Cool shop: Hero Skateboard

By Will Wu, December 2, 2013

Push, push, slide and ollie yourself into Hero Skateboard, the only professional skate shop in Guangzhou. Nestled in the rear part of Qianfengrun Sports Market on Jiaochang Xi Lu, the shop has everything one needs to start shredding the streets of the PRD.

An eyeful of goodies greets visitors who step through the door: assorted shoes by big-name brands, from Nike to Converse, are on shelves lining the walls on the left and right; DC and Diamond shirts and trousers are manifold, arrayed on hangers down the center. Sweetest of all, though, are the variety of killer boards hung at the back, splashed with vibrant colors and designs.

Tim Tian is the owner of the place. This 37-year-old Shanxi skateboard pro started to learn his skills at the age of 16. His great passion for the sport led him quit his previous job as a translator for the Guangzhou Military. Despite his family’s objections, Tian opened his haven in 2006. “I love skateboarding and I would like to promote it,” he explains. “I am happy to see now Guangzhou has become a preferred place for many foreign skateboard teams to shoot their skateboarding videos.”

Tian’s shop sells the decks of both foreign (DGK, Plan B, Real) and domestic (Hero, Lady, Vagabond, Action) companies. According to him, the DGK classic logo skateboard (RMB420), which stands out boldly in contrasting black and purplish red colors, is one of the most sought-after items. Another hot sale is the light-green Vagabond x Vans Safe Camp skateboard (RMB320). This cross-over design marks the first cooperation between Vans and locally renowned brand Vagabond. The Hero x Jokester (RMB280) is the result of cooperation between Hero and local street fashion brand Jokester, featuring a dark, mysterious owl peering piercingly out from the board.

Besides the decks, tools needed to build a skateboard – trucks (RMB400 each), wheels (RMB300 for four) and bearings (RMB260 for eight) – can also be found here. Buyers can assemble purchases on site with the help of Tian and his team.

So gear up, grab a deck with a sick design and catch some air.

// A13, Qianfengrun Sports Wares Market, 18-2 Jiaochang Xi Lu, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 广州市越秀区较场西路18-2号乾丰润体育市场A13 (020-8374 1202, heroskate.com)

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