After a busy holiday season, we’re back in the full swing of things here at the office. We’re looking forward to a really great first part of 2012. We’ll be looking to expand our product lineup with even more of the top brands and styles of skateboard ramps and rails. We have a few brands lined up already, which I’m really excited to share with you once we launch. If there are some brands you’d like us to carry, by all means, please feel free to pass along your suggestions. My team and I will do what we can to form a relationship to sell them.

Other than that, we’ll be continuing to put up fresh videos, photos and other great content.

Thanks for making 2011 awesome!

I just got in from California, and I’m so bus lagged,

Jason

How’s the holiday shopping season going so far? We put so much stress on ourselves around this time of year. We labor over what to get all our loved ones and keep our fingers crossed that they’re going to enjoy it. Every year, though, we all powder through it and are glad we put in the extra effort to make the season that much more special.

Our holiday season has been going pretty well so far. If you’re reading this, and have chosen to buy from us already, we thank you. Our goal is to make the shopping experience as easy as possible. For those of you who are still looking, please, if there’s anything we can do just let us know. The sooner you order, the sooner you’ll have the skate ramp or rail safely at your door!

That’s all for today. I know it’s a shorter blog than usual, but there’s still lots to do during this hectic time!

When I was a kid I had dyslexia. I would write all about it in my dairy.

Jason

As you know, we’ve made the decision to adjust our product offering. We saw some success with the soft goods, so we’re now trying out selling ramps and rails by some of the top brands in the business. We really love each brand we offer, for a number of different reasons. For this particular week, we’re featuring Freshpark.

Freshpark ramps are all about strength and portability. Their ramps are designed with a steel framing system, and the surface is made of a highly durable urethane. The best part about a Freshpark ramp is how easy it is to transport. Their designs make it really simple to collapse the ramp to a size small enough to tuck away in the truck of your car. If you purchase a Freshpark ramp, you don’t have to worry about finding a permanent location for it.

We think Freshpark is so cool, in fact, that we’re offering a promotion. From now until 11/24/11 get 10% off your purchase. At checkout, key in code: freshparkiscool

Do you know the muffin man?

Jason

I know it’s been a while since we’ve had a new blog entry. Later in summer, we knew that we wanted to make some changes to Liberty Skate. It took us quite a while to talk out what each of us liked about LS, what we wished was different, and how we should change moving forward. It was an ambitious move, seeing as the holiday shopping season seems to start earlier and earlier every year. By the time we knew what we wanted to change, it was mid-September, and we knew we had at most 6 weeks to “make the rubber hit the road”.

The general consensus was that we needed to change the products we were selling. There were certain aspects of each individual product that we all liked, but the “wish list” for modifications was even more robust. The bottom line is that we wanted to make sure we were offering quality products to our customer base, with great customer service, and competitive prices. If you’re a repeat visitor to the Liberty site, then you know we started to dabble in selling other brands though our site (the Stuff section – selling soft goods). We were fortunate to see some success with that, so we wanted to test it out with hard goods, namely skateboard ramps and rails from some of the top providers in the industry.

Take a few minutes to browse around our site. This is just the initial group of products we thought we’d sell. As you know, when it comes what we offer, we’re all about bringing new stuff in that you all want. So don’t be shy.

We’re still toying with some new products that we would like to manufacture and sell through our site, too.

I hope you enjoy the newly modified Liberty Skate.

Did you see that movie on Lifetime about that woman….

Jason

As you may or may not know, Liberty Skate is interested in the environment and doing what we can to give back to the community and the planet. Not only are we passionate about our own efforts, but we recognize and applaud the efforts of other like-minded companies. I came across an interesting company today, that’s actually also in the skateboard ramp industry.

The company started out as TrueRide – maybe you’ve heard of them. They specialize in skate parks. The founder noticed that, through the manufacturing and construction process, they had quite a bit of scrap skate surface. The founder, being a green-minded individual, decided to use that scrap to make home food prep surfaces. As they say on their website, if the surface can withstand the weather and skateboarders, then it should withstand the use and abuse of the kitchen.

