INTERVIEW: Wreckon Skate + Vinyl Proves How Deeply Music & Skating Connect
The independent shop promises to pass on the layered history of skate culture to a new generation
The love for skateboarding and music perfectly intertwines at Wreckon Skate + Vinyl Shop in Kennesaw, Georgia. It soft opened on January 10th and officially opened on May 30th, and the store is just one mile and a five-minute drive away from the city’s only skate park, Swift Cantrell.
The owners, couple Nathan and Jennifer Friend, talked about starting a skate vinyl store for years. For Nathan, opening a skate shop has been a dream of his since high school. His ultimate goal was to contribute to the scene.
The previous Kennesaw skate and music shop, Ambush, closed in 2020, and Ruin in Dunwoody also closed that same year. Even though the shops closed, the demand was still there.
“There's so many passionate kids around here,” Jennifer said. “There was nowhere to buy that stuff near Kennesaw without going downtown."
“We want to be that hub in the middle of it all, so skating can continue,” Nathan said.
Labor of Love
Without even being asked to help, people from all over offered their talents to help Wreckon with their grand opening.
The Bunker (@bunkersk8co) team from Woodstock cleaned up a spot for a box and a game of SKATE. Brands such as Santa Cruz, Independent Trucks and Antihero sponsored prizes. Bands such as Los Ojos Muertos, Bone Zone, and Drugula played.
A bench made of skateboard decks was donated by Daniel Benson. Vermin, a small EA sports team that does finger boarding, reached out to collaborate for the event. Red Bull even gave the Wreckon crew enough drinks that they could give it away for free all day long.
In typical Georgia fashion, it rained the whole week coming up to the grand opening. However, the day of was clear. People showed up and skated the slab until it got too dark at 9 pm.
Let’s Get Physical
When you first enter the shop, you will see a television in the distance that probably has a skate edit playing. On the coffee table and console are skate zines, and in the corner is a bookshelf with DVDs and VHS tapes.
For Nathan and Jennifer, physical media is just as important to them in both skate and music. Nathan explained that the bands put a lot of effort into the layout, order, and art of it.
“I grew up on $8 Dischord Records,” he said. “You'd read every liner note, lyric and thank you’s. Large format media like that is intentional, thought out. It's part of the music and sets a tone. Here's the inlay. Here's the whole album together, in the order that the band intended. Here's all the people they thanked and here's all their inspiration.”
Give and Take
In the back of the store, tucked next to the shelf of skateboard trucks, there is a silver Oscar-the-Grouch-style trash can with a taped piece of paper labeled “Board Donation Bin.”
The couple saw other shops in North Carolina doing it and thought that was a great idea.
“It immediately resonated with us in what we were trying to do,” Nathan said.
“That's typical skate culture,” Jennifer agreed. “Give back to your community, help other skaters when you can—especially the kids.”
Kids come in the store without the money for a whole setup, which can often cost up to $100. Nathan will help them find a donated board and some more budget friendly parts to go with it, and it just makes their day, according to Jennifer. Moreover, young skaters only take boards as needed and leave them for future skaters—a true testament to the scene’s integrity.
Over time, they’ve witnessed skaters donate items, take items, and give back to the community—and each other. It's an honor system. It's wide open, with no judgment and no strings attached.
Community Over Profits
Like many business owners in 2026’s economy, the couple intentionally chose to continue to work full time while running the shop.
“[This is a] passion project,” Nathan said. “Both things that we've chosen to do are the least profitable and it wasn't meant to be. By not needing this to be our source of income, it can do what it needs to do without having to have the pressure of rushing things, making decisions based on profits.”
A Cultural Hubba
Visitors vary from parents who brought their kids for their first day to veterans in their teens and twenties who go to Swift every day. The older kids will often help young patrons out and guide them in the right direction. That natural mentorship makes the scene flourish.
“That's the kind of stuff we want—the access to people with different skills,” Nathan said. “It gives them that place to talk shop with other people.”
“Our biggest thing we want to preach is no judgment,” Jennifer said. “Everybody is welcomed—no matter what your music taste is, no matter what your escape is, skill level is, just come in, let's talk about it. Let's learn something new from each other and be a part of the community.”
Wreckon’s goal is to be the place that people could stop, meet up with their crew before they go skate, or come after they've skated.
“We want this to be a place for the kids and not have to have crazy high prices,” Jennifer said.
“We could run at a loss for a while if you needed to,” Nathan said. “The industry can be however it is, and we can just make sure it's run properly so it's here for the long term.”
Jennifer explained that community was important to them because the couple had it when they were younger.
“Now, there isn’t really a place around here,” Jennifer said. “It was a key part of us growing up—the skate shops, going to all the shows almost every weekend.”
Skate shops nationally and worldwide are closing down due to rising costs and a multitude of other reasons, leaving local skate scenes scrambling.
“I think part of the worry of the culture collapsing is not having a place for it,” Jennifer said.
“Somebody actually has to hold it up,” Nathan said.
“If these shops are closing, the culture's going to take a hit,” Jennifer said.
“Skateboarding has always had that ups and downs stuff,” Nathan said. “Being in it for 30 plus years, it's always there, just because it's not popular, it doesn't mean it's not there.”
“The people that are passionate about it will never die with those people,” Jennifer said. “Those are the people that we made the shop for. And there are a lot of them out there."
More to Come
Nathan and Jennifer hope to do something bigger than themselves that can outlive them.
“This is our way of doing something that is hopeful and meaningful to other people,” Nathan said. “That you just don't get sitting on your ass watching TV.”
They eventually want to do a skate team and continue to support the Kennesaw scene. They have been working closely with Kennesaw Parks and Recreation for Swift Cantrell Skate Park. Meanwhile, the locals are excited about skating on a DIY slappy curb and other obstacles in the nearby parking lot until the city council says otherwise.
You can visit Wreckon in person at 2893 N Main St NW, Kennesaw, Georgia 30144 or online at wreckonatl.com.
