Skates on Haight

This is the worst skate shop I have ever been to. The lady at the counter was rude, ignorant, and had the nerve to tell me my skates were a piece of *s — . She tried to tell me that my bearings are irremovable and that my brake was held in place by an ‘irremovable pin’ which was clearly a bolt. I easily removed with an allen key… There was very little selection in the shop, she does not listen to customers, and everything was way over priced. I’m guessing all of the ‘extremely helpful’ comments are because they know how to suck up to rich people and because perhaps beginners have no way to tell that they are getting BS’d. This place makes me want to puke.
TLDR: ignorant staff, awful selection, dishonest

My experience was ok. Carol helped me pick out a pair of Moxi skates. I came in & she ordered them to be delivered to the store. I picked them up & I was happy. Carol says things that are off & a bit racist but I didn’t let that bother me. I think she thought I wasn’t going to pick up my skates. And she was judging me because of my ethnicity. But oh well. I got what I wanted & discount. Everyone loves my skates. Even animals

Carol is absolutely fantastic, and I can’t say enough nice things about SoH. I’m am older and heavier guy who grew up surfing and snowboarding but never got into skateboarding. I started riding a Boosted Board about a year ago and decided I want to learn to ride a regular longboard. I was halfway expecting to get some attitude, but couldn’t have been welcomed more warmly by Carol. I told her what I wanted to do and informed her of my physical limitations (hip arthritis) and she and I ended up talking for a good 30 minutes while she set me up with a board. I rode that thing all weekend in GG Park and had an absolute blast. I hope you have as good an experience with this shop as I did.

Carol is so great. I wanted to surprise my boyfriend with a pair of skates for his birthday after he got really excited about rolling around at Church of 8, but had no idea where to begin. I went in before the big day to meet Carol and her knowledgable crew and get a little research done. She was excited about my plan to bring him in and asked me all about my budget, his size, style.etc. We made a plan and I left feeling confident and ready.
The day we came in, Carol brought out every possible boot and skate he could get in and let him try them on, while explaining everything about fit, preferences and skating in general. After watching a few skating videos with her, exchanging life stories and learning a few new tricks, he ended up with the perfect pair of skates! We arranged a sly payment by phone so that we didn’t have to talk numbers in front of my beau and they put together his custom skates a couple days later. She spent a ton of time with us and was so patient and kind. The surprise turned out so great because of Carol and her excitement. She’s been in the business for a long time and it shows. Go say hi to Carol! I’m on my way in to get a pair of my own. :)

The «Old Bitch» as she refers to herself is the god-​mother of skating. Say hi, maybe give her a wink and she will make your skating dreams come true!

I need to echo other reviewers here complaining about the angry old woman who runs this shop. She is almost comically rude to customers and will absolutely treat you like shit if you stop in (I’ve been there three times and all three times she was awful).
I actually wanted to buy a part for my skateboard and asked if they had it, though I wasn’t quite sure what size I needed. She showed me what they had and told me that if I bought the part and it didn’t fit, I could bring it back any time for a refund. I was reluctant, since I live nearby and could easily just stop back after double checking. She kept pressing and insisted that it was no big deal to buy it and return it if needed. So I bought it… and lo and behold, it didn’t fit. I brought it back unopened and unused, with the receipt in hand, and she said «No refunds. We only offer store credit. You clearly aren’t a great listener.» Yeah, she said that verbatim. Holy shit. They didn’t have the size I needed and didn’t want store credit for a store that treats customers like that. So I argued with her until she finally slammed a cash refund back on the counter.
A few months later I stopped in to check on helmets (against my better judgement) and she was even more angry, snappy, and rude then.
Awful place. Almost no inventory. High prices on the junk they do carry. Skip it.

