Capital Skatepark and Pro Shop • Pflugerville
Capital Skatepark and Pro Shop • Pflugerville
Written by Eric Pulsifer Friday, 03 October 2008
Twenty-two-year-old Allen Dehn learned young that running a small business can be difficult. While still in high school, he went from skateboarder to business owner overnight by purchasing a skatepark he frequented in Georgetown. Dehn used money he had been saving up for a car to buy the soon-to-be closed Ramp Ranch, one of the few places in the area to skate.
“I just wanted to keep it open,” Dehn said. “I knew it wasn’t going to make me millions or super rich. I just wanted to do it to have a place to skate.”
After six years in Georgetown, Dehn began looking into a second location closer to Austin. With the help of his mother, Dehn developed a business plan and tried to get a loan. The teenage skater quickly found that lenders were excited about his plan when speaking with him on the phone but hesitant of dealing with him upon seeing his long hair and casual attire in person. He ended up paying for the new location out of pocket. Over the next 15 months, he and his friends turned a grassy lot into a custom indoor skatepark.
Today, the facility has approximately 6,000 sq. ft. of indoor skate space and more land outside. Dehn plans to expand the skatepark outdoors to include an area for BMX bikes, which are currently only allowed inside on certain days.
Skateboarders can rent out Capital for birthdays, lock-ins, camps and training sessions. The pro shop sells an assortment of shoes, shirts, decks and gear. For parents, the skatepark features an air-conditioned room overlooking the park.
The new American pastime
Though Dehn said it is not unheard of to see older skaters on a board, most of Capital’s patrons were not even born when skating first gained popularity in the 1960s. The exposure skating has gained through video games and television has attracted a group of young enthusiasts who have watched the sport their entire lives.
For kids who are too young to drive but old enough to be out of the house, looking for something to do, Dehn said skateparks offer a safe place to hang out and a constructive way to spend free time.
“You’ve got to give those kids a place to go,” he said. “When you’ve got a place to go, you’re not looking for trouble. You’re not sitting on the couch with your buddies just twiddling your thumbs.”
Dehn said the number of kids looking for places to skate seems to grow every year as skateparks replace ballparks as American youth’s play place of choice. National polls have shown for more than a decade that more kids under 18 skate than play baseball.
Baby Steps
Skating on the street can be rough for beginners, but Capital Skatepark owner Allen Dehn said parks help skaters build their skills in an environment designed to accommodate boards.
“It’s baby steps. You’ve got to work your way up to stuff like that,” he said. “Skating in skateparks will make you better. It will.”
Next month will mark Capital Skatepark’s one-year anniversary, but Dehn is already mapping his next move: San Antonio, which has more skateboarders per square mile than anywhere else in the state. He hopes to ultimately expand across the country.
"By the time I'm 35, I'd like to have 30 parks," Dehn said.
While Dehn said it has not always been a downhill skate, he feels fortunate to be able to work in an industry he loves.
“I can’t see myself going to work every day somewhere I didn’t like,” Dehn said. “It’s still work, but once I get up here and the kids start coming in, it makes it all worth it.”
Capital Skatepark and Pro Shop, 2008 Picadilly Drive, 251-4500, www.capitalskateparkandproshop.com, Mon.-Sat noon-10 p.m. • Sun. noon-7 p.m.
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