HELENA — A new skate shop started by a pair of high school friends recently has opened for business in downtown Helena.
High school junior Jake Orgeorn and recent high school graduate Levi Metz opened Creep Skate Company back in December. The two had been kicking the idea around for more than a year but finalized their decision just a few days before the shop actually opened.
The two were on their way to opening the business after brainstorming some possible names, getting a few thousand dollar loan, and dipping into savings from previous jobs. Their goal is to help get others into skating and grow the skating community.
“It's super sick, like, having a bunch of little kids coming in, ‘oh, I’m buying my first skateboard,’ and it’s like, ‘alright let me help you out,’” says Orgeorn.
The two sell skateboarding equipment and their own personal branded items. The pair found the name “Creep” to be aesthetically pleasing and fitting for a skating brand. “Creep” was originally used as a graffiti tag and the boys say the artist agreed to create the storefront's painting in exchange for a few skate decks.
They also built this shop to be a community spot for them, their friends, and others. While the pair have only been skating for two or three years, they are enthusiastic about the culture and the community that the sport of skating can bring together.
“Even if they don't skate— like people come in here and they just goof around, like watch TV, play video games or something. So, it's cool to, like, see people come together and, like, hang out," Orgeorn said. "Like, kids that you wouldn't expect to be hanging out with, like, other kids, you know what I mean,."
Creep Skate Company is located at 335 North Last Chance Gulch in Helena.
