Introduction & Interview by Joram Nijs
Panorama by Bojd Vredevoogd
Photography by Matthis Lapaire
– How did Thisissoul get started?
Customizing skates was all I did. I just wanted to make the coolest modifications possible. This was around 2006 when a lot of people still skated old boots like Salomons, Cults, M12’s etc. There were all these new soulplates that I loved to mod on to these old boots. I still have a lot of pictures of those customs and am planning to make an archive in the future together with a complete FAQ. I think I did almost all possible boot/soulplate combinations that would make any sense. The shop evolved from selling vintage skates to selling a lot of parts. I needed those parts to do the customs and it turned out that a lot of customers needed them to. I enjoyed helping people with stuff they couldn’t get anywhere else. That is why Thisissoul still has one of the widest selections of spareparts available. Eventually I hired more staff, started selling new skates and moved to a bigger location. After that things exploded.
– What separates Thisissoul from other shops out there?
My experience with skates and knowing how they can be adjusted to somebody’s liking is definitely a big plus, but I don’t think that many people are looking for weird custom skates anymore. Nowadays people just want to have a basic skate with a few hints of the latest colors. That is why we have the custom builder on our site. You pick your own colors for all the parts on a skate. Even more options are available if you send us an email. You will always get a quick response.
– Why should everyone come to the grand opening of the shop?
The store has anything you can wish for and on the day of the opening you will get a 10% discount on anything you buy. There will be other activities like a session, a lottery and the Adapt Vegan release, but I think the main reason to come is to meet the Dutch skaters and party with us.
– Will the ladies that are featured in the promoshot be there too?
They will definitely be there. There will be a couple of them at the central station to hand out a map and point out the direction to the shop. The red ribbon will be cut by them with a giant scissor for the official opening.
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