USPS Publication Number 16300
THE
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This Community Newspaper is a publication of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association
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PENSACOLA’S NEW
Vol. 24, No. 17
April 24, 2024
1 Section, 8 Pages
Section A, Page 1
SKATE SHOP
ARTIST BEAR WALKER CARVES HIS NICHE
By Nicole Willis
I
f you’ve driven along East Wright Street anytime in the past few months, you have more than likely noticed the freshly painted black building simply labeled “SKATESHOP.” The mystery of this building has come to an end, as local woodworking artist, Bear Walker, has announced that the building will serve as his first official storefront. Walker has built a career combining his love for pop culture and skateboarding culture with his passion for art by intricately carving and handcrafting pop culturethemed skateboard decks. From Pikachu to Spiderman, Walker handcarves the images of a slew of pop culture icons into wooden skateboard decks. Walker will now be sharing his designs at his new storefront in downtown Pensacola. Located at 410 E. Wright St. in the former home of Pure Health CBD, Bear Walker Skateshop sits only a short walk away from the Blake Doyle Skatepark. The shop’s location fills a retail gap in the community, serving as the perfect spot for skaters to pick up gear, browse new decks and chat with fellow skaters. Despite opening his first shop in Pensacola, Walker did not get his start in the area. He began his artistic career in Charleston, SC,
where he worked for a wooden sign company fresh out of college. “I was making these high end wooden signs and carving on them every day. Eventually, it led to the inspiration of using carvings on skateboards to function as the grip. I just made one for myself, and then people started asking where I got it from. That’s when I realized I could potentially make a business out of it,” Bear Walker, CEO and creative director of Bear Walker Industries explained. After struggling to get his business off the ground in South Carolina, Walker moved to Fairhope, AL, where his family is also from. Knowing that he had a good thing going, he decided to give his business idea another shot, this time in a different area. Headquartered in Daphne, AL, Walker began making and selling skateboards along the Gulf Coast and online through his website. He achieved both local and national success, receiving coverage from TIME magazine and The New York Times. Walker’s portfolio also boasts collaborations with globally known franchises like Pokémon, Marvel, DC Comics and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. “We work really heavily with Pokemon. We’ve been doing drops from them for about five years now. They have us do their skateboards for their world championship
events every year. Last August, they flew me to Japan and I did a signing and a drop there; it was super dope,” Walker said. “We also work with Marvel, DC and the Ninja Turtles. Honestly, most pop culture stuff we have a hand in now is pretty fun.” Today, Walker still builds his boards in Daphne, but decided to open up his first storefront in Pensacola. He plans to open up many storefronts in the coming years and cited the city’s culture, people and proximity to the bustling Blake Doyle Skatepark as the reason why Pensacola is the perfect place to get started. “There just seems to be a really cool crowd here [in Pensacola]. I wanted somewhere close to home, but somewhere that also fit the vibe of what I was going for,” he explained. “When I heard about the skatepark, I started putting plans in the works. Our shop is positioned directly between the skatepark and the Bay Center, so I thought it’d be a perfect place to do this.” Walker’s skateshop will, of course, display and sell his handcrafted skateboard decks, as well as apparel, skating accessories and more. The shop will go beyond skate-related items, though. In addition to selling custom skateboard decks, Walker also creates guitars that follow the same pop culture theme as his decks. Some of
his hand-carved guitars will also be up for grabs at the new shop. Walker emphasizes his love for pop culture, streetwear and his desire to share this love through his shop. “We carry high-end, pop culture, limited edition collectibles,” he said. “We’re going to be doing drops of Nikes and stuff like that when there’s limited edition drops of those. We’re treating the storefront like a pop-up shop; every time we have a new drop coming, or if there’s some really cool thing happening in the pop culture or streetwear industry, we will do a small drop at our store and hopefully be the hub for hype in Pensacola.” Whether you’re a seasoned skater looking to pick up a standard popsicle deck or an art collec-
tor and pop culture fanatic looking for a beautiful, intricately designed art piece, Bear Walker Skateshop has something to impress every eye. “My main goal and the stuff that I like to make is something that’s very artistic and beautiful, but also has a really functional side to it as well,” Walker said. During Pensacon weekend, Bear Walker Skateshop capitalized on the pop culture-obsessed crowd and hosted the soft launch of the new shop. The skateshop’s official grand opening was March 23. For updated shop hours and more information, visit bearwalker.com. To check out Walker’s work, follow @bearwalkerofficial on Instagram and Facebook. ■
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