If you’ve been to a local skate rink lately, you’ve probably seen the custom skate trend that is sweeping skaters off their feet.
The new “sneaker skates” have rolled into Provo and taken the skate scene by storm.
“I went roller skating with one of my friends a month ago, this is when it all started, and she had brought a bunch of her other friends. And they all had really cool roller skates made with Vans and Nikes and stuff, and I was like 'what the, these are the coolest skates I've ever seen!'” skating enthusiast HunterEve Voisin said.
Voisin had only been skating for a month or two, but it didn’t take her long to come across the current trend in skating footwear.
“I was like, 'did they make those?'. And she was like, 'yeah, they made mine, too.' And then I look down and she has the coolest skates ever, and I'm just in my rentals, and I was like, 'I think I might need some of these,'” she said.
So where did these custom shoes come from?
“I made three sets for three pretty girls and then they started getting questions about them at Classic (Skating Center),” sneaker skate designer Alex 'Ozzy' Osborne said. 'Then eventually I made an Instagram account, and then I just started following different roller skating companies, different roller skaters.”
His account steadily gained followers, but people wanting to buy shoes have faced some financial obstacles.
“High-top vans are around $65 or $70, but then the pieces to make the skates can cost up to 200 depending on how good of quality you want them to be. So it can add up to almost $300,” Voisin said.
So how has Ozzy managed to shred the competition and get his business plan rolling?
“I actually charge less than anyone on the market that I know of, at least. So I'm getting orders like crazy,” he said.
Having found his role in the niche market, Ozzy’s business was on a roll. And orders came rolling in.
“I sold two skates to a lady in Guam. I've sold two pairs to people in Hawaii, so it's really kind've, it's really blown up a little bit quicker than I anticipated,' he said. 'I wish I had a better business plan, but I'm just rolling with it, just making them out of my garage, so yeah it's pretty fun.”
Despite the cost of the unique footwear, customers seem determined to let the good times roll.