Evolve Skate Store, Prahran: Hand-Picked Decks and Expert Advice on Chapel Street Since 1999

On Chapel Street in Prahran, a little skate store with a big history is still going strong. Evolve Skate Store opened in 1999 and describes itself as Melbourne's longest-running independent skate store. More than 25 years on, it is still independent, still family owned and still "holding it down in Prahran", hand-picking every board, every shoe and every tee.

Born from the evolution of skateboarding

The inspiration for the store, Evolve says, came from the evolution of skateboarding through the early to mid-1990s, along with a passion for graphic design and for cult, sci-fi and B-grade movies. That mix gave the shop its direction and its look, and it hasn't looked back.

The secret to its longevity, the team says, is a genuine enjoyment of and passion for skate culture, which has become a deep knowledge of skate products and skate history. That knowledge is an invaluable resource for customers, whether they're buying a first board or chasing a rare deck. One customer review on the website captures the feeling: "Community driven and experts in the industry… Family owned, and here to stay."

All killer, no filler

Graphics and design have always been central to Evolve, and that shows in the core brands it has stocked throughout its history. Space is at a premium, so every item, from T-shirts and footwear to decks and even stickers, is carefully chosen. That selective approach gives Evolve a distinctive range compared with more mainstream skate stores, and it has become known for sought-after, limited-availability pieces. Its motto sums it up: all killer, no filler.

A front-row seat to skate history

Back in 1999, Evolve was one of the first stores to stock a selection of then relatively unknown streetwear brands, including A Bathing Ape, SSUR, a fledgling Obey Giant, BLK/MRKT, Medicom Toy and Supreme. Many of those brands came out of the skateboarding, graffiti, streetwear and music undergrounds of New York, Los Angeles, London and Tokyo. In 2002, Evolve became one of Australia's first Nike SB accounts, part of the first wave of mainstream sneaker culture, and it was there at the birth of Sneaker Freaker magazine, when the first issues were free street press.

Today's shelves carry skate shoes from brands such as New Balance Numeric, Nike SB, Globe and Asics, decks from the likes of Zero, Pass~Port, Real, DGK and Santa Cruz, and streetwear and tees. Evolve has even released a special deck honouring the ramp that, it says, built half of Melbourne's skaters, pressed locally and screen-printed by hand.

Part of the community

Reviews on the website mention staff helping customers build their dream boards and the shop donating a skateboard to a young girl at Christmas. It's the kind of local generosity that has kept Evolve at the heart of Melbourne's skate community for a quarter of a century.

Visit Evolve Skate Store

Evolve is at 214 Chapel Street, Prahran, and is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 6pm, Friday 10am to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm (check its Google page on public holidays). Call (03) 9529 5466, email sales@evolve214.com, or shop online with click and collect in store.

Contact

Evolve Skate Store
214 Chapel Street, Prahran VIC 3181
Phone: (03) 9529 5466
Email: sales@evolve214.com
Website: evolveskatestore.com
Hours: Mon–Thu 10am–6pm, Fri 10am–7pm, Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 10am–5pm

SHOUT US A COFFEE

If you like our work, why not shout us a coffee? Every contribution allows us to continue to serve local businesses, local sports clubs, and local community groups. It also helps us get kids into positive and healthy junior sport through our parent company BMBA Basketball Pty Ltd, where all funds are directed.

Support us so we can support our local communities. Buy us a coffee today!