gabrielMy cousins were already skating, and my dad always showed an interest in skateboarding too. When I was really young, my dad gave me one of those store-bought skateboards. I used to ride it now and then, but I never took it seriously — until one day, when I was 11, I watched the documentary Vida Sobre Rodas. I thought it was sick and decided, “Now I want to skate for real.”

On my birthday, I asked my parents for a real skateboard, and from that day on, I never stopped. I had always tried starting different sports, but none of them clicked — I tried soccer, basketball, tennis, surfing, swimming, even theater, but nothing stuck. With skateboarding, it was instant.

gabrielI grew up skating at a spot called Trinda Times, which was right next to a soccer court. When I started going there, the skatepark wasn’t that great, so me and some friends started building DIY obstacles on the court — rails, ramps, boxes. Every time the soccer guys came to play, we had to remove everything. Sometimes we’d even get into arguments, until eventually the skaters kind of took over the space and started building concrete obstacles.

That’s where I really started skating, where I met my friends — and also where I met Lui. About two years ago, the old park was torn down and a new one was built, and it’s really nice. It doesn’t have that gritty DIY vibe with all the imperfections, but it’s a solid park. It’s one of the biggest parks in Santa Catarina.

gabrielIn 2018, my mom moved to Portugal to study, and at the time I was studying film and didn’t want to move with her, so I had to find a place to stay. Around the same time, Lui’s mom was moving to Brasília, and he also wanted to stay in Floripa. So the two of us and another friend moved in together. I had just turned 18 — it was total chaos, we threw parties all the time, people even nicknamed our house the “stink house” (laughs).

Back then we used to talk a lot about the future. I was just starting college and he had just graduated in graphic design. We started imagining how cool it would be to open a skate shop — but with more than just skate stuff. Like books, zines, magazines, beers, coffee… The original idea was to create a community space. We always talked about it, but never actually made it happen.

Then Lui’s mom, Eliane, retired and decided to move to Portugal. He went with her, and I stayed behind working with video. Once they were in Lisbon, our moms became really close friends. Then the pandemic hit, everything was falling apart, and I decided to go to Portugal for a while. My plan was to study film for a year, but when I arrived, the course got canceled and I had to switch to a two-year program.

The four of us found ourselves needing to find jobs in Portugal, but because of the pandemic, it was really hard. So our moms decided to start a business — that way Lui and I could work with them too. Opening a skate shop wasn’t the first idea. That came much later, when they were already thinking about what kind of business we could run together. At first, they thought of opening a vegan grocery store or even a pet shop. Then Lui mentioned that, sure, we’d help out, but maybe it made more sense to start something we were truly passionate about. That’s when the idea of a skate shop came back — something he and I had talked about in the past, and there wasn’t really anything like it in Lisbon. They saw the potential, and we ended up renting the space we’re in now.

The beginning was really tough. Aside from the Brazilian skate community, which is pretty strong, we didn’t know anyone. We felt insecure — opening a skate shop is a big deal, you’re doing it for the culture. Usually the people who open shops are OGs who’ve been in the industry for years… I was 21 and Lui was 24! We had to put ourselves out there and take a leap. But we were lucky — the whole community embraced the shop.

gabrielWe posted the event flyer just two days before on Instagram. It was still during the pandemic, people had to wear masks, and still a ton of people came. Even Pontus Alv from Last Resort AB showed up! He congratulated us and even had champagne with us (laughs).

gabrielRight now, our biggest focus is growing the store as a brand. Supreme, Dime and Civilist are big inspirations for us — all started as skate shops and became something bigger. We already have some products under our own brand and want to grow that side of things.

gabrielIt was really important to me to pick a brand we carry in the shop — and one that’s doing something different, not too mainstream, and bringing something new to the table, you know? Last Resort AB is an independent brand, by skaters, for skaters — and I think that’s awesome.

They release three drops a year, and with each collection they improve the product based on feedback. In the first collection, the insole couldn’t be removed, and people complained it didn’t absorb impact well — so in the next drop, they fixed it.

They put out a lot of video parts and really support their skate team. I relate a lot to the skaters they chose. Especially Chris Milic — he was one of the people who completely changed the way I saw skateboarding when I was younger. His skating is totally for fun, street-based, and he does tricks I’d never seen before. It’s super creative — he has a way of reinterpreting street elements.

The VM001 was their first model, and it came in canvas and suede versions. “VM” stands for Vulcanized Model. What I really like about the 001 is that it’s simple but retro — inspired by sneakers from the 80s and 90s. I think it’s stylish and comfortable, and great for skating. It has a strong grip on the board — what we call board feel — and that’s really important to me.

They even released a pro model for Chris Milic, the VM004. It’s cool because they’re such a young brand, and yet they’re already giving pros signature shoes — something usually only the big brands do.

gabrielI remember I had a Nike 6.0 — it was before Nike SB, aimed at action sports like skate, BMX, surf, etc. I had a pair and really liked it. I’ve always liked Nike shoes a lot.

Many years ago,  Emerica dropped a video called Stay Gold, and after that I just wanted to wear their shoes. The brand still exists today, but I feel like people change, times change, and brands need to innovate too. Sometimes a brand keeps doing the same thing it did when it launched — which can be cool — but people might lose interest. Nowadays it’s not a brand I connect with anymore.

I also really like Vans. There are several tiers of Vans accounts, and now our shop has the highest tier, which gives us access to special models that only a few shops get. These days, I mostly skate in Last Resort or Converse.

gabrielOfficially, we have nine people on the team. Most of them receive a monthly store credit — we always try to support them. The idea is that they represent the shop, filming video parts. We’re always encouraging them to get support — we helped one of them get shoes directly from Vans, and we also got support from a deck brand.

We’re always finding ways to help them avoid spending their own money just to skate. For people who skate every day, it gets expensive — so we do everything we can to help.

gabrielWhen I was a kid, I wanted to be a pro skater. But there came a point when I realized I wasn’t as good as my friends — not good enough to go pro and make a living off it. That’s really hard — these days, there are so many good skaters, and it’s not just about being good. You need to be in the right place, at the right time, and have the right connections. When I realized that, I started filming — I found a way to be inside the skate scene without being the skater.

So I started filming, fell in love with it, and turned it into my job. Then we opened the shop. Sometimes people overthink things, always trying to guess what the outcome will be — but in the end, you have to believe and do things for yourself. That applies whether you want to be a skater or work in the skate industry in another role. And above all, do something you enjoy — the rest is just a bonus.