Black-owned skatepark opens in west Charlotte with retail shops coming soon

A new development in west Charlotte includes a skatepark and retail shops.

Why it matters: There's a lack of public park space designed for skaters in Charlotte, and in recent years the local skateboarding community has brought this issue to light.

Driving the news: APB Skatepark opened on June 21 at The Collective on Tuckaseegee, a 13,000-square-foot property that'll eventually house ten retail shops.

What they're saying: "We are expanding our reach to the skateboarding community to provide a safe space for the local youth to express themselves and also discover the virtues of the sport and its amazing culture," founder of The Whitaker Group James Whitner said in a statement.

Context: The Whitaker Group, which owns The ​​Collective on Tuckaseegee, is the retail and creative company behind boutique brands like Social Status in Plaza Midwood and Atlanta-based A Ma Maniere .

• One of the team's other brands, APB , will also open at The Collective, with clothes inspired by the skate community.
• The group says APB Skatepark is the first "privately owned, Black-owned , publicly accessible, non-DIY" skatepark.

"Black culture has always been a driving force in shaping global trends," Whitner said.

Zoom in: There are only a handful of places to skateboard, including Renaissance Skate Park in southwest Charlotte and Grayson Skate Park in southeast Charlotte. There are even fewer places to roller skate .

• Nonprofit Charlotte Skate Foundation is currently building a skatepark in Kilborne Park in east Charlotte to replace the DIY skate park that thrived on the vacant Eastland Mall site for years. The city granted the group $15,000 for the project.

What's next: APB Skatepark is now open and will host a block party on June 28 and 29.

• It'll regularly offer events like after-school lessons and trick tutorials, similar to its beSocial program at Social Status.
• The retail portion of The Collective will open later this summer.

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