Soo Lee, Stallboards’ soft-spoken, quick-to-laugh owner, left a corporate job to bootstrap a place where skaters, misfits and military members feel at home in Suwon, South Korea. (Trevares Johnson/Stars and Stripes)
Stumbling into the grungy basement of Stallboards — a skateboard shop and indoor skate park in Suwon, South Korea — I wasn’t expecting to be greeted with a smile, a fist bump and the crash of wheels echoing off concrete.
Soo Lee, the shop’s soft-spoken, quick-to-laugh owner, left a corporate job at Wells Fargo to bootstrap a place where skaters, misfits and military members feel at home.
Stallboards isn’t flashy. It feels like it grew out of the community rather than being dropped in to monetize it.
The ramps are worn, with graffiti in all the right places. Boards hang from the walls like trophies. There’s an honesty to Stallboards that you don’t often find in South Korean skate shops, or in skate culture in general.
The ramps are worn, with graffiti in all the right places at Stallboards, a skate shop and indoor skatepark in Suwon, South Korea. (Trevares Johnson/Stars and Stripes)
“I’ve been running this store alone for 10 years,” Lee said, while tightening the trucks on a teenager’s board behind the counter. “I wanted a place where people could be themselves, be creative and not feel judged. Skateboarding saved me, in a way. Now I try to pass that on.”
It shows.
On any given afternoon, you’ll find a mix of Korean high schoolers, American soldiers, visiting tourists or the occasional kid with training wheels on a scooter receiving lessons. Everyone has a place here.
Lee goes out of his way to make military folks feel welcome — importing familiar brands like Baker, Independent and Spitfire so U.S. riders feel a little more grounded, even half a world away.
“I know how it feels to be far from home,” he said. “Military guys come to the shop all the time to get the parts they remember from back home. It’s a comfortableness that I try to create.”
The shop charges less than $14 for adults and about $10.44 for kids for a three-hour session in the park. Rentals are super accessible — $10.44 for a skateboard or scooter, $2.79 each for pads or a helmet.
There are benches to rest on, lockers to stash your gear, and Lee’s always within arm’s reach with a tool or a word of advice.
Boards hang from the walls like trophies at Stallboards skate shop and indoor skatepark in Suwon, South Korea. (Trevares Johnson/Stars and Stripes)
Aside from the disorganized, grungy look of the shop or the park layout, what stands out is the way Lee talks to everyone. He remembered names. He asks how people were doing. It felt less like a business and more like a living room that just happens to have ramps.
I saw an older Korean man teaching a kid how to drop in on a ramp. I saw two middle-schoolers trading stickers while their parents chatted in the corner. I saw Lee step away from the counter to help customers adjust their trucks.
Places like this don’t just exist — they’re built. If you ever feel a little lost in Suwon, I’d recommend starting here. Just don’t be surprised if you leave with a new board — and a few new friends.
Stallboards
Location: 127 Sehwa-ro, Gwonseon-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Hours: Open noon to 7 p.m. every day but Wednesday
Prices: A three-hour skate session costs less than $14 for adults and about $10.44 for children.
Dress: Casual
Directions: The Google plus code is 7X7V+9R Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Information: Phone: 31-292-5939; Online: stallboards.com
