Skateboarding lessons and training across the country aren't as hot as they were the last couple of years, but Wandering just hit us up saying they've opened YET ANOTHER new location, and this one's got indoor and outdoor spots plus retail, right next to a mall. So, we immediately pulled Eric in to chat about their 'going against the grain' secrets and the big question: is 'Wandering' skateboard magazine still a thing?
全国范围内的滑板教培都没前两年那么火了，很多地方连原本的滑板店零售都没那么好做了。但 Wandering 前几天还是发来消息说，自己又又又又开新店了，并且包含室内室外+零售，位置还是在商场旁边。于是，我们马上把波仔拉来，聊了聊他们“逆势而上”的秘密，以及《Wandering》滑板杂志到底还做不做了？
🎙️ Congrats on the new store! Could you give us a quick rundown of Wandering's skatepark history and your current lesson/enrollment situation?
Our first shop definitely taught us a lesson! Back then, we were thinking about rent costs and opened our first indoor park in a factory building not too far from Shenzhen Airport. Business was pretty good at first, but then, since most of our customers lived in the city center, it was almost a two-hour round trip for them. So, opening a shop in the city was to meet the demand of our city-based customers.
So far, we've opened a total of 3 locations. The original one has closed, so we're down to 2 right now. But the new Futian shop is opening on May 1st, so everyone remember to come hang out! We'll be back up to 3 stores then.
Our enrollment's still pretty steady, but yeah, it's definitely not the crazy hype of the COVID days – that was some supernatural stuff, totally not normal! Now that things are back to a more chill level, I'm hoping more skaters can use this as a chance to create more job opportunities, especially since we still don't have that many homegrown board and clothing brands in China.
Skateboarding's always been a diverse thing, contests are just one part of it. Not everyone skates to compete. I'm still hoping to see more skate brands and crews constantly putting out videos and photos, like how adidas is really pushing Jayden right now, and SAGA just dropped a new video – that's the kind of stuff we need to support. Avenue & Son is another brand that keeps the video releases coming. I believe that's what keeps the skate culture alive, when skaters can build their own brands through their own hustle and keep skating, and actually make a living without having to do the 9-to-5 grind. That freedom, I think, is the most important thing in skate culture.
🎙️ 恭喜又有新店开业，能不能简单介绍一下 Wandering 板场历史，以及你们当下的售课/招生情况？
我们第一家店真的是好好地给我们上了一课！当时考虑了租金成本问题，在离深圳机场不远的厂房里开了我们第一家室内板场。一开始生意还不错，但后来因为大部分客户都是住在市区，来回一次要差不多两个小时，后来到市区开店也是为了满足市区的客户需求。
到目前为止一共开了 3 家店，创始店已经闭店了，所以现在剩 2 家，但福田新店将在 5 月 1 号开业，大家记得来玩，到时候我们又变回 3 家店了。
我们招生还算稳定，不过肯定不如疫情时那么火爆，那是超自然现象，太不正常了！现在回归平稳后，希望更多的滑手们能够借这个机会创造更多的就业机会，特别是现在国内的板面和服装品牌还是很少的。
滑板本来就是个很多元化的运动，比赛只是滑板里面的一部分，并不是所有人滑板都是为了去参加比赛的，我还是希望看到有更多的滑板品牌和团队，不停的创作视频和照片，就像 adidas 最近在不停的培养 Jayden，还有 SAGA 又发布新片，都特别值得我们去支持，另外大道之子也是坚持出片的滑板品牌。我相信这才能将滑板文化传承下去，滑板人能够靠自己的努力去创品牌而继续滑下去，并且能够养活自己而不需要过着朝九晚五的人生，我觉得这个自由是滑板文化里面最重要的东西。
🎙️ Alright, let's get straight to it. Why is Wandering going against the grain and expanding when the national skate lesson scene is shrinking?
I think the main reason is our brand. We really push the fact that we're not just a training spot; we're a multi-functional event space, hosting all kinds of events every year. On top of that, we've got the retail side of things covered, and we're one of the few skateparks in the country that's actually open to the public. Especially in a city like Shenzhen, where it rains a lot (and it's hot and humid year-round, sometimes you literally can't step outside to skate before 4 or 5 PM because of the heat), having an indoor skatepark is seriously in demand.
