Blue Flowers skateboard shop gives boarders a new home at the Factory in Franklin
Franklin has a new home for skateboarding.
Blue Flowers skate shop opened last month at the Factory in Franklin as a place for skaters to pick up hardware, footwear, and apparel. Owner Chase Whitaker said it's a "labor of love" for Franklin, his home for the past 2-and-a-half year.
"Growing up, the skate shop is where you met all your friends before you went skating, or where you ended the session, where you hung out on Saturday and, if you were lucky enough, you could get a job there," Whitaker said. "That's absolutely the type of vibe and feel and community that we wanted to bring to the Factory."
Whitaker grew up in Passaic, New Jersey, about 15 miles outside New York City, and has worked for online skate shops like the Berrics and clothing brands including Converse and LRG.
He and his family moved to Middle Tennessee in 2020 and first visited the Factory as customers at the farmer's markets and spots like Mojo's Tacos and Honest Coffee Roasters. When a new ownership group purchased the shopping complex earlier this year, he leased space for what is now Blue Flowers.
"Coming in and seeing what Luna, the record store, does and what the Find does and the type of clientele at Honest Roasters, I thought that the high-end boutique skate shop would just be perfect for the clientele that's already in the Factory and Williamson County in general," Whitaker said
Part of that means pushing back against stereotypical notions of skateboarders.
"If you've ever watched any movie from the '80s, '90s, or 2000s, there's a stigma attached to skateboarding that it's punks and derelicts," Whitaker said. "I have four kids. I want to bring them up through the shop with skateboarding as a wholesome force in their life."
Growth of skateboarding
Skateboarding has come a long way from its origins as a niche sport confined mainly to sunny Southern California.
The sport boomed in the early 2000s following the release of the best-selling Tony Hawk's Pro Skater video games, inspiring kids in suburbs and smaller towns to pick up a board.
While its popularity has ebbed and flowed, Whitaker said skate content on social media and the sport's inclusion in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo have helped grow a new generation of skaters.
The sport also got an unexpected boost during the coronavirus pandemic. Skaters flocked to the streets of Middle Tennessee and places like Jim Warner Skate Plaza in Franklin and Walnut Street Skate Park in Spring Hill.
"What better time to get a board and go in your driveway or a tennis court, or wherever you want by yourself or whoever you're hanging out with, and just do something that gets you off your phone, gives you exercise, creates a challenge and creates that mental aptitude," Whitaker said.
Whitaker gave a shoutout to other local skate shops, such as Cecil's Skate Shop, Sixth Avenue Skatepark and Compound Skate Shop in Nashville, and said he wanted to complement the existing skateboarding community by building in Franklin.
"The thing about skateboarding is that it's absolutely rooted in brotherhood and camaraderie, and you just don't want to step on anybody's toes up there," Whitaker said. "I'm local here in Franklin. I love the vibe and energy at the Factory, and I figured, why not?"