New skate shop to open at Dana Park

Staff photo by Jason Smith Youth's gather at the site of the Majic Ride shop at Dana Park on Monday. Shop owner Michael Sanchez hopes to open the shop within two weeks.

By JASON SMITH, staff writer

BARSTOW — If the key to any successful business is a good location, Michael Sanchez is off to a good start. Sanchez, the owner of the Majic Ride shop, recently received a three-year lease for space for a skate shop at the Al Vigil Center adjacent to the city’s skate park. “This is every shop owner’s dream to be right here,” Sanchez said. The 400 square foot space in the lobby of the former swim center has not opened yet but was packed on Monday with kids taking a break from skateboarding and biking. Sanchez plans to open for business within two weeks. The shop will stock all major brands of skateboards and safety gear but scarce space will prevent him from offering bike equipment, he said. The shop will also sell soft drinks and rent equipment to skaters. Sanchez formerly operated a skate shop in the Barstow Mall but the location and lack of a local place to skate doomed the business, he said. He thinks the newly constructed skate park will provide him with plenty of customers. He estimates that more than 500 kids and adults skate in the area. The only other place to buy skateboards and safety gear is at the Blue Beach Board Shop in Lenwood, Sanchez said. He said the park has operated relatively smoothly in its first month of operation but he’s seen several fights break out among spectators. He said he’d like to see more parents at the park to discourage kids from causing trouble. “The more parents that are out here, the more they can support the park and their kids,” he said. Apart from his business interest, Sanchez said he supports the park because it keeps kids off the streets. “It’s great. I love this park. I love it death,” he said His prospective customers, mostly younger kids and teenagers, are equally excited about the park and the opening of the shop. John Findley, 11, said he’s been skateboarding for two years and is happy to have a new place to hang out. “There’s nothing else cool to do here. It’s pretty nice to have a skate park and shop right here in Barstow,” he said.