Hundreds of skateboarders were at Les Quennevais Skatepark this weekend for the second edition of the Bowl Ā Crock festival. Ahead of the celebration of skate culture, Express sat down with Jersey Skateparks Association president Karl Payne to chat all things skateboarding…
When thirteen-year-old Karl Payne began skateboarding in Jersey in the early 90s, he would never have known that the sport would foster a community he would come to love, lead and rely on in times of utter tragedy later in his adult life.
The owner of Jersey’s only dedicated skate shop, Consume, in Halkett Place, has the sport to thank for the journey his life has so far taken and the people he has met along the way.
As President of the Jersey Skateparks Association, and a supportive champion of Skateboard Jersey, SkateSpace and Bowl-Ā-Crock, it is clear how much Mr Payne oozes skating culture in order to promote its varied benefits for youngsters – which he has been the recipient of and which he says islanders need more than ever in today’s world.
But before he opened the doors to consume in 2018 and chaired the Jersey Skateparks Association, Mr Payne’s journey to creating a proud skating community in Jersey, one which is now less hidden than it once was, took a bit more of a haphazard approach.
Along with Mike Drew, Karl used to run a previous skate shop on Jersey’s high street before Consume called Primo on the Parade.
But with bigger ideas than pockets and not much retail experience between them, Primo was around for three or so years, but, as Karl said: “It was fun while it lasted.”
Though it wasn’t to work out, Primo became Jersey’s first base for many islanders who took up skating, and laid the foundations for them to go on to achieve great success in the sport internationally – names such as Luka Pinto, Glen Fox, Dillon Catney and Ryan Cunningham.
After Primo closed its doors, Karl carried on selling his own branded skateboards and apparel under the names Subterranean and Pillo, sponsoring local talent helping to keep the scene alive.
In the year that followed, he continued to support the scene selling skateboarding goods through his online store. “
I then spent some time in France with Mike [Drew from Primo] renovating a property, and when I returned I didn’t have much of a plan,” he said.
“Everyone was like, ‘We need a skate shop. What are you gonna do?’ I didn’t think it would be viable, it seemed like a daunting task after the last time.”
But perhaps it was his own experience of growing up in Jersey without the internet and relying on word-of-mouth, the library and magazines to get his skateboarding culture fix that pushed Karl towards opening another shop to bridge that gap once again.
“I just kept it in the back of my mind and looked around at places. All the rents are just mad expensive so it wasn’t looking viable until I found this place [on Halkett Street],” he said.
But due to the sought-after location, the shop was quickly snapped up at first, before it re-entered the market, which is when Karl had to make a sudden decision.
He said: “I signed away there and then with no plan, and I didn’t tell anyone I was doing it either.”
Seven years later and Consume remains a landmark for local skaters of all abilities, stocking all of the necessary accessories for the skating lifestyle, from clothing to bags, boards and sunglasses from local and internationally recognised brands.
All the while Consume was open, Karl and his equally determined skating peers in what became the JSA got together to push government to create more skate spaces in Jersey – efforts that ramped up after the closure of the New North Quay skatepark in 2018.
Fast-forward a few years and Jersey is home to the biggest skatepark in the British Isles at Les Quennevais – a free space that clubs and skaters of all abilities can access 24/7, and a sporting location that puts the island on the map for competitive events.
The opening of the £1.9 million facility in 2023 proved a “moment” for skateboarding in Jersey, Karl reflected.
“That was the moment when people realised, this is here to stay [skateboarding] and that it is a thriving community,” he said.
Its all-access foundation was key to fostering a passionate following amongst youngsters in the island – for them, it was a new skill or hobby that can be worked at, which was all the more valuable in the context of pandemic aftermath and the cost-of-living crisis.
“Kids don’t have anything to do,” Karl said. “I mean, there is stuff here to do, but to get into something can be difficult.
“And skateboarding has got quite a big history in Jersey, but not many people really know about it,” he said. “[The skatepark] is definitely something that Jersey needed.”
“Sometimes I don’t think people really appreciate how amazing it is for the island,” he added.
“It’s a difficult world out there for young people sometimes and they don’t really have anything to call their own. This skate park is a good identity for them.”
After that massive high for Karl and his community in 2023, his life was to take some turns that neither he or anyone else could prepare for – moments that marked he and his family’s life in a difficult and dramatic way