The Whitaker Group Opens APB Charlotte Skate and Streetwear Shop

The Whitaker Group today announced the grand opening of APB Charlotte, a 2,000-square-foot store that aims to become a dynamic hub for skaters, streetwear enthusiasts, and cultural innovators. 

Located at the Collective on Tuckaseegee, APB Charlotte will serve as a retail sister business to the APB Skatepark, which opened on the Collective property in October and bills itself as the first privately held, Black-owned, publicly accessible non-DIY skatepark in the United States.

APB Charlotte will be a skate-focused extension of the existing APB storefronts — currently located in Jacksonville and Tallahassee, Florida; and Charleston, Greenville, and Columbia, South Carolina — known for their youth-focused curated selection of streetwear and fashion brands.

APB Charlotte will host an exclusive in-house skate specialist who will be on hand to offer expert knowledge and guidance on skateboarding gear and the culture surrounding the sport to those who are new to skating. The store will also offer a purchase-and-build board option with on-site service, allowing customers to create and customize their skateboards within the shop.

Set to open on Thursday, Nov. 14, the shop will host skate sessions, artist talks, photo walks and wellness sessions throughout its opening weekend. 

“We’ve created APB Charlotte to be a reflection of the community we’re building here in Charlotte, a place where skate, arts, culture and streetwear can thrive together,” said James Whitner, owner and founder of The Whitaker Group, which also operates Social Status in Plaza Midwood. “We are venturing into skate wholeheartedly and hope that the community here in Charlotte can thrive off this effort. This is about giving the city a space where culture, sport and style converge, and we’re just getting started.”

To commemorate the store’s opening, APB Charlotte will debut a limited-edition APB capsule collection, marking the first time APB has incorporated skate-product assortments into its popular capsule drops. 

The collection, inspired by both streetwear and skate culture, pays homage to the growing intersection of these communities in Charlotte and elsewhere, according to a release on Wednesday. Items in the collection include T-shirts from small to 2XL priced at $50, skateboard decks priced at $60, and hats priced at $40. 

Read more: Armada Skate Shop to Rebrand, Move Into Camp North End

The Whitaker Group also plans to open its new 38a gallery, dedicated to serving emerging and established Black, brown and minority creators with exhibits, programs, events and workshops, the following day. With a flagship gallery in Pittsburgh, the Charlotte gallery will debut its inaugural exhibition on Nov. 15. Titled Queens & Kings: A Tale of Two Cities, the viral virtual exhibit pairs Jay-Z lyrics with Kerry James Marshall paintings, co-curated by Evelyn Flores and Sean Beauford. 

Opening night at the gallery will run from 7-10 p.m., followed by the public opening during which the gallery will be open from noon-6 p.m. through Dec. 6. 

The Collective at Tuckaseegee is located at 2705 Tuckaseegee Road in the Enderly Park neighborhood of west Charlotte.