I have roller skated and inline skated for 40+ years. I’ve skateboarded a bit too, but it’s no longer my focus. Recently I visited San Fran for the very first time and as it turns out visited this store with a coworker who was interested in skate boards.
When we walked in we heard Carol on the phone talking and it was apparent in under a minute that she genuinely knew what she was talking about. The problem with most people today is that they can’t discern BS from Authenticity and when reality doesn’t jive with fast, cheap, ‘convenient’ data they find on online, they get bent out of shape. People also fail to realize humans are NOT machines. Carol genuinely cares, but like an astute doctor, she asks the right questions to understand your understanding, train of thought, expectations, etc. If you’ve never worked with a ‘true’ consultant, this may be foreign and apparently scary to some. That’s unfortunate.
In any case, I decided at that point to go ahead and get fitted for a high end pair of custom hand made Rydell roller skate boots to be built into roller skates by Skates on Haight after the factory finished the boots. For clarity, I travel extensively from NYC to Naples, FL, Dallas to San Diego and this was the FIRST place in two decades where I ran into someone I trusted to fit me with a pair of $ 600+ skates.
Carol asked the right questions and made very astute observations and in the end sent me home with a pair of $ 150 skates with an invitation build a custom pair later should these not perform as promised. Because I recognized that she was extremely knowledgable and genuine, I did not get defensive and angry.
For what it’s worth, I’m pretty sure she’d have made 10 times more money on custom skates and most likely I’ll probably invest in them down the road (from Skates on Haight). However; as someone who skates over 1,000 miles every year with over 40 years under their belt, I’m experienced enough to know that these people know what they’re doing.
If you compare (and treat) their staff to part time clerks at the local big box store, you will most definitely be disappointed. They are experts who skate and care and truly know what they’re talking about.
So glad I found Skates on Haight. Though I live 2,700, they’ll ALWAYS be my ‘go to’ spot for skates.

First, I wanna say if you’re a parent, or don’t know much about what you are buying, don’t waste your money here. It’s a mix between a used car lot and a pawn shop — always the hard sell full of the typical B.S. «You won’t find it anywhere else», «you’ll pay more elsewhere», «were the only shop in the area.»
I decided on one last chance for this place. They were the only local shop that had the wheels I was looking for. Wanted to spend my $$ local rather than online
They had the wheels, but the wrong hardness. She proceeded to tell me that manufacturers put whatever number they want on wheels and it means nothing. Okay…
Asked for one last item, again they didn’t have it and the woman brought out three other ‘versions’ which I explained I didn’t want. She told me that I would never find what I was looking for and just get what they had. Seriously? I told her I had a source and her response was «good luck with that.»
Great way to run a business guys. That’s why this place is always packed (please sense sarcasm).

She is such an ass. And has her longhair yes guy to convince you what they have is just what I need

I came in asking for inline that would fit me better since the Rollerblade Twisters rubbed my right ankle. They told me the problem was with posture and how I skated. Gave me tips for skating with knees bent, holding in my diaphragm and skating forward in the same line as the back foot. I started to try that on my quads which I had on and it worked much better. Will start doing this on my Twisters. Really appreciate their advice to make the blades I already have work!

The owner is such a jerk! Took my brother here looking for a new skateboard. She didn’t welcome us in, and continued surfing the net while I asked her questions. The selection was small so I asked her if she knew of any other skate shops in the area. She said no. I looked it up and there was one just down the street (FTC), asked her if she’d ever been there. She said, ‘No, why would I if I own this store?’ in a snotty tone. Ok, bye bye! Good luck with your crappy shop!
0 STARS! GO TO FTC! They are great!

I agree with Peter below, I don’t understand the low reviews. My boyfriend and I went in to check out a longboard called the Loaded Dervish Sama. He wanted to buy me the board so I can ride with him (also bday present!) We came from Sac so we’re kind of tourists. They didn’t take advantage of us, probably because my boyfriend knew what he was talking about. My boyfriend picked everything that he knew would work best for me. Ruben? didn’t rush us, even had us stand on the deck before we even bought it just to see if we would like the feeling! Very customer service oriented place, he stuck with us until we were comfortable. They were busy, by the way, only two people working but he still took his time with us! He quoted us a 15 minute build time and honored his word. We took a quick walk to refill our meter and it was done! To add on the already 5 star service, my boyfriend was a little sad that they didn’t sell just the «bear baseplate»? So Ruben, told us to hang tight, ran to the back, grabbed a baseplate from a broken longboard and gave it to us! No charge! My boyfriend said that that particular baseplate would cost at least $ 20. If we could give this place 10 stars, we would, thanks so much for your help Skates on Haight! Enjoy the pictures :)

I can’t figure out why people rate this place so low… Perhaps they are looking for one of the many poser, few option and over-​merchandised places places around the city.
They guys are unpretentious, courteous and knowledgeable, Jack and Carol spend endless time with my son and I in selecting the right equipment.
They have an amazing selection of decks, other than just trick or grinder style. Lots of great cruisers from Powell Peralta to name a few.
Give them a try but leave YOUR attitude at the door!

