I recently got a hold of tony from Outaline skate shop and was able to take up enough of his time to get this interview done. I was pretty excited to get this interview with Tony for a couple of reasons. First, Outaline was the first shop I ever bought a good pair of skates from (Remz 03s). Second, it is the shop that I associate my roots in rolling with, so it holds a special place in my memory. Having said that, I was very exciting to get an interview with Tony himself, as he has supported rolling for many years, even longer then I have been skating, so it was interesting to talk to someone with that much dedication, and hear his perspectives on things.
C.R:What is your full name?
Tony Chiang: Tony Chiang
C.R: You are currently a Grad student, do you find it difficult to both run the shop and go to school? What motivates you to do both?
T.C: Running the store doesn’t really take a lot of time so it’s no big deal.
C.R: Want to give us a little history of Outaline skateshop?
T.C: Wow. Going way back - 1994. Chris Edwards dare to air, Hoax, and so on. The skate industry was amazing then. Everything was new and revolutionary. The store opened in a little hole in the wall in an area called Yaletown that back then has pretty desolate. For the first two years I didn’t have a day off besides Christmas.
C.R:You are not a roller yourself, what attracted you to this industry and compelled you to start a business in it?
T.C: I used to to roll a bit, but when I opened the store I was already 24 so I was definately on the “senior” side of things. I still enjoyed it though. We even had a halfpipe in town at the time so I got to ride that for a while. Good times, but it was hard to skate and run a store at the same time - I had almost no employees back then so it was tough. The aggressive side of the store actually came after the fitness side. Back then, inline was just getting started and 90% of the business was fitness skaters.
C.R:Do you still feel the same way as you did when you first began? Has anything changed, has anything stayed the same?
T.C: No. What happened? The same thing that happens whenever something new is no longer new. Honestly, the passion is just not as obvious in the industry anymore. It’s still there, but with the limitations of the economic viability of skating, the industry is having a hard time supporting itself. Without investment, new products are slower to come out and without new products, there is not as much excitement.
C.R: How are sales?
T.C: Not as good as years ago
C.R: What state do you think the Canadian rolling scene is in at the moment? What steps do you think people should take to make it better ?
T.C: The Rolling scene in Canada is pretty small. There are a core group of skaters that obviously love skating together and hanging out and there are also small pockets of skaters here and there, but I am not sure it’s even big enough to call a scene. As for making it better, as much as we like to believe we have the ability to change the momentum, it’s pretty tough. It’s a vicious circle - without enough skaters, the industry can’t afford to invest in itself and without investment, there is no excitement to drive interest.
So…I dunno.
C.R: What distinguishes Outaline from every other shop in Canada? And why should people buy from you?
T.C: Outaline was the first.
“Every other shop”?. You make it sound like there’s a shop on every corner. 
People can buy from outaline if they want, if they don’t want, that’s cool too. Honestly we’re not exactly talking millions of dollars here.
C.R: How do you feel about people buying from American Shops ? What downfalls do you think comes with buying from them, if any?
T.C: Don’t care. One day, buying from the states might no longer be a choice, but a necessity.
C.R: Do you find that competition with American stores makes it difficult to sell items?
T.C: See above
C.R: Anything you would like to tell customers?
T.C: I really appreciate dealing with everybody that has ever come in the shop or ordered online. You too Nick.
I really am grateful and wish everybody the best.
C.R: Shout outs?
T.C: YYYEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAA!!!!
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