Portland's Skate Community Isn't Stoked for CCS (VIDEO)

Portland's local skate scene just got bigger.

Local-made-good Daddies Board Shop recently bought onetime skate giant CCS (formerly California Cheap Skates) from cheap-shoe giant Foot Locker. Foot Locker had bought CCS for millions, but first shut down all retail, then announced they were shutting down the website. Think of this as if Powell's Books bought Amazon, after Jeff Bezos moved to an island or something. 

Daddies is bringing CCS' online business to their headquarters out by the airport. 

Sure, CCS has a long history in skateboarding, especially back when it was a little catalog. They fill a void for skaters living in cities where there aren't skate shops. But in thriving scenes they're thought of as a burn on local shops, which foster their local scene by sponsoring pro skaters with free boards or shoes when they start out. When you replace the small retailer with a massive mall store, you're left with a dwindling skate scene. 

When locals like Daddies buy CCS, what does that mean for Portland's famous DIY ethos—in a city home to strong local companies and the first DIY skate park in America to also be a city park, under the Burnside Bridge? Is a skate giant like CCS in better hands with local company like Daddies? Is a massive retailer like CCS valuable to skateboarding? 

We talked to Daron Horwitz, owner of Daddies, some local board shop owners, and the owner of Unheard Distribution. 

WWeek 2015