been on the snow since I was 2. After graduating from Berkeley College in New York City with a bachelor’s in marketing, the economy crashed. I worked construction for several years and that’s when the dream came to life. It started with our clothing brand, Solid Dreams, geared toward action sports. When that dream came to life, it was only natural for my fiancee and me to open a shop through which we could easily distribute and build our clothing brand. So we quit our day jobs in New York City and headed west to our favorite destination: Colorado. Once here, it was simple to see that west of Interstate 25 there are no real core skate or snowboard shops, so Golden seemed like a great central hub with a huge skate scene and plenty or skate parks only a few miles away.
What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
When we finally took the leap of faith, we had one goal in mind: provide quality products while upholding the highest customer service. We have a strong vision and passion to be open, friendly and easygoing. For us, it’s not about how long a shop has been in business or how big the competition may be. It’s about fun. And that’s what makes us different. People shop here because they can see the passion and the joy in what we do. And if that’s not enough, we have a basketball hoop in the shop.
What do you like best about your line of work?
I love interacting with our clientele and hearing their stories. I honestly feel good when people are excited when they come in to our shop and feel the good energy. We want people to know they can always come and watch a video and not feel pressured to buy goods. Obviously, we are in business to turn a profit, but I do not believe in pressuring people. I like that people know that about our shop.
What is your business’ biggest challenge?
E-commerce and big-box stores have really hurt this industry. Also, being a new shop and convincing people just to swing through and see what we have to offer is really hard. I enjoy when new customers come in and are hyped about the shop.
Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
We are self-funded, self-established and family-run. We print all our own shop shirts and, of course, our clothing brand, Solid Dreams, right here in the back of the shop. Currently we are working on constructing handmade hats. We have big plans to open a few other locations in and out of Colorado. Also, we are currently working on a team film and are gearing to take our clothing brand to some trade shows.
Business: Decks Skate and Snow
Address: 2600 East St., Unit B, Golden
Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday
Founded: 2013
Contact: 303-279-1003; decksskatensnow.com
Employees: 2
To suggest a business for us to profile, e-mail soelrich@denverpost.com.
