“What I love about skateboarding is it’s one of the only sports that brings together different types of people. For example, you can be friends with a 12-year-old or 40-year-old, and you're still gonna all have the same problems and struggle and relate to the same type of things about your sport,” says Matis Longtin, marketing and brand manager of Palm Isle Skateshop.

“So for me, it's one of the only sports that you do alone, but you're still in the community, and it's such an open-minded community.”

Longtin is speaking by phone alongside shop founder and owner Olivier Brunelle—who agrees so wholeheartedly you can almost hear the nod through the line. The pair are talking about what drew each of them to skateboarding originally.

But the answer also demonstrates something else: The strong sense of community that they’ve both tapped into and amplified with Palm Isle Skateshop.

Brunelle, who opened Palm Isle Skateshop’s original location in Saint-Lambert just over 25 years ago, says that the idea for the shop was born while practicing in a skate park. He wanted to focus on creating a fun, welcoming space for fellow skateboard obsessives.

Last year, Brunelle added a Hochelaga outpost to the Palm Isle empire—a move that he says was informed by the neighbourhood’s key role in Montreal’s skateboarding scene: “A few of the best skateboarders from Montreal are from that area, and there's a big skate park as well. There's some classic skateboarding street spots. So it really is like a little bit of a skate district, I'd say, Hochelaga,” Brunelle says. “So it's really a perfect location to open a store and to be close to our clientele.”

But Palm Isle hasn’t just shaved time off your next shopping trip for board decks or shoes which, Brunelle points out, are still products that benefit from being tried on before you purchase them. Brunelle mentions how they’ve also created a place to learn tricks and meet people. Palm Isle is an establishment that cements both Hochelaga’s skate status, while also welcoming more people into it.

“What I love about skateboarding is it’s one of the only sports that brings together different types of people. For example, you can be friends with a 12-year-old or 40-year-old, and you're still gonna all have the same problems and struggle and relate to the same type of things about your sport,” says Matis Longtin, marketing and brand manager of Palm Isle Skateshop.

“So for me, it's one of the only sports that you do alone, but you're still in the community, and it's such an open-minded community.”

Longtin is speaking by phone alongside shop founder and owner Olivier Brunelle—who agrees so wholeheartedly you can almost hear the nod through the line. The pair are talking about what drew each of them to skateboarding originally.

But the answer also demonstrates something else: The strong sense of community that they’ve both tapped into and amplified with Palm Isle Skateshop.

Brunelle, who opened Palm Isle Skateshop’s original location in Saint-Lambert just over 25 years ago, says that the idea for the shop was born while practicing in a skate park. He wanted to focus on creating a fun, welcoming space for fellow skateboard obsessives.

Last year, Brunelle added a Hochelaga outpost to the Palm Isle empire—a move that he says was informed by the neighbourhood’s key role in Montreal’s skateboarding scene: “A few of the best skateboarders from Montreal are from that area, and there's a big skate park as well. There's some classic skateboarding street spots. So it really is like a little bit of a skate district, I'd say, Hochelaga,” Brunelle says. “So it's really a perfect location to open a store and to be close to our clientele.”

But Palm Isle hasn’t just shaved time off your next shopping trip for board decks or shoes which, Brunelle points out, are still products that benefit from being tried on before you purchase them. Brunelle mentions how they’ve also created a place to learn tricks and meet people. Palm Isle is an establishment that cements both Hochelaga’s skate status, while also welcoming more people into it.