Step into this store on the Danforth - the only store of its kind in Canada - and be transported into a world of teeny-tiny miniatures!
I just visited 6 Skates, Canada’s only fingerboarding store and there are loads of great(!) things to say about it!
First, if you don’t know what fingerboarding is, it’s essentially skateboarding that you do with your fingers. Skateboarders started out practicing their planned tricks with mini boards, and while it may sound easy, doing the really extreme stuff takes some serious skill! Think of this activity as model trains meets the awesomeness of skateboarding - and you can shred or play to your heart’s content - all in a miniature skatepark that you can set up however you’d like.
Want a more advanced setup to shred on without having to buy all the jumps and obstacles? The store has two miniature skateparks that you can use to skateboard around with your fingers, do tricks on, go up and down the jumps, avoid miniature trashcans filled with miniature skateboard magazines (yes, this is a very detailed and super creative hobby) and other obstacles that can be jumped over or swerved around! You can stop into the store, hang out, play with their fingerboards, sign the wall, and have your photo put up on the wall of pictures. No obligation to buy anything (although I think you’ll want to).
As a complete sucker for anything miniature, the tiny boards and designs made me gush. Some are made right here in the GTA, with others imported from Europe. There are so many styles to choose from! There’s even a City of Toronto design, as the owner used to work for the city. You can get an intro board for $35 that’s ready to go and is made of 5-ply veneer, with bearings and wheels. This is a far more performant board than the plastic ones you can get and will let you practice all the tricks!
6 Skates has lots of jumps, obstacles, and other items to build your own at-home skatepark if you don’t want to use theirs all the time.
They also have miniature bikes for cool photo shoots and miniature surfboards that you attach to your finger by the “leash” and they stick to your finger when you put your hand out of the car while driving. It’s called a finger air surfboard and they’re $6.99. Yes, this is really fun stuff!
The great things about fingerboarding are that you (or whoever is gifted these items) get to learn a hobby, have something that looks totally rad, and it’s an activity that can be done by anyone! Plenty of people who can no longer skateboard now fingerboard!
The store was founded 3 years ago and is run by a father and son pair. I met Dominic (the son) who took me through the selection from intro boards to super advanced.
Located at 1936 Danforth Ave, I recommend everyone should check out this super vibey place and give fingerboarding a go!