🎙️ 那我们直入主题，为什么在全国滑板教学行业大收缩的今天，Wandering 反而逆势而上？
我觉得主要的就是我们品牌的原因，因为我们主打的一个就是我们这里不光是只有培训，我们还是个多功能的活动空间，每年都会举办各种各样的活动。除了这个以外，我们还有零售业务，而且还是全国为数不多的对外开放的滑板场地，像在深圳这种经常下雨的城市（且常年高温炎热，有时候四五点前，真的热到没法出门滑板），室内滑板场是非常有刚需的。
🎙️ Spill the beans on running your skatepark biz. What are the key things to look out for when choosing a location?
When it comes to location, the city center is the sweet spot – the more central, the better. Ideally, you want to be near malls with a lot of local residents around. That's the prime setup.
🎙️ Everyone knows the city center is good, but it's also expensive, right?
That's a crucial point. Like I mentioned earlier, Wandering has built up a solid reputation within the commercial areas, so we've got some decent leverage when we're talking to mall management. It's less about straight-up negotiating and more about us having qualities they actually want. For example, we host a lot of brand events, our skatepark is open to the public, and we consistently bring in a good flow of people – high-quality young customers and families.
These are the things malls really value, so they're willing to give us a lot of support to get us to open up shop in their malls. That's a big part of why Wandering is still expanding even now.
🎙️ 说说你的板场经营生意经吧，比如选址要注意什么？
说到选址，最好是在市区，越市中心越好，最好是周边居民很多的那种商场是最好的。
🎙️ 都知道市区好，但是市区也贵呀。
这是个非常重要的问题，就像我前面提到的 Wandering 在商圈内已经有一定的知名度，所以我们也拥有了相对好的筹码去跟商场谈判。与其说谈判，不如说我们拥有他们所喜欢的一些特质，比如说我们有很多品牌的活动，然后我们的滑板场地也对外开放，平时也会有很不错的人流，也是一些高质量的年轻客户和家庭客群。
这些都是商场非常看重的，所以商场也愿意给予我们很大的支持，把我们招到他们的商场里开店，这也是为什么 Wandering 在这个时候也继续扩张的原因。
🎙️ With so much competition in the industry, and good malls and conditions out there, why do they choose you guys to run things?
Beyond our solid lesson business, Wandering also brings events to the table. We've got a strong team and our own media platform. Retail is another huge piece of the puzzle for us – Wandering is one of the few adidas Skateboarding dealers in China; I think there are only four skate shops in the whole country with that direct account. Plus, we're dealers for Vision, Santa Cruz, DBH, Magenta, FCP, and a bunch of other brands.
I think being diverse is one of Wandering's biggest strengths. We want Wandering to be more than just a place to skate. Even if you don't skate, you can come chill, grab a coffee or a beer. The more people we can bring together, the more fun it is for everyone.
When people are having a good time, they naturally bring more friends, and that's a big factor a lot of malls look at. The design of the park itself is also super important. Our customers are mostly beginner and intermediate skaters, so our goal is to design a space that's perfect for fun, everyday practice. We're constantly learning and growing in this evolving landscape, so I think that's a major reason why many malls choose to partner with us.
🎙️ 现在行业充分竞争，有好的商场和条件，为什么选你们来运营？
Wandering 除了有稳定的教学业务，还有活动，我们有很好的团队，还有自己的媒体，除了教学以外，零售也是个非常重要的一部分。Wandering 是 adidas 滑板鞋的经销商之一，没记错的话全中国就 4 家滑板店有代理权，另外我们有 Vision，Santa Cruz, DBH, Magenta, FCP 等等各种品牌的经销权。
我觉得多元化是 Wandering 的强项之一，我们希望 Wandering 不只是大家来滑板的一个地方，就算不玩滑板，也可以来 Wandering 坐坐，喝喝咖啡或啤酒，只要大家能聚到一起，才会更加欢乐。
大家玩开心了自然就会带更多的朋友来，所以这个是很多商场所看重的因素，另外就是场地的设计，这个部分相当的重要。我们的客户几乎都是初中级人群，要设计出适合日常能够快乐练习的场地是 Wandering 所追求的目标。我们也在这个大时代不断的学习中，也在不停的成长，所以我觉得这个是很多商场选择和我们合作的主要原因。
🎙️ What other unexpected surprises have there been?
This one was a real curveball – 30% of our current customers are from Hong Kong. And it looks like that number is still growing, so we're constantly adjusting our team to handle this sudden influx of Hong Kong clients.
