At the age of 15 my parents helped me open Flamingo Skateshop in a tiny, 10x10 space on Lee Highway, in Summer of ’05. Originally named FTC Co., we opened shop with less than twenty decks on the wall and an inadequate supply of accessories. Within the first two months of business, we expanded into a 20x10 space and renamed FTC to Flamingo Skateshop, stocking close to forty decks with enough trucks and wheels to satisfy. Over a short period of time, the truck, wheel, and bearing and accessories cabinets became overstocked. The board wall held around fifty boards, and we had all the major brands of griptape.

In September ’05, we expanded into a much larger area. In early ‘06, we expanded, once again, into the spot beside us with double the space! Over the next three months, we continued building a strong inventory. We finally began carrying shoes, Dekline, Duffs, and Vox. In June, we made our anticipated move to our current shop beside the Rave Theater. Our grand opening was held on June 24^th, to celebrate National Skate Day. Hosting over 150 skaters, we skated, with police escort, two miles from our old location to our new one. Kiss FM and Rock 105 held a live promo throughout the event!

Since our move to the current location, we have grown to stock over 400 decks, 15 brands of footwear, and 3 clothing lines. It is unimaginable how quickly the shop has grown over the past 2 years!