While I don’t have access to their company financials, on the surface at least, it appears the company is doing fairly well. Even if the best they did was break-even, I still applaud the efforts. It’s a very clever way of looking at the flaws in a production system and figuring out a way to repurpose it so it doesn’t end up in the scrap yard.

If you wanted to read a little more about the company, here’s a link to their site: http://www.epicureancs.com/about.php

I hope everyone is enjoying all the new brands in the Stuff section. As always, we’re open to any and all feedback, so please don’t be shy.

When giving someone lethal injection, why do they first use an alcohol swab?

Jason

You all know that we’re primarily a skateboard ramp manufacturer. Our main product lines will always be related to skate ramps – and right now that consists of grind boxes, quarter pipes and half pipes.

If you’ve been to our site in the past, you’ve likely seen our Stuff section. In the spring, we added this category to provide our customers with some soft goods, like t-shirts, helmets and pads. We’ve had some success with this section, and we’re appreciative of everyone that has supported us so far. We’ve also been listening to customer feedback. We wanted to test out the demand for these soft goods, so we set up the Stuff section with a limited number of brands. The most common bit of feedback I’ve been getting has been that you all want more brands – bigger selections – more, more, more.

We’ve added literally dozens of new brands. We now carry thousands of different items. They’re all the latest styles, competitively priced. Best part – FREE SHIPPING.

Here are all the brands we offer now:

Completes
• Alien Workshop
• ALLY
• ALMOST
• Anti Hero
• Blind
• Black Label
• BREWER
• Chocolate
• CLICHE
• CREATURE
• Crailtap
• CARVE
• Darkstar
• Deville
• Dogtown
• Dregs
• Element
• Enjoi
• Flip
• Foundation
• GFHURLEY
• Globe
• Gravity
• Habitat
• LADERA
• LAYBACK LONGBOARDS
• LANDYACHTZ
• Madrid
• MYSTERY
• PALISADES
• PLAN B
• Punked
• Real
• Riviera
• Santa Cruz
• Sector 9
• Seismic
• Speed Demons
• TNG
• Tracker
• Threat
• World Industries
• Zero

Helmets
• 187
• Essentials
• INDUSTRAL TRUCKS
• Pro Tec
• Sector 9
• Triple Eight
• VIKING HELMETS
• ZooYork

Pads
• 187
• Bullet
• Destroyer
• Essentials
• Gravity
• INDUSTRAL TRUCKS
• Pro Tec
• Rector
• Smith
• Triple Eight
• ZooYork

Womens
• Alva
• BUTTONS HAWAII
• Spitfire

Tshirts
• Alien Workshop
• ALMOST
• Anti Hero
• ATM
• AZPX
• Baker
• Birdhouse
• Blind
• Black Label
• Bones
• BUTTONS HAWAII
• BUMMER HIGH
• Chocolate
• CLICHE
• CREATURE
• Darkstar
• Destructo
• DEATH WISH
• DGK
• Dogtown
• Enjoi
• ESS
• Expedition
• Flip
• Fourstar
• Foundation
• Girl
• GIVEN
• Habitat
• HELLDORADO
• Hook Ups
• HUBBA
• Independent
• KROOKED
• LOWCARD
• MYSTERY
• Organica
• Pig
• PLAN B
• Powell Peralta
• Real
• Roger
• Royal
• Santa Cruz
• SATORI
• Sector 9
• Spitfire
• SHAKE JUNT
• Shortys
• SILENCE
• SKATE MAFIA
• SLAVE
• SKATE MENTAL
• Stereo
• THEEVE
• Think
• Thunder Strike
• Toy Machine
• Unkown Souljah
• WATER BROTHERS
• Zero

Sweatshirts
• Alien Workshop
• ALMOST
• Alva
• Anti Hero
• ATM
• Birdhouse
• Blind
• Black Label
• Bones
• Chocolate
• CREATURE
• Darkstar
• Enjoi
• Flip
• Fourstar
• Foundation
• Girl
• Habitat
• Independent
• KROOKED
• MYSTERY
• Pig
• PLAN B
• Powell Peralta
• Santa Cruz
• Spitfire
• SHAKE JUNT
• SKATE MENTAL
• Toy Machine
• Zero

