After less than three years in downtown Red Bank, Feet First Skate Shop has closed its doors.
The shop was a mecca for skateboarders. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
A decal-covered bench out front was removed, and brown paper went up on the windows of the shop at 15 Monmouth Street last week, following the announcement of shop’s closing on Instagram two weeks earlier.
No reason for the closing was given. Erin Morales, who owned the shop with her husband, Rodney Morales, did not immediately reply to a redbankgreen inquiry sent Monday afternoon.
The shop relocated to Red Bank from Middletown in February, 2021, when the skating industry was booming, fueled by “all the kids [at] home with nothing to do” during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rodney told redbankgreen at the time.
Erin’s father, Tim Conheeney, had started the business as a running shoe store in 1977.
“Feet First is a store that puts inclusivity and friendliness above everything else,” an admirer wrote on Instagram. “Made it a Red Bank favorite and it will be missed :(”
“I don’t even skate but I’ll miss your shop and the iconic sticker bench and boarders,” wrote another. “I never minded nearly getting run over or having to weave between the action.”
The Monmouth Street building, which also counts Witch Baby as a retail tenant, is owned by limited liability company controlled by Wayne Greenleaf, who could not immediately be reached for comment on tenancy.
