The sound of wheels screeching approaches the door and in comes Chap — he hobbles in on a wide deck board, one of the many shapes and sizes he likes to experiment with. The crew consists of Chappal Carr, Sergio Garza, a recent addition to the team and owner Ehren Mohammadi — who Carr insists upon referring to as Mr. Krabb’s.
Carr has been working here for a couple of years and first discovered Mohammadi and company at their original location in Brook Hollow, established in 2012. The brick and mortar shop currently resides at 6565 Babcock Rd. Miraculously, their current location is the one Ehren pined for back in 2012.
As a local skate shop in San Antonio, the crew has run into quite a few issues revolving around the accessibility of skate spots. However, the community and its people continue to be a shining light throughout, which is exemplified by the strong kinship formed between Mohammadi, Carr and Garza.
Carr commented on San Antonio’s skate community as “a bit more underground than some of the scene in Austin,” he went on to say, “a lot of it’s a lot tighter, I think.” The skating community in San Antonio truly has each other’s back.
Mohammadi exemplifies this through the emphasis on local brands being sold at the shop — some brands include 941 and Ugly.
“We like carrying brands of the people we skate with and that actively work in the community,” Carr emphasized.
Taking a walk through the boardshop, the walls are lined with boards of all shapes and sizes. If skating seems too daunting though, the shop also offers quite a few selections of vintage tees, pants, hats, stickers and board shaped air fresheners. Most of which have been locally sourced, especially the vintage tees and bins of second hand shoes.
The shop does not simply supply the community with gear. It also serves as a nexus for people to get involved in the skate world — whether that be through videography, photography or music. This was emphasized by Garza, who according to Carr has “done a lot of good work in terms of photos of local bands and the skate scene.”
Alongside this, Insanity has been a magnet for a lot of people within music looking for work. Whether looking for a new deck, some style tips or just connections into the local and underground art scene, Insanity Boardshop has it all. At the heart though, remains a brotherhood of employees simply wanting to hang out and skate a line.
The folks at Insanity have some secrets planned later this fall, to stay informed follow their Instagram @insanitybs.
