Driveway Skateshop: Georgetown’s home for year-round skate — even in the cold of February

By: Christian Collington, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TheIFP.ca

 

For Thomas Morley, the “brainchild” known as Driveway Skateshop has always been about more than just selling gear.

 

What began as a pandemic-era project to provide lessons when other extracurriculars were cancelled has evolved into a comprehensive “skate school” entering its sixth year of operation.

 

With a permanent indoor facility (31 Armstrong Ave., Georgetown) now in full swing after operating out of a mobile truck, the shop is shifting its focus toward a robust schedule of programming that aims to give local youth a “spark” that lasts long after they leave the park.

 

At Driveway Skateshop, skaters of all ages can book a lesson at the indoor park. The shop offers a youth skate league for kids to stay active after school and an adult skate league for adults to get together weekly. There are also open skate sessions that must be booked in advance.

 

Alongside the indoor park, there’s a skate shop on-site that offers decks, helmets and other safety gear, as well as apparel such as T-shirts and sweaters.

 

Morley said weather dictated the schedule before having the permanent space, limiting lessons to the summer months. Now, the indoor space allows for year-round engagement, most notably a March break camp and birthday parties.

 

Registration for the shop’s March break camp, which runs March 16 to 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., is open.

 

The summer camp registration is also open, which runs weekly from July 6 to Sept. 4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

“The purpose behind any program we provide is to just teach kids the industry,” Morley said. “We don’t want to have your kid dropped off and skate for six hours.”

 

Instead, young skaters are treated to a curriculum that explores the diverse career paths within skateboarding:

 

  Graphic design: Teaching kids about how artists are paid to create decks.

 

  Media arts: Exploring the roles of photographers and editors in the skateboarding industry.

 

  Historical perspective: Morley shared that past camps have featured a “decade day” curriculum, teaching kids about skateboarding during the 1950s through to the ’90s, covering evolving fashion and how the internet impacted the sport.

 

Morley’s professional background as an educational assistant with the Halton Catholic District School Board heavily influences the shop’s new initiative.

 

Titled Skate and Study, the program was born after Morley saw a demand for extra academic support within the school system.

 

Morley explained that the program positions the shop’s staff as mentors who can reach kids in a way traditional authority figures might not.

 

“For a lot of these kids, we’re role models,” Morley said.

 

He views the shop as a space to provide a “big brother kind of figure” to the community while ensuring academics remain a priority.

 

As the shop enters its sixth year, the focus remains on making skateboarding less intimidating for newcomers. Morley said the name itself — Driveway — was chosen to evoke the feeling of the safe, private space where skaters first learn their balance.

 

This commitment to inclusivity extends to the Skate Gal initiative, which supports the female skateboarding scene in Halton Hills through dedicated events and social media outreach. 

 

“The growth isn’t monetary, it’s more community-based and we’ve seen a huge impact,” Morley said.

 

More details about the shop’s March break and summer camps as well as other programming can be found on the shop’s website.

 

Residents can also find updates on Instagram.