Meet Walter Pierowski of Monkdeth Skateboards in North Smithfield

Today we’d like to introduce you to Walter Pierowski.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Walter. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As a skateboarder in the 80’s, I always found skateboarding to help me become a better person. With each trick learned, each obstacle overcome, my perseverance paid off and taught me the value of solid effort and hard work. I learned about far off places through magazines, met new friends from different towns, being a part of a small subculture opened new doors outside of my small hometown in New Jersey. Fast forward to July 2005, 20 years later. In my mid-thirties, with a family and an engineering career, I decided to take some money set aside and start Monkdeth Skateboards.

Working with a solid deck manufacturer, I produced my first line of decks and shirts and started sponsoring a small team of riders based in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. The goal wasn’t to make it big, or a lot of money, but to give back to skateboarding and spread it around my community of North Smithfield and greater Boston area. With the success, in 2007 we expanded and opened a shop in the historic Union Village section of North Smithfield. Stalefish Skate and Snow opened its doors in September 2006. Now Monkdeth Skateboards were available in its own retail location and not just online.

Other shops in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York also started carrying our brand. The team expanded and a video “Alternate Routes’ was filmed. With the economy taking a dark turn in 2008, we closed the doors on Stalefish in summer of 2009, it was a fun 3-year run. Monkdeth remained to sell online and to friends. In 2012 an engineering job offer brought myself and Monkdeth to Northern Idaho where we became involved with the local skateboard community and the snow skating community of the Pacific Northwest. Aligning with Boyd Hill Snowskates, Monkdeth is a local legend in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho while still keeping its routes in the Boston area with friends purchasing and riding Monkdeth skateboards.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Cash flow is always a struggle for specialty retail and we learned that first hand. Breaking down misconceptions as well. Skateboarders are not troublemakers, we are nothing more than thrill seekers who focus on having fun while pushing our bodies to the limits.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Monkdeth Skateboards – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We sell skateboard decks and accessories. We are true to skateboarding, we share the passion.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Keep going strong – right now I am working on graphics for our spring 18 line which will be lucky 13 years of being in business!

Also locally we are planning a new skateboard park groundbreaking in the spring. Be on the lookout this spring! Also a Monkdeth tour back east in early summer – Boston to Philly – look for us!

Contact Info:

• Website: monkdeth.com
• Email: monkdeth1@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monkdeth/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monkdeth/

Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.