SHOPTALK: Blue Tile Longe

We headed to arguably the biggest skateboarding hub in Canada - Toronto - to catch up with our friends at the OG skate shop, Blue Tile Lounge. From its origins as a skatepark in the late ’90s to its current home on Queen Street, Blue Tile Lounge has been a constant presence in Canadian skateboarding. Over the years, it has shifted and reshaped itself, but its foundation has always been the same: a love for skateboarding and the culture that surrounds it. What started as a place to skate has grown into a shop and community hub, carrying the weight of history while still pushing toward the future.

BTL has gone through many phases over the years, now landing in your new space on Queen Street. Can you take us back to the early days—what did Blue Tile Lounge look like in its first iteration? What inspired you to start it, and what’s kept you going all these years?

My involvement with BTL didn’t begin until 2011, but it initially started in ‘97 as a skatepark by Rob Lane and Gord Hardie, after a few years it shut down and was resurrected as a shop in New Market in late 2003.  Blue Tile was always a shop that did it right, the way we all imagine shops should be. So what it looked like was a shop that loved skateboarding. What made me want to be involved in a shop and specifically BTL was, I always wanted to own a shop, growing up the skateshop was the centre of the universe for me. Seeing all the boards and graphics and the people that gravitated to shops - it was a whole new world. I wanted to build something that felt like that, part clubhouse, part school, part portal to another world. That’s what keeps it going for me, I like retail but I really love what a skate shop brings to a scene or community.

Toronto has always been a hub for Canadian skateboarding, especially in the street scene. If you had to describe the Toronto skate scene in one word, what would it be—and why?

Lucky. We are lucky to have this big of a scene with great shops, parks, and kids. Lucky to have the downtown architecture, lucky to have so many pockets of scenes all over the city, lucky to have people that care about it in all sorts of different ways.

What sets the Toronto scene apart from others across the country? How have you seen it shift and evolve over time?

I think there is a gravity to Toronto, the same way people gravitate to Vancouver, people gravitate here because things are happening. Skate rats find others like themselves and create little packs, that’s what makes Toronto different and maybe it’s the same everywhere else? I imagine it’s the same with music or art, the large urban networks and scenes have a pull from smaller towns and areas.

Why do you think skate shops are so integral to the culture of skateboarding, especially in Canada?

I think the shop plays a central role in every city, creating a hub for skaters. This is where kids meet each other, bonds are formed, older kids passing down information and customs and etiquette to the younger kids. We have such an insider culture that requires secret knowledge to be a part of. Shops are where it all starts. 

What have been some of the most rewarding parts of running BTL? And what have been the biggest challenges?

The most rewarding part is being able to participate in this thing we all love. I’m grateful to be here and still working in skateboarding.

The most challenging is how cynical it can feel, it’s such a small world and when people want it to be even smaller it feels shitty.  We are in a slump but there is lots of good going on out there.

Are there any big dreams or future plans for Blue Tile Lounge? What kind of legacy do you hope the shop leaves behind?

Nothing but big dreams and plans. We want to continue to do great things that people can get excited about and if we do it right then we will be able to sustain it. We have so many great people in the mix, Allister Lee who does our design and Lucas who runs the day to day are such a huge part of what we are that it gives me confidence that we can do almost anything. And the legacy of BTL should just be a shop that supported skateboarding and the Toronto community. We love what we do and want that to show up in our work.

Through its many evolutions, BTL has stayed true to what makes a skate shop vital: a gathering place, a classroom, and a launchpad for generations of skaters. As it continues to grow and adapt, the heart of Blue Tile Lounge remains the same - building something bigger than just retail, something that nurtures the scene and gives back to the culture. In the end, its legacy is simple but powerf

ul: a shop that always put skateboarding, and the people who love it, first.

Want to support BTL? You can shop online at www.bluetilelounge.com or follow their journey on instagram at @bluetilelounge