Youth
• Anti Hero
• Blind
• Fourstar
• Independent
• Santa Cruz

Hats
• Alien Workshop
• ALMOST
• Anti Hero
• BUTTONS HAWAII
• Chocolate
• CLICHE
• CREATURE
• DGK
• Dogtown
• Enjoi
• Flip
• Habitat
• HELLDORADO
• Independent
• KROOKED
• LOWCARD
• MYSTERY
• PLAN B
• Powell Peralta
• Royal
• Santa Cruz
• Spitfire
• Stereo
• Toy Machine
• Unkown Souljah
• Zero

The list is long, but distinguished.

These products get updated on a daily basis. We added a “NEW” tag to make it easier for repeat visitors to see what’s different.

More updates will coming coming next week too! Stay tuned… Have a holly jolly weekend.

Some people seem to read the Bible a lot as they get older. Maybe they think they’re cramming for their finals.

Jason

We’ve been really busy here at the shop, but I wanted to take a few moments to write an entry before the week got away from me entirely.

There’s been a lot going on with the website that I’m excited to tell you about, but first I wanted to discuss an interesting article that came across my desk this morning. It’s an op/ed piece by Bill Wundram from the Quad-City Times, titled, “Five Lessons Learned From Skateboarders”.

If you keep up with my blog, you know that I’m constantly harping on the misconceptions of skateboarders / skateboarding in the United States. There are certain stereotypes out that about what it means to be a skater, and it’s a real uphill battle trying to reverse that. This article was of particular interest because it discusses someones first hand account of skateboarders, and how those misconceptions were rectified. By being trapped with this group of young skaters, they were forced to observe some of the team work and etiquette in the skating world. They were so taken by this, in fact, that they were able to fairly easily identify five life lessons that can be taken from the sport. Here’s a basic breakdown of the big five: 1) support, 2) do it again, 3) take turns, 4) hard knocks, and 5) earning respect.

The take-away meanings have to do with being a good sport, perseverance, sharing, supporting the group, not getting bogged down by small defeats, not expecting things to be handed to you, virtue, etc. All of these are very good life lessons, I think, and the world would be a better place if more people promoted them. Now, I’m not saying that every single skater out there is going to the perfect model citizen promoting these ideals. The point is that these sorts of traits DO exist in the skating world, and even if every skater doesn’t possess every single one of them, it doesn’t mean the sport is a waste or an act of rebellion. I think on the whole, the culture does promote these traits, and by and large, most skaters are trying to live up to as many of them as possible.

If you’d like to read more about the article or the author, here is the link: http://qctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/bill-wundram/article_292296d8-ad01-11e0-ad33-001cc4c03286.html

Since I have your attention, I thought I’d also take this opportunity to tell you about a few updates to the Liberty Skate website.

First, I know it’s been a long time coming, but we finally have the Paint section live. Every phase of the “paint project” seemed to take much longer than anyone originally anticipated, but as the old saying goes, “good things come to those who wait”. Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to own a Liberty Skate product to purchase the Liberty Skate protective coating. I’ve heard of people applying it to existing ramps, other outdoor wood surfaces, etc.

Next, we’ve been paying attention to customer feedback, and we’re now offering combo deals on our quarter pipes. They’re the same great quarter pipes you’ve come to know very well, in 4, 6 and 8 foot widths, but now you can save some money by buying in bulk. This is also available on the site right now.

OK – that’s all for today. Thanks for your time.

If you watch the movie 187 Hours backwards, it’s actually a fairly uplifting story about a guy who gets his arm back, climbs out of a cave and goes on to live a nice life,

Jason

I was reading an interesting article recently on a South Dakota skatepark that has designated certain times throughout the week for family skate time.

If you’d like to read the article for yourself, please find it here: http://www.brandoninfo.com/article/20110630/NEWS/110629003/1001

Let’s face it, if you’re young, a skatepark can be an intimidating place. Also, due to social pressures and the desire to fit in, it’s really uncool to be a skatepark with your parents and other family members. As I’ve blogged about in the past, the overall perception of skateboarding is changing. Before, it was misunderstood and considered to be something “punks” took part in, or was something for kids who just wanted to be rebellious and destroy public and private property. Television, movies, formal competitions, professionals, extra-curricular programs, parks, camps and general media coverage have all been key contributors in the social paradigm shift.

