Frontside Wallride - Photo: Richie McCorkle
What is skateboarding to you? A mode of transportation? A time killer? An escape to freedom? A life? There are a lot of things that surround this simple toy. So much can be drawn from the act of rolling around. There is a whole culture of life that has been created from it. All walks of life are involved with each character bringing their unique style to the game. Drawing inspiration from spots, shops, or certain locations can only continue to inspire the youthful wanderer to keep skateboarding around till the day they die.
Posse up. Photo: Richie McCorkle
One of these places of inspiration I am referring to would be Black Sheep Skate shop in Charlotte, NC. Run by skateboarders for skateboarders it presents a very unique goto spot for the local woodpushers, artists, musicians, and liked minded folk to come by and find some good vibes.
Black Sheep skate shop was started in 2003 by Dieter Wagner and Josh Frazier. For the past few years Josh has been running the store himself along with a grip of others to keep things rolling.
Clean and simple
I decided to give Josh a call one day and learn about what led him to his current position of skate shop owner. We talked a good amount and I learned in the late 80’s Josh was skating for Endless Grind skateboard shop. He was cruising the streets with people like Mike Sinclair and The Shooter brothers. Josh mentioned Jed Shooter was only 6 or 7 years old in those days.
Back then Endless was the premiere shop in the southeast. A man by the name of Reggie Barnes started Endless Grind in 1986 and skated for Walker skateboards. Through that he was hooking up a few guys. There was an East Coast Skateboarding Association that held contests in Florida, Charleston, and Virginia. Josh and crew would travel to these contests where people like Andy Howell (Virginia Beach / Atlanta) were on the come up. Andy Howell is a very talented artist/visionary who is partly responsible for the creation of Underworld Element, which is now Element Skateboards.
Another skater Josh knew of back then was Shepard Fairey (OBEY) out of Charleston, SC. I am dropping these names because they were all apart of the DIY scene of street art, skateboarding, punk rock, and the early days of hip hop. To this day Josh said he is still tripping out on the fact that he was apart of a big movement that now has a huge hand in the creativity and direction of life in general.
Josh blasts a mute grab back in 1988. Photo by Kevin E. Taylor
Fast forward from 1989 to around 2003. Josh said he never expected to be running his own skateboard shop growing up but he always felt that Charlotte was in need of one. With a solid underground skate scene, a plethora of spots and rippers to get busy, it’s strange how Charlotte was never really put on the map. Josh stated that when most people think of NC, Raleigh and Wilmington come to mind because of the names that have come out of them and the fact that people move to those cities to shred and push the scene.
Along the way Josh fell into the opportunity to start a shop. He went to college and got an undergrads degree at Clemson and never really looked at skating as something that would pay his bills. After graduating he worked some corporate jobs and relied upon that to get by. Eventually he went back to school to get his masters. This was the same time when Dieter and him decided to go for it and start a shop. They didn’t have a ton of expectations from a business stand point except to push the scene and break even. Josh expected to go back to work at the bank or some corporate gig and keep the shop going on the side, but the shop took off and he’s never looked back.
We all know this feeling. Photo: Richie McCorkle
Josh came up with the name Black Sheep through growing up and being labeled a skateboarding misfit. He said in the 80’s skateboarding definitely wasn’t as accepted as it is today. Black sheep refers to the spirit of being an independent free thinker, which is essential to skateboarding.
And unfortunately we also know this feeling.
One of the rad things about Black Sheep is its location. I’ve always heard the concept “location, location, location”, when it comes to real estate in general. It’s true. The Sheep is located right outside of downtown Charlotte in a hub of creativity. When it opened there were no other retail stores in the area. I remember going to one of the early Black Sheep art shows and noticing how undeveloped the surrounding buildings were. Josh’s vision was to attract people to the location and become an anchor spot. Nowadays there are art galleries which have allowed graffiti artists to customize the outsides of their whole buildings, coffee shops and delis, a banging little burrito joint, and Niche, a sneaker/street wear boutique that does events with Black Sheep.
American Apparel opened up next door after doing some research on the area and seeing just what awesomness and energy was brewing thanks to Black Sheep.
The location has a bohemian vibe in a sense that there are art gallery crawls and people can walk around, drink their man sodas, and listen to some music. Black Sheep hosts some very incredible art shows on the regular.
If it doesn't exist, create it.
Another thing that the shop has been blessed with would be the new light rail train system that runs through Charlotte. There is a stop less than a stone throws away from and for all the kids out there with no cars, this makes it super easy to get around. The store sits right between Suburbia and Downtown, and we all know how much fun it is to stop by the skate shop before or after charging downtown to share tales, footage, or just kick it.
The Sheep has an incredible website that was created by Richie McCorkle who Josh grew up skating with. Richie is a professional graphic designer at a school but spearheads a ton of the print and design media for The Sheep. He also shoots some great photos which you have seen throughout this article. Josh can’t give him enough credit for all he has done for the shop.
http://www.blacksheepnc.com
I asked Josh about the team who represents the shop and he mentioned there are ton of kids out there who are constantly hounding him to get sponsored . He said talent goes a long way but you’ve also got to have a good character and be a cool person in life. It boils down to a family vibe. He has always had a weakness for saying “Ok, these 6 guys are on the team” and he is more about supporting a crew who are hyped on the shop and what its all about.
He said a lot of support that goes into the scene is under the radar such as hooking people up, hopefully steering them in the right direction, working with contests/events, and fostering the scene. Thankfully the business has been successful which has enabled him to help others. He said from a business standpoint a lot of the things he does don’t make sense for the bottom line, but philosphically they will come back in the form of good karma or good will.
Sheep Rider Ian Eisenhower - Fakie Flip - Photo: Richie McCorkle
I asked Josh if there were any companies out there he worked with more often than others and he said Bob Reynolds of DC Shoes has always been a huge supporter and helper of the store.
The question of working with companies led Josh to let me know that some of his team riders are hooked up and getting flowed product. These guys are Ian Eisernhower (Converse), Oj Farrar (Venture, Hubba, Nike SB), Justin Pittman (DC), and Travis Kirkpatrick (Adidas). Clearly seeing shop guys getting support goes a long way in getting the younger kids hyped and pushing themselves to progress. Josh wanted to thank all those companies for all the support.
Sheep Rider OJ Farrar - Switch Frontside Shoveit - Photo: Richie McCorkle
My final question for Josh was what he would tell the future generation of skateboarders or if there was a direction he would like to see skateboarding go in. He said that was a big responsibility but in his words:
“I feel like theres a lot of emphasis on people wanting to be sponsored, hooked up, and wanting material things from skateboarding. I guess I would just encourage younger people to enjoy skateboarding for what it is ya know, and not be so concerned with coming up. I think skateboarding has a lot more to offer such as hanging out with your friends and enjoying your youth and life and creativity.”
Josh with a Frontside Hurricane to Fakie - Photo: Richie McCorkle
yo black sheep
Hello there,very nice place