Sandwiched into a Crowded shopping strip on lower Broadway in Manhattan, the Blades Board and Skate shop is a hub of action. On a current midday in March, during one of the first nice spring Times of this season, clients of all ages packed to the store. What size skateboard should I get | need 8

Ayoung guy in a suit was on the search for hockey sticks, while an elderly gentleman tried on snowboard coats. A pack of teenaged women entered the shop and made a beeline to The apparel segment. Along with a group of fit-looking guys werechatting at the counter about recent snowboarding trips they'd taken. While it is often unusual to spot this eclectic a client mix Is unusual in an urban specialty store, Blades has developed a nicheby catering to young trendsetters, although not devoting older clients or those who don't match the "core" profile of the kid wholives to skate and ride.

"This cross section of shoppers represents just a typical Day in the series," explained Scott Kelliher, Blades' director ofmarketing. "We draw a wide variety of clients with our lifestyle allure." The sporting Goods and lifestyle series, which currently operates 16 shops and is celebrating its 10th anniversary,is poised for asignificant growth spurt. Its jumbled mixture of board skating and sports gear, footwear, fashionable apparel and accessoriesappeals beyond its roots at the trendsetting action sports marketplace. Blades has recently established a number of approaches to boost its Profile, such as expanding its offerings for ladies, launchingan e-commerce Internet site and delving deeper into new categories such as swimwear. The chain now sponsors numerous sportingevents and sporting excursions. And an initial public offering may be in the works. "Our Aim is to be an action lifestyle store, including Everything from footwear and clothes to music," explained Jeff Kabat, thechain's founder and chief executive officer. "

There is much more to it than just gear." Founded as a location to buy and lease snowboards and inline skates, Blades has evolved considerably since 1990, when Actionsports such as snowboarding were beginning to get broad appeal. Kabat, a former consultant at Arthur Anderson Who's now in his Late 30s, got tired of the intense amount of travel required by hisplace and decided to test the waters that were retail. "I understood there was beginning to be a Great Deal of interest in Inline skating and we were one of the first shops in town totake the product." That first store, located on 72nd Street near Central Park on The Upper West Side, provided in-line skates for rent, but soonadded other merchandise categories, such as apparel and board sports. "We had deep roots in the authentic, technical skate and Board stadium," Kabat noted. "We had the wind at our back concerningdemographics, because fashion among the 18-to-35-year-old set has kind of followed the action sports offering."

 The concept caught on fast, and the chain has spent the last Decade setup new components and expanding its offerings. Most storescan be found in urban regions. It currently operates five units at the New York region, and other store locations include Boston,King of Prussia, Pa., and Belmar, N.J.. The privately held company doesn't release revenue figures, but has noticed double-digitsales increases over the past couple of decades, according to Kabat. "The plan is to Keep on looking for opportunities to Increase our shop count," Kabat said. "We find a lot of space for our shops,and we're really excited about our mall concept." Blades in March opened a brand new prototype store in a mall at Suburban Freehold, N.J., which carries more apparel and softgoods. At 3,000 square feet, it is bigger than the majority of the urban-based units. "Five Years Back, we could not have opened up a mall-based store Because the concept wasn't mainstreamed sufficient, but now ourmix caters to a broader demographic," Kabat said. "We see a lot of legs for this particular concept. We are not getting from ourauthentic roots, but we're offering more and more lifestyle choices that appeal not only to fans of those sports." When asked about the potential for an initial public offering, Kabat said opening new stores is "capital intensive" and thatpublic is a "viable choice."

 The stores are now infused using a broad range of product Categories, from skateboards to pockets to hip-hop music. As the store has evolved, women shoppers have become more Significant for the series and account for approximately half of overallsales, according to Kabat. Blades started taking snowboards designed for girls about five Years past, and offerings for women have expanded dramaticallysince that time. Other goods tailored to girls are specially designed in-line skates along with an ever-growing choice of apparel. "Women's sports have been pushed," said Sandra Rossi, the series's buyer for soft goods. "Firms like Burton are actually focusingon Best Skateboards For Beginners 8."

The initial attire offerings at Blades were concentrated on jeans and T-shirts. Now, the firm features a vast assortment ofapparel, such as coats and skirts, shorts, sweatpants and T-shirts. Apparel is now the company's second biggest category, afterhard goods. Women's swimsuits were released about two Decades ago, along with also the Class has "exploded," based on Rossi.

"The vendors that are most successful at tapping into the Women's market are starting to clearly identify it as a distinctmarket," Kabat observed. "The action-sport-lifestyle offerings previously have been quite slim-pickings for the girls. A good dealof sellers are recognizing their unique needs and cares and are introducing line extensions or new brands" One of the women's apparel brands it conveys are well-known sport Tags such as Roxy and Billabong, in addition to lesser knownbrands such as Mooks, Suburban and Hurley. "We strive to stay away from brands That Aren't specialized in Nature and can't hold up," said Rossi. "Also, we need todistinguish ourselves from other sports-inspired chains such as Pacific Sunwear of California." Private-label apparel, now a very small part of this Fashion offerings, is beginning to become a more important part of thebusiness as the company expands its store base, according to Kabat. He noted that the company doesn't have the fashion risks inherent To many different chains, because "we remain close to thesports. "A great deal of apparel retailers obtained Hurt last year by focusing too much on wide-legged jeans, but we didn't do that," heexplained. "Our buys are nice and tight." However, he did notice that Blades is going deeper into some Categories such as footwear and accessories, particularly in the mallconcepts that have more room for experimentation. While there is definitely a fashion element to the attire Offerings, durability is an essential ingredient for the clothing itcarries. Every item must be able to fulfill the operational requirements imposed by sports that need durability.

 Kabat noted thatthe sport Blades caters to're usually forms of self-expression which are embodied in the clothes that the participants wear. While it has expanded its product offering, the Chain walks a nice balance between catering to both cool and expanding its reach. Store executives shun the term "poser," but pride Themselves supplying brands which have "validity," according to Kelliher. The shop employees are critical to assisting the series stay on Top of current tendencies in the activewear industry. "Our team isout there all the time, testing apparel and gear," Kabat said. "They're active in the sports, they understand the culture andthey're interested in the apparel and fashion that goes along with it. Clients like it because they could come in and speak withthe staff and they understand we are not making it up."

 Rossi for example, began working in the series because she was A snowboarder and managed to get free lift tickets by operating inthe store, an incentive that has turned out to be effective in hiring several youthful staff members. Blades nevertheless frees inline skates as well as skateboards, and it Also offers snowboarding day excursions in-season, as oftenas three times a week during the peak periods. The day excursions, which cost about $55, include a bus ride to and from HunterMountain, breakfast, and a film, lift tickets, a snack along with a raffle. Additionally, the series has boosted its promotion by sponsoring Different sporting events such as The Blades Monster Park Battle,a ski event, also by providing in-line skate courses and free clinics in Central Park. What size skateboard do I need | get 11

"People come here for the environment," said Rossi. "Even when they are not participating in the sports, We're going to haveSomething they need."