One thing that hasn’t changed, is parent’s desire to support their young children’s athleticism and sporting events. I think this park in South Dakota is doing something really great, and I think you’re going to be seeing it more and more. By designating times for families and younger skaters to come to the park, it’s allowing the overall popularity and strength of the sport to grow. If skateboarding can become as commonplace as, say, Little League, the benefits to the sport in general will be tremendous.

If you have some opinions on this you’d like to share, I’m certainly open to the discussion. You can email me at info@libertyskate.com

Thanks and if I don’t write you beforehand, have a safe and happy 4th of July.

You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?,

Jason

If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, on Friday you saw that I teased a few new promotional events coming up. We have a bunch in mind for the first part of summer, and I’d like to announce the first one today.

A free t-shirt or sweatshirt.

Now through the 4th of July, get a free t-shirt or sweatshirt of your choosing with the purchase of a half pipe. Simply place the order with us, and we’ll make sure we follow-up with you to get your selection. It’s that easy!

So if you’ve had your eye on a half pipe, either for yourself or for someone else, why not take the plunge? I mean, who doesn’t like a free t-shirt or sweatshirt?

Living proof that there’s too much chlorine in the gene pool,

Jason

In the near future, we’re going to be in the position to offer Darkstar skate decks and wheels. Now, I know this is something different than what we offer today, as currently we only offer skateboard completes. The more I keep reading about Darkstar, the more impressed I get. Specifically, they appear to have a really great guarantee on their products. For instance, with the wheels, they guarantee them for 120 days against manufacturers defects and flat spots. With the decks, they guarantee them for 30 days against breakage, delamination, warpage, etc. All you have to do is send the product back with your proof of purchase and they’ll replace it.

I want to make sure that Liberty Skate’s customers are satisfied with any purchase they make on our website – and not just with the products that bear our name. But, again, this would be a deviation from what we currently sell. The bottom line is that I’m looking for some feedback from all of you. Is this brand something you’d like to see on our site? Do you wish we carried a different variety of products? Please – we could use the feedback – info@libertyskate.com

If you’re interested in learning a little more about Darkstar, here is their website: http://darkstarguaranteed.com/

Thanks everyone!

I have 2 rare photographs. One is Houdini locking his keys in his car. The other is Norman Rockwell beating up a child.

Jason

How awesome is this weather? It’s really encouraging to see so many different people of all different ages out enjoying the sunshine and working on their skating.

I found this article online that I thought you all would enjoy: http://dvice.com/archives/2011/05/a-house-perfect.php#5

According to the article, what you see in the pictures is supposed to represent ocean waves. But, since we all have the skateboarder mentality, those things look like giant quarter pipes and half pipes!

Anyway, that’s all I have to report this afternoon. We’ve got a few things we’re wrapping up here at our shop before the bulk of the crew takes off for the Memorial Day holiday.

Stay Classy.

Being more clever than you look is always better than looking more clever than you are,

Jason

With Earth Day upon us, I wanted to take a few moments to blog about our commitment to the environment. A description of our commitment is on our website (Giving Back), and I know I’ve written about it before, but it bears repeating.

We are proud members of an organization called 1% For The Planet. Companies that are a part of this agree to donate at least 1% of their annual revenue to an approved charity. The notion behind this is that 1% isn’t enough to cripple a company’s financial holding, so really, why wouldn’t you do it?

During the planning stages of Liberty Skate, we kept stressing that we wanted to do something for the planet as well. This organization allows us to contribute financially, but we also try our best to purchase materials and services from other, like-minded companies.

Because our primary product lines are wood half pipes, wood quarter pipes and wood grind boxes, it was obvious that we should donate money to the National Forests. Every $1 plants one tree. Based on even the most conservative revenue projects, we’re planting trees that more than replace what we used for our ramps.

