For Oak Harbor skateboarders, the long drive to Burlington to get equipment is finally over.

With the opening of Gizmo’s Boardshop on Midway Boulevard early last month, local boarders now have a place in town to get new decks, trucks, wheels and a whole slew of skateboarding extras.

“It’s doing really good, I’m pretty happy with business so far,” said Gizmo’s owner Terrill Simecki. “A lot of people are stoked that they don’t have to leave the island anymore to get stuff.”

Simecki, an OHHS grad and longtime skater, knows most of the Oak Harbor skaters and their likes and dislikes. He believes that this knowledge will help the boardshop stay successful.

“I know all the skaters here in town, I’m a part of the community and I think it will be successful, it has been so far,” he said.

There have been skateboarding shops in Oak Harbor in the past but they haven’t been able to stick around. According to Simecki, none of the previous shops were run by a local skateboarder who knew what the Oak Harbor skateboarding community was into. Simecki hopes to change that.

“We’re locally owned and operated, it’s a real skateboard shop,” he said. “Everyone has been happy with it so far.”

With 1,100 square feet of shop space and one entire wall devoted to the latest decks, Gizmo’s has the room for everything a veteran boarder needs to keep up with the latest and greatest, or for the beginning skater to get started. The shop is selling complete board packages for $120 for a deck with graphics (designs and artwork on the board) or $99 for a blank deck package. Simecki is constantly building up his inventory with shoes, skate apparel and other accessories on the way.

“We’re getting all kinds of stuff every day,” he said. “It’s always cool when the UPS truck shows up to see what new kinds of things are in. A lot of the kids stop by at 2:30 to see if I got any new boards in.”

On a recent afternoon there was a steady stream of customers checking out new decks, buying supplies and watching skateboarding videos. All the Oak Harbor skaters agreed that Gizmo’s is a godsend to the local boarders. Corey Johnson, who has been skating for six months, is already a fan of the store.

“Before this shop opened you would have to go up to Zumiez in Burlington to get stuff,” he said. “I’m waiting to get paid on Friday, then I’m going to buy a new deck.”

Mike Ratigan was in the shop buying new wrist guards. Originally from San Diego, Ratigan has had to become accustomed to skating in the Pacific Northwest.

“The (scene) here is way different, but its all right though,” he said. “The weather sucks sometimes but the people are cool. I’ve coped pretty well.”

Ratigan believes that the boardshop has the customer base to succeed.

“It’s good for Terrill because he knows everyone,” he said. “You don’t have to go out of your way to get stuff – it’s right here in town.”

Simecki plans to add snowboarding equipment in the fall, for sale and for rental if someone wants to head up to Baker to try snowboarding for the first time.

“I’m not going to go crazy with the snowboard stuff but I’ll carry some of it,” he said.

According to Simecki some of the more popular skate brands are Habitat and Zero.

“I’m getting equipment that is cutting edge,” he said. “I buy stuff that I know is going to sell.”

For Simecki, Gizmo’s is a business, but he also hopes that the shop can become a hub for Oak Harbor’s skate community.

“I want to give the kids in town a good skate shop,” he said. “A cool place where you can meet up with everyone and go skating.”

Go on down to Gizmo’s

Gizmo’s is located on NE Midway Blvd across the street from the Log Cabin and next to the Dairy Valley Ice Cream Parlor. The shop is open 40 hours a week noon-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

“I can sleep in because of the hours and skaters usually don’t get around till then anyway,” said owner Terrill Simecki who is running the shop by himself. “Since I’m the only worker I have super-low overhead.”