There are not many physical roller skate shops in Europe. With Burdy’s Quad Shop France just got its second one in October (first is My Roller Derby in Thonon-Les-Bains). Its owner Joolz had a test ride with her web store for one year now and decided to give her dream a go. We took the chance for a quick interview to find out what’s behind this cute little trailer.
Was having a skate shop a dream of yours?
I started roller derby in 2014 and I always struggled to find the right equipment. Then in 2020, I started to skate in skate parks, and the problem was the same… Which roller skates to choose, which slide blocks, which wheels… I always thought how great it would be to have a local shop, where we could find advice and try equipment.
Burdy’s Quad Shop is not just a shop but the cutest trailer ever! Tell us a bit about the building process and the location.
This is an original idea from Darwin Woodstock. Darwin is an alternative place where we have a skate park and the roller derby field. They loved my roller shop project and wanted to offer me an affordable place to install my store. They also wanted to create a mobile store, able to move inside the Darwin site. Unfortunately, I cannot take the road with my trailer… it is only for inside Darwin.
What brands do you carry and based on what criteria do you decide which brands to carry?
I select most of the brands based on my experiences, in roller derby and skate park, and also on the suggestions of my friend Sidje who is a roller skate instructor in Bordeaux.
Other than that, I love to offer European brands; for example, WIFA (Austrian brand, European made) and American Socks (which is a Spanish brand, manufactured in Barcelona). Unfortunately, it is not always possible so my second criteria will be if the brand is “by a skater, for the skater”, like Brunny Hardcore, or Chuffed skates, soon I hope.
You also run a webshop. When did you start it?
I started my webshop one year ago, thanks to my dear friend Sidje who motivated me to take the jump! She needed a strong partner to equip her students and at some point, she knew I was ready to take the plunge 🙂
What does the skate community in Bordeaux look like?
The skate community in Bordeaux is huge! There are people skating on the docks (Queer Skate Bordeaux, Funky Roller Bordeaux…), there is also one feminine association which often organizes roller skating events (BDX Rollergirls), then we have two teams of roller derby in Bordeaux (Roller Derby Bordeaux Club and SAM Roller Derby), and finally thanks to Sidje, there are often new skaters at the skate park and jam skating.
We are also lucky to have a women only slot at Darwin’s skate park on Sunday evening. I really love this community, they are very motivated and supportive.
Do you have future plans?
I would like to continue to contribute as much as possible, by organizing skate cleaning workshops for example, or evenings at the skate park with small contests. I want to give to this community as much as it gives me in my personal life.
What will be crucial for you to make Burdy’s Quad Shop work in the long term? What can brands and skaters do to support your independent skate shop?
My dream is to be able to live from this job. To support my little roller skate shop, it is important to talk about it, recommend it to friends, and give visibility on social media. Support your local skate shop!
You can follow Burdy’s Quad Shop on Instagram
Or shop some quads and stuff on the website
Here’s more skater-owned European shops and brands to support