Don’t worry – revenue from our other lines also gets donated. A part of every penny you spend with us on clothing, paint, skateboards, pads – whatever – will be donated.

So what are you waiting for? Buy yourself a new board, some new shirts and a couple ramps. It’ll be your good deed for Earth Day!

They say time is the best teacher.. it also kills all it’s students,

Jason

I’ve missed you all. We’ve been working on so many different things here at headquarters that I seem to have neglected the blog entries. I hope you can all find it in your hearts to forgive me.

I wanted to take some time today to blog about a new offering from Liberty Skate that I believe will excite you. It’s something I’ve been hinting at for months. It’s…

PROTECTIVE PAINT!

It took much longer than any of us originally thought, but we think the end result is pretty great. It’s a single coat, water-based clear gloss protective coating. Once the surface dries, your all-wood skate ramp will be better protected from the weather, without jeopardizing the overall skateability of the surface. We were also able to do this at a great low price:

1 Gallon: $85
1 Quart: $30

Free shipping.

The quart will handle every size grind box and most of the quarter pipes. The gallon can handle every quarter pipe and the 8′ half pipe. 2 gallons will take care of the 16′ half pipe.

We have the paint on hand right now. I’m working with my web team to get the new section of the site up and running. I’m hoping to have this available online in the next week or two. Naturally, I’ll keep you updated!

Other than that we’ve been busy getting ourselves ready for the big spring rush. We’ve also been really enjoying the new Stuff section and all that’s been offering – shirts, hoodies, women’s clothing, youth clothing, completes and safety gear.

I’ll be in touch with you all again soon.

How come birds aren’t tickled by feathers?

Jason

It’s been a little while since I posted. If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, you know that my lack of blogging has been due to frantically working on getting the new Stuff section live.

We’re still ironing out a few things here and there, but the good news is that the new section is live!
We now offer a number of different popular brands in the following categories: Completes, Helmets, Pads, Men’s Tshirts, Men’s Sweatshirts, Hats, Women’s Apparel and Youth Apparel.

It took quite a bit of searching, but we eventually settled on a wholesale provider that we are supremely confident in to provide us with all the latest and greatest for all our categories. In fact, they happen to have a very slick way of managing our inventory. Every single day we tap into their server to check for new stuff. If there are new products available, they automatically will get downloaded to our website. So what does that mean for you, the customer? If you look through our shirts online, then check back the next day, we’ll probably have an even better selection!

This was huge for us. We want to make sure that we’re making Liberty Skate the best possible website for you. So please, go to the new section and check out all the new Stuff we’re offering. We’re really proud and excited, and we hope you enjoy it too.
We have a bunch of other things still in the works. I’ll be sure to keep you all updated! Trust me, you’re all going to really love what we have in store for this spring season!

You know that little indestructible black box that is used on planes, why can’t they make the whole plane out of the same substance?

Jason

I hope your weeks are going well. If you’ve been keeping up with the blogs, Twitter and Facebook you know that we’ve been working like mad to enhance the Liberty Skate website. We’ve got loads of stuff still in the works – namely, a new apparel section, skateboard completes, safety equipment as well as a brand new protective paint for the all wood products! Everyone here at Liberty Skate is really excited about all of those, and I’m excited to tell you all about them as they become available (all of which should happen this month).

I’m writing today about yet another new feature. This happens to be in our Blog. If you’re currently reading this, then chances are you’ve already seen it.

It’s a new toolbar to help you consume, share and interact with all the content. You can connect to the toolbar through a number of different social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, to name two. You can also share the content that’s printed on the pages via sharing services like Digg or just plain old email. You’ll also notice we have a “ticker tape” of sorts. Here you’ll see the latest posts from our Twitter pages.

On the right side of the toolbar, you can check out some of the Liberty Skate social media. You can look through some photos (submitted by us and others), videos, Facebook pages and Twitter pages.

Lastly, just for kicks, we opted to add in a Games section. Grant it, these aren’t fancy or graphic rich, but be careful, they’re more addicting than you think!

Anyway, that’s all I have to report now. As I said, there are still plenty of other things in the works, so please stayed tuned!

