It is with sadness but also excitement that we bring you this announcement. Our Neal’s Yard store will be closing at the end of March. Number 16 Neal’s Yard has housed many happy memories and people (literally) over the years so this is the end of an era in many respects. It is also however, the beginning of a brand new one. Our new store will open in the first week of April and it is only a one minute walk away from the old one. We will talk more about that later. It’s crazy to think of just how long Slam has been serving the London skate scene from the same location…
Slam Covent Garden early days. Dateable by the Vision shoe on the rack. Photo-Will Bankhead
Neal’s Yard has been the home of many businesses over the years. It is right now a far cry from the derelict scene Nicholas Saunders began transforming in 1976. Slam City Skates found its home in what was then an alternative haven 27 years ago. Our doors opened in 1988 in partnership with Rough Trade who occupied the basement. Our two stores co-existed for 19 years, we enjoyed each others company and the varied crowd we both attracted…
Rough Trade Basement. Photo-Tim Fowler
In 2007 Rough Trade moved to open their East store and we inherited the space they filled. Immediately after they left our basement was an exhibition space for a short time. Since then, it has housed a number of brands and was most recently taken over by Vans. They are some brief facts about the address and what has filled it. It is and has been many things to many people. It is a destination on the ‘To Visit’ list of any travelling skateboarder passing through London. It has been a haven for the bored and jobless and a lunch break retreat for many. It has employed and supported whole waves of the skateboard community. It has been an events hub, ticket office and information point. The safe place to leave bags, grip boards and start or finish the day. One of the only places staff members will disrupt the whole surrounding community with a hammer and bruised thumbs on kingpin detail over the nearest drain. Gripping activity in there completely wore through a bastard file. It has seen thousands of happy children walk away with their first board and many walk away with an old one when they most needed it. Our memories of this store are happy ones. 16 Neal’s Yard was good to us and to you too we hope. I’m sure we will find more time and space to reminisce on just how important this place has been but we are busy creating a new space to house all these memories and experiences for a new generation…
This is the front of our new Covent Garden address. Our new store is going to be located at 37 Endell Street, WC2H 9EE. It is two doors down from the Cross Keys which is a perfect place for decompressing after some retail therapy. We are really excited about this new shop, it is a bigger space and we are going to be able to do far more with it. It will open in early April. We will bring you more information about the opening and look forward to seeing you there either out shopping or at one of the many events we are planning to schedule for the following year.