Went in to SoH wanting to try Xootr scooter and inquire about the folding bicycle as well. Asked the lady if I could test ride the Xootr and left her my credit-​card and ID as security. Returned and asked her what she thought of the scooter, etc. and I had lots of questions about it (performance, suitability for commuting, etc.). She quickly got annoyed at me, and didn’t really want to answer much. I had to pry answers out of her. I basically wanted to give her my business that day, but after the cold response, I bounced. Would not purchase anything from this place.

The shop hours are 10 til whatever. I got there at 10:30 and sign on the door said, will open at 11:15 today. Ugh… Why have hours if you’re not going to use them.
When they opened, I realized the shop had piles of stuff! And I got real excited!
Only to realize it was piles of rollerblades and ice skates.
BUMMER.
I had high hopes because I looked at the online site before visiting, but turns out, they must earn their living via the web, because they were not particularly helpful, and when I asked if they carried a brand, dude had to look at the computer to answer me– no dice, BRO.
They had an average amount of skate stuff for an Indy shop, but it’s all obscured by piles of junk in the way. And the only stuff worth checking out is behind piles of junk making it impossible. If you’re gonna have a shop, have a shop. If you’re gonna run a webstore that drop ships and you know little about your product, do it out of your home.

Cool place, I bought my self an old school Bones Brigade T-​shirt. The two guys working there were very helpful and patient while I looked for Powell shirts in my size.

Don’t be fooled by any negative comments on this app. This shop is the real deal!
Carol and her team helped me beyond what I expected. I am from New Zealand and we all try to be friendly. However these guys just went out of their way to help me. They even delivered the skates to me hotel. First class guys and a special thanks to carol!!!

I’m givin’ them 1 star because my order was correct, and I’ve used my skates once and enjoyed the «ride.» Now, I Communicated w/​«Ruben» and didn’t care for his attitude from the jump. He did call me 5 days after I placed the order to let me know that my order was being delayed, due to to the manufacturer not having the right part for my skates.
He offered to call me when they would be shipped. 1 WEEK later I call him to check the status and he tells me he hadn’t heard anything from the company. He said he was going to call them as soon as we hung up then call me right back. My gut told me he would never call back so I called the manufacturer myself and found out that it had been shipped a few days earlier. I told the lady I talked to that she was MUCH more HELPFUL than Ruben and thanx for the info.
Anyway…after almost 2 weeks from my initial order I received my skates. It’s been a few months and I’m still waitin’ on Ruben to «get back to me.»

I came here for the first time when they opened years ago, it seemed like an NHS outlet; all discounted Santa Cruz, Creature, Independent, etc. apparel, decks, and accessories. Got a pretty warm independent jacket on sale that I was stoked on, this was around 2010.
Flash forward years later. A connect hooked me up with some factory fresh plan b decks on the down low and I decided to cruise over to get some parts to furnish the decks because I live nearby.
Now the store seems like ½ roller blade store ¼ skate shop and ¼ waste of space. Hardly any skate apparel anymore and not a lot of decks either. The place is crowded and tiny and it is difficult to see/​find anything. The staff did not seem like skaters and didn’t understand some of what I was talking about. But they hooked me up with some grip tape, hardware, a skate tool, and trucks at a decent price. They kept trying to up sell me on over priced bearings and wheels which was annoying tho.
Bottom line: you can get everything they have online for cheaper, but if you live nearby and don’t want to wait for shipping they are o.k.

Showed up on 8÷2÷13 with my wife and 7-​year old in tow, wanting some souvenir SOH stickers for our decks… Planned on getting my little daughter a SOH t-​shirt, and possibly a longboard of her own (she now rides my old S9).
Tall simple-​looking guy that «helped» me was an utter poseur who would have seemed more at home in SoCal with the Indiana and Wisconsin transplants now sporting (flat-​brimmed) logo caps along the Mission Beach boardwalk… or as a sterotypical French waiter. «Ho-​hum… are you STILL here??» was his style, and he had it down. The fact that a customer was standing in front of his counter was clearly an inconvenience, nothing more.
No SOH stickers… No SOH t-shirts…No idea when more would arrive… Thought I’d roll the dice and ask for some Sector 9 stickers (can’t have too many).
Tall Guy: «Nah, man… don’t have any.» .
.Me: «Look right there… no, there… hey look, there’s another one…».
.so I found them myself (three different designs) in the absurdly over-​stuffed sticker case.
Tried to shoot the shit about skating, etc while searching… Nothing. One Asian kid working there tried to be civil, but I was already gone, in every way… Never will spend another nickel with them, period.