January/February 2008

Everything Olde Is New Again

Olde Towne Portsmouth might be facing a few growing pains, but its growth spurt can't be stopped.

By Kristen De Deyn Kirk

The temperature was hot but not muggy on a late August day in Olde Towne Portsmouth.

Handfuls of tourists roamed about, passing by shops closing for the evening and workers leaving for dinner.

Everyone’s pace was blissfully slow as they savored the soon-to-be-over summer. The world was theirs—they had plenty of room to stroll on the wide, brick sidewalks as the towering, fully grown trees shaded away the sun. Antiques in window displays caught their eyes, and art in others pulled them to the glass. Furniture, both antique and new, spoke of possibilities in their own homes. The smell of dinner cooking at nearby restaurants reminded them it would soon be time to sit and satiate their hunger.

With so much calmness, folks couldn’t help but notice when a truck full of youngsters pulled up to the 300 block of High Street. The driver stopped and six boys, skateboards in hand, jumped off. They piled into Dominion Ten, a skate shop that opened just weeks before. With its wooden floors, super-bold displays and T.V. lounge-chillin’ area, it could rival any big-city business for a hipness award.

Owners Woody Wharam, Brandon Alexander and John Buck, all 20-somethings, thought about setting up shop on the other side of the water, maybe Ghent, maybe Downtown Norfolk, for a while. But they’d face established competition, and a mall might be too restrictive about what clothing could be displayed, they reasoned. They wanted freedom mixed with atmosphere and decent foot traffic. Eventually, they decided Olde Towne would be best. There’s no other skate shop in the area—and skateboarders love to skate there.

On the surface, it could sound like the Dominion Ten owners are all fun and games, but the trio is serious when it comes to work. They’ve joined the Olde Towne Business Association, and, in addition to contemplating what city they’d be located in, they thought about where exactly in Olde Towne they should be.

But, alas, they didn’t have much choice. Call after call to building owners resulted in the same news: “Sorry, that spot is already booked.”

Joe Elder, co-owner of Skipjack Nautical Wares and Marine Gallery, says that wasn’t the case two years ago.

He and his wife, Alison, moved their store from the Oceanfront area of Virginia Beach to 629 High St. in 2005.

At the time, Joe estimates that about 30 percent of the buildings on and near High Street were vacant.

Given that, some might question the Elders’ move. Why go from an area where tourists flock by the thousands and naturally think about the water? Wasn’t that the perfect place for a business selling all things nautical?

Sure, notes Joe, there were lots of people near his old store on Norfolk Avenue, but lots of people don’t equate to lots of sales.

“You have to focus on quality customers instead of the quantity of customers,” he says.

For the rest of this article, see the January issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands.