Ideal Skate Shop

First up, a bit of skateboarding politics. If you’re buying skateboard equipment you should always buy it from a shop owned by skaters. Why? They are, without fail, the ones that fight for local parks, help local skateboard talent get noticed and generally help the skate scene move forward. Heck, without them, there probably wouldn’t be a skate scene.
Ideal is a great example of what a fine thing a skater owned skate shop can be. They stock a diverse range of brands from across the globe, but if you’re looking for a new deck why not go local and buy a Third Foot, a Birmingham brand the shop have very strong connections with and my personal choice for decks for the last decade or so.
They have a large range of designer skatewear too, but more importantly, they have the expertees and friendly attitude to guide you through any possible qualms or queries you might have about your purposes. Have you got the point yet? This is a great store!

Zippy and Chris have been running Ideal Skateboard Supply for over two decades.
As well as selling a range of skateboards and accessories (including ‘locally grown’ produce from A Third Foot), they also have some nice lines in clothing, so even if you don’t skate you can pick up some original clothes that no one else might have, or original footwear that you can be an early adopter of. (Skaters were the first to wear Converse and Vans, dontcha know?)
The skateboard shop in every town is always the focal point for hanging out, as well as buying skate gear, and Ideal is no exception. On a Saturday here’s where skaters meet to group to go off and skate around the city, or to exchange info on the hot skate spots.
This shop is not about making a quick buck, and there is a level of philanthropy here, shown by the installation of a work-​station where you can fix parts to your board after buying them. You can then skate your newly set-​up board in the ramp next door. Ideal.

Ideal skates shop is a hub for not only skaters but urban city goers. The choice of skate brands here is great and remains unrivalled in the city. But they don’t just do decks, Ideal provide «soft stock», clothes for the modern day skater and a host of accessories and parts. Some of the brands in stock here and include the likes of:
Third foot
Cliché
Baker
Anti Hero
Chocolate
Girl
Nike
Actual Pain
Adidas
The list goes on and it’s all hand picked stock by the owners, who are 20 year skate merchants them selves. The staff are knowledge about brands and skating and all have history is the extreme sport them selves.
There is a workstation in store that allows you to equip your new trucks or to regrip your deck before hitting the indoor ramp located behind the shop (which is also owned by Ideal)
Worth a trip down if you have any interest in not only the spot, but also the culture and style, Ideal has is locked down.

Ideal has been a stalwart in Brum’s skate scene for over 20 years and the the owners are the guys you’ll find behind the counter serving you. This is a great little skate shop run by skaters who can offer you advice and guidance if you’re new to skateboarding. They stock a great range of labels from the big players like Nike to the independent such as Third Foot. Just moved to a different, bigger space in the custard Factory and whilst I still love the space they had up by the courts their new home is a great shop to browse and buy from. As its owned and ran by skaters you know the products they sell aren’t for posers but stocked for skaters.