(*During the chat, Bozai also told us that this is largely thanks to the major trend of Hong Kong residents coming to Shenzhen for leisure and spending. Data released by Shenzhen Airport Group shows that in the first quarter of this year, over 120,000 Hong Kong residents traveled through Shenzhen Airport, and exceeding 10,000 passengers per week has become the norm.
According to statistics from Shenzhen and Hong Kong port authorities, on April 18th, land border crossings between Shenzhen and Hong Kong reached 898,300 passengers, with 288,300 outbound and 610,000 inbound. This single-day inbound passenger volume set a new record, a 5.77% increase compared to the Hong Kong public holiday last year (576,700) and a 28.45% increase compared to the first day of the Qingming Festival (474,900).
Specifically, Shenzhen Bay, Futian, and the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway all broke their highest single-day inbound passenger records since 2023, with 112,300, 157,300, and 83,600 passengers respectively.
Bozai also mentioned that Wandering's lesson fees are half of what they are in Hong Kong. As a result, many Hong Kong families come to Shenzhen for two or three-day trips, dropping their kids off for skate lessons while they enjoy other entertainment and shopping.)
🎙️ 还有哪些意外之喜？
这个真的是出乎意料，我们现在有 30% 的客户来自香港。目前来看还有增长的趋势，所以我们也在不断的调整团队来面对突然增长的香港客户。
（*在聊天，波仔也告诉我们，这也得益于港客北上深圳消费的大趋势。深圳机场集团发布的数据显示，今年一季度，有超过 12 万人次的香港居民从深圳机场乘机出行，单周突破一万人次已成常态。
据深港口岸部门统计，4 月 18 日深港陆路口岸出入境旅客 89.83万人次，其中出境 28.83万人次，入境 61万人次，单日入境客流量创下新高，同比去年香港公众假期(57.67万人次)增长 5.77%，比清明节首日(47.49万人次)增长 28.45%。
其中，深圳湾、福田、广深港高铁西九龙站口岸均刷新 2023 年以来单日入境人员最高纪录，分别为 11.23万、15.73万、8.36万人次。
波仔也告诉我们，Wandering 的教学收费是香港的一半。所以会有很多香港的客人带着小孩来深圳玩两三天，把小孩送去学滑板的同时，自己还可以娱乐消费一下。）
🎙️ What's your take on the future of the skate lesson market? And what are Wandering's plans moving forward?
The lesson market will definitely still be around, but it's not going to see that explosive growth like during the pandemic. Right now, our biggest hope is to nurture a crew of really talented skaters! Besides that, we'll be gradually fine-tuning our retail and media aspects. If the right opportunities come up, we'd definitely consider opening more locations to create even more fun spots for skaters.
🎙️ 对接下来的滑板教学市场怎么看？Wandering 接下来的计划是怎样？
教学市场肯定是有的，但肯定不会像疫情的时候有爆发性的增长。目前最希望能够培养出一批厉害的滑手！除了这个以外还会慢慢将零售和媒体的部分完善一下，如果有合适的机会当然也会考虑继续的扩店，为滑手们创造更多好玩的场地。
🎙️ What about the magazine? Still gonna drop those? Haha.
Dude, that's the million-dollar question! Hahahaha, of course we want to keep it going. We're actually planning a new issue right now, but it won't be like the old days with four issues a year. I think if we can drop one solid issue a year, that'd be sick. So yeah, keep your eyes peeled!
🎙️ 杂志还出不出？哈哈。
你这是灵魂拷问啊，哈哈哈哈，当然想继续，目前正在计划出新一期的杂志，但不会像之前那样一年出 4 期了，我觉得能一年出一期就很不错了，大家期待一下吧。
So yeah, on May 1st, Wandering is teaming up with iN City Plaza, adidas, Monster Energy, DBH, and C'estbon to bring you the Opening Party! We'll have high ollie contests, speed challenges, a gnarly grind & slide jam, and ledge & rail jam sessions waiting for everyone!
And after that, the indoor park at Wandering's iN City Plaza location will be opening up too, so keep an eye out!
那么 5 月 1 号，Wandering 将联手 iN城市广场、adidas、Monster Energy、DBH、纯悦为大家带来这次 Opening Party。届时将会有跳高，竞速奖，GRIND&SLIDE大绝招，台子&杆子果酱赛等着大家！
后续，Wandering iN城市广场店也将开放室内场地，一起期待吧！
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