CadesBoards

Skateboarding has become so popular in the community, each village in The Woodlands features its own skate park and skating amenities.

The experience at CadesBoards is something unique to The Woodlands, with an eclectic mix of music playing on the store's stereo system ranging from jazz to classic country to alternative rock, while the painted skateboards and longboards adorn the shop's walls.

"We keep it really simple," Laurian said. "We're very much a specialty shop. We do skateboards and that's what we do. We're not trying to be everything to everybody."

CadesBoards contradicts the notion of the unwelcoming and unfriendly counter-culture shop.

Laurian, who graduated in 2001 from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi with a bachelor's degree in business, works to ensure his store is clean, friendly and focused on a higher level of customer service.

"We're known for our service that exceeds expectations," he said. "Our service is one of the reasons that we're here. We offer friendly service; we're nice to people; we show them respect."

The store offers a full line of skateboards and longboards, including name brand, novelty and custom boards. Laurian also sells trucks, wheels, bearings and grip tape so customers can design their own board.

He even offers a line of boards he hand-painted, which he said are popular sellers. Laurian will also order boards and parts he may not have in stock.

"Whenever kids come in here and ask about a board, if I don't have it, I can get it for them in the next week," Laurian said. "We're very quick to respond to the demands of the customers. We can flip that product response quickly."

In addition to skateboards, CadesBoards also offers a selection of skateboarding shoes by specialty brands, such as Emerica, Globe and Dekline.

Customers can also find shirts, safety gear, sunglasses and skateboarding DVDs.

"We love what we do, and the kids love this shop," Laurian said. "We're going to stay here doing this because it's such a great thing for skateboarding. We're still on the journey, and we've gotten better. The shop is enriched. We know we're on a good path because people keep coming here."

Skateboard in The Woodlands

Several parks throughout The Woodlands offer amenities and areas for skateboarding.

Tamarac Park – Grogan's Mill

Creekwood Park – Panther Creek

Ridgewood Park – Panther Creek

Bear Branch Park – Cochran's Crossing

Forestgate Park – Indian Springs

Lakeside Park – Alden Bridge

Terramont Park – Sterling Ridge

Harpers Landing Park – College Park

Skateboarding tricks

These are definitions of common skateboarding tricks, according to www.explatorium.edu.

Backside: when a trick or turn is executed with the skater's back facing the ramp or obstacle

Caballerial: a 360-degree turn performed on a ramp while riding backwards, named after skater Steve Caballero

Carve: to skate in a long, curving arc

Fakie: skating backwards—the skater is standing in his normal stance, but the board is moving backward

Grind: scraping one or both axles on a curb, railing or other surface

Kickflip: a variation on the ollie in which the skater kicks the board into a spin before landing back on it

Noseslide: sliding the underside of the nose end of a board on a ledge or lip

Ollie: a jump performed by tapping the tail of the board on the ground; the basis of most skating tricks

Railslide: a trick in which the skater slides the underside of the deck along an object, such as a curb or handrail

CadesBoards, 422 Sawdust Road, The Woodlands, 281-419-0900, www.cadesboards.com, Hours: Mon.–Fri. 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun. Noon–5 p.m.