Skateboarding
Skateboarding
7 top skate shops in Philadelphia
At these skate shops, you can get everything you need for a day full of nollies and manuals.
As you walk along Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River Trail just south of the Art Museum, you’ll see skaters going off the rails at Paine’s Park. All the way south in the City of Brotherly Love, the graffiti-decked, 16,000-square-foot FDR Skatepark lies directly under I-95. The city’s thriving skate culture may be most apparent in these skateparks, but it starts in Philly’s skate shops, where boards and apparel abound. The people behind these shops are also experts on the city’s skate scene.
“The streets are rough. The spots are rough. There’s a lot you’ve got to battle,” Kerry Getz, owner of Nocturnal Skate Shop, says in our “Greetings From” episode about Philadelphia.
17 min
Philadelphia
Go street-level in one of skating's most influential cities with the locals who make up the Philly scene.
Ready to hit the streets? Check out these top skate shops in Philadelphia below.
01
Nocturnal Skate Shop
Located at the intersection of S 5th Street and South Street, Nocturnal is a Philly skate shop staple founded in the early 2000s. This store is a favorite among Philly skaters since the brand’s own boards and apparel are high-quality, with nationally renowned skate brands also available. Plus, thanks to Nocturnal’s partnership with Kinetic Skateboarding in nearby Wilmington, Delaware, the store’s impact permeates the entire Philly metro.
02
Kinetic Skateboarding
Nocturnal’s partner shop is a roughly 10-minute drive north of downtown Wilmington, Delaware and a 40-minute drive from Nocturnal itself. Two passionate skaters co-founded this top Philly-area skate shop in 2002, and the shop has been known for its involvement in building public skateparks. You can buy the brand’s own sweatshorts and other apparel, not to mention everything you could possibly need for your board.
03
Skate The Foundry
Although Skate The Foundry is open to all ages, this two-location shop — which also operates a skatepark at each location — heavily promotes children’s skate lessons. It’s no surprise, then, that this top Philly skate shop’s biggest draw is its breadth of safety gear. That’s true at both the West Philly location, in Belmont at Westminster Avenue and N 40th Street, and the Elkins Park location in Yorktown Plaza. Plus, during open skate hours, you can try out all your new gear right away.
04
Zembo Temple of Skate and Design
You’ll find this unforgettably named skate shop (and design agency) at the intersection of Amber and Berges Streets, near Norris and Front Streets in Fishtown. Zembo’s storefront is lined with ceiling-high columns of boards, but the real main attraction is the art supplies. Reviewers rave about these — some go here for skate items and leave with art materials too. It’s totally possible that some of the more creative member of Philly’s skate scene found their inspiration here.
05
Old School Skateboard Company
This unique Philly skate shop is conveniently located just off I-95 in Port Richmond, on Victoria Street just southeast of Richmond Street. Here, you can design your own custom board from scratch with the help of the shop’s staff. Although the shop has offered this service for several years, it opened its storefront quite recently, in summer 2023.
You can also buy your own pre-built, standard-manufactured boards, including ones with unusual shapes, colors, and patterns. The shop is known to run giveaways for these less common boards, including, recently, a fish-shaped Bud Baum deck with a pink leopard pattern.
06
Sunrise Surf and Skateboard Shop
As you can probably tell from this skate shop’s name, it specializes in surf, but it’s got plenty of great options for skaters too. Plus, its Cherry Hill, New Jersey location is ideal for skaters who live in Philly’s New Jersey suburbs but go into the city to skate.
You can find a skateboard at Sunrise for basically any of your needs, whether you skate to commute or you love a thrilling downhill ride. Sunrise also sells longboards if you’re looking to expand beyond skateboarding and get into its sister sport. All its boards are made in California, so when you ride Sunrise, you might feel as though you’re truly sailing into the sunset.
07
Antics Skateshop
This skate shop founded in 2022 is a top destination for skaters who live in Philly’s New Jersey suburbs off the PATCO. It’s located in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, a block away from U.S. Route 30 at the intersection of East Atlantic and Station Avenues.
When you visit Antics, you’ll get to choose from an array of decks, wheels, and apparel. You can also engage with Antics in unique ways if you’re an artist, as the shop is newly venturing into art shows. This interest in connecting with people is core to Antics’ operations — the shop threw an open-invite one-year anniversary party that got local skaters talking. As with all the top skate shops in Philly and nearby, when you shop at Antics, you become part of a tight-knit skating community.
All hands on deck for Philly’s skate scene
Whether you live in Philly proper or in the New Jersey and Delaware parts of the Philly metro, there’s a great skate shop within reach. At these shops, you can get everything you need for a day full of nollies and manuals. Plus, you can meet other skaters before you even hit the pavement. And as you’ll see when watching "Greetings from Philadelphia," the local skating community will welcome you with open arms.