6 out of 7 dwarfs are not happy,

Jason

We’re trying something new today on our website. Head on over to libertyskate.com at 4:00 PM est to be eligible for some great discounts.

We’ll be handing out the promotions through our Live Chat software, so be sure you have your cookies enabled!

Thanks everyone and I hope to chat with you later!

Never agree to plastic surgery if the doctor’s office is full of portraits by Picasso,

Jason

It’s been a little while since my last blog entry. But there’s a good reason! I’ve been hatching a plan to improve the Liberty Skate website.

We’re excited to announce that we’re adding products! In a few weeks you can look forward to a ton of t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, helmets, pads and of course skateboards! We’ve been thinking of adding this sort of thing for quite some time now. We wanted to make sure we did it right by being able to offer everything at a competitive, affordable price. We wanted to make sure we would be able to get the products to you quickly – if you’re like me, once you decide you want something, you want it right away. But most importantly, we wanted to make sure we could offer popular, stylish brands for youth, women and men alike.

You can look forward to brands such as Element, Plan B, Birdhouse and Pro Tec, just to name a few. We have a great relationship with our supplier, so you can rest assured that we’ll be constantly updating the different lines, adding brands, adding products etc.

We track the website traffic, and it’s clear to us that in addition to our core products (grind boxes, quarter pipes and half pipes) you all really enjoy checking out the blog, our photographs and our videos. We really hope you love the new section as well.

Stay tuned. It’s still under construction, but the new section of the site will be up really soon! I promise!

As always, we welcome any and all feedback. Please email us at info@libertyskate.com

Thanks everyone!

Five out of four people have trouble with fractions.

Jason

This winter weather needs to stop. It was nice around the holidays, but now it’s becoming excessive. Every week more and more snow and ice coats the ground, and outdoor skateboard season seems like it will never arrive.

But the good news is the Groundhog did not see his shadow, so spring is near.

But the real reason for this post is to announce a new feature on the Liberty Skate site. We have added in Live Chat. We aren’t the first retail website out there to add this feature. We’ve heard so many success stories out there that we thought we’d give it a try. It’s been active now for a couple days, and so far it’s been a fascinating experience. We hope it continues to work out well.

We’ve always been available to answer questions by email or telephone, but we’re finding that sometimes customers have a very quick question that they think of while shopping on our site. Give it a try and be sure to tell your friends about it too!

How do you know when it’s time to tune your bagpipes?

Jason

The weather up here in PA and the rest of the northeast has been pretty brutal so far. I thought we paid our dues last year with all that snow, but apparently not!

I thought that perhaps the purchase of a new skate ramp or grind box would warm you up, so I’ve decided to offer a promotional coupon to all you loyal blog readers.

At checkout, please enter code: skateinwinter

This coupon is good for 12% off your purchase. I’ll keep it active for about 1 week.

For those of you in the warm weather – us northern folk are really jealous.

Irregardless of the weather, we’ve still been fortunate in that the orders keep rolling in. If you’re reading this blog and you are one of our existing customers – thank you. For those of you thinking about taking the plunge and purchasing a Liberty Skate product, please be in touch. We’re happy to help however we can.

Support bacteria – they’re the only culture some people have,

Jason

For those of you in the Northern states, I hope you’re not too inundated with snow. As far as I’m concerned, the spring time can’t get here fast enough.

We’re dedicated to continuing to improve Liberty Skate, and to continuing to offer you, our customers, the best possible website, services and products possible. As you know, our product offering is currently limited to just 8 items (ramps and grind boxes of various sizes). Of course, we want to stay within the realm of the skateboard industry. For the spring we’d like to be able to offer you additional products that can be used in conjunction with or independent from our current product mix.

You’ve all been extremely helpful in the past when I’ve asked for some feedback, so i thought I’d open it up to you once again. Are there any products you wish Liberty Skate offered that we don’t offer now?

We really do read all your feedback, and we take every suggestion seriously.

The best way to submit your suggestions and/or feedback is email: info@libertyskate.com

Thanks so much!

Never do card tricks for the group you play poker with,

Jason