PHILLY
EVENTSQ+A: Angela McCaffery
A one-on-one with Philly's hottest new skate-deck designer
- Photo by Ben Leuner
School’s out for summer! — and, well, so are your kids. Stop boring them with day camp, swim team and piano lessons, and get what’s sure to keep them busy for hours, days, months: a sweet new skateboard designed by Angela McCaffery (and sold at her hubby’s shop, Sub Zero) that, come September, will leave no doubt as to who’s the coolest on the playground … or in the playpen.
So what sets your decks apart?
So many other kid boards look really juvenile. I want to make decks that are fun but push the envelope. Now I’m getting adults who want the kids’ designs!
Who’s your typical customer?
Anyone. There’s a generation of skateboarders who are getting married and having children, so we see plenty of them. But just the other day, my doctor came in and bought a board for his three-year-old.
What’s your take on Philly as a skate city?
People-wise, it’s excellent. There are so many greats from Pennsylvania — Stevie Williams, Ricky Oyola, Kevin Taylor. Plus there’s plenty of good architecture and urban terrain for boarding here. Of course, things were way better before they banned skating in LOVE Park.
How should parents who don’t skateboard teach their young kids?
Get the proper safety gear, and start small. A good way is on the carpet, because you know they won’t go too far. Or have them sit on the board, just to get the feel of the motion. And anyone can come into Sub Zero and we’ll teach them some basic skills.
Should parents wait until their kids are walking before thinking about a board?
Not necessarily. When my daughter Fiona was about six months old, my husband and I would sit her on the board and roll her back and forth. When she started crawling, she could get on the board in that position and push herself.
So what can we expect next?
Customized helmets to match the boards, stickers to slap on anything, matching clothes with the same art that’s on the decks. I also hope to have some with kids’ original artwork. It’ll be a full line.
Sub Zero, 520 South 5th Street, 215-925-9376; subzeroskateboarding.com and kidhipster.com
So what sets your decks apart?
So many other kid boards look really juvenile. I want to make decks that are fun but push the envelope. Now I’m getting adults who want the kids’ designs!
Who’s your typical customer?
Anyone. There’s a generation of skateboarders who are getting married and having children, so we see plenty of them. But just the other day, my doctor came in and bought a board for his three-year-old.
What’s your take on Philly as a skate city?
People-wise, it’s excellent. There are so many greats from Pennsylvania — Stevie Williams, Ricky Oyola, Kevin Taylor. Plus there’s plenty of good architecture and urban terrain for boarding here. Of course, things were way better before they banned skating in LOVE Park.
How should parents who don’t skateboard teach their young kids?
Get the proper safety gear, and start small. A good way is on the carpet, because you know they won’t go too far. Or have them sit on the board, just to get the feel of the motion. And anyone can come into Sub Zero and we’ll teach them some basic skills.
Should parents wait until their kids are walking before thinking about a board?
Not necessarily. When my daughter Fiona was about six months old, my husband and I would sit her on the board and roll her back and forth. When she started crawling, she could get on the board in that position and push herself.
So what can we expect next?
Customized helmets to match the boards, stickers to slap on anything, matching clothes with the same art that’s on the decks. I also hope to have some with kids’ original artwork. It’ll be a full line.
Sub Zero, 520 South 5th Street, 215-925-9376; subzeroskateboarding.com and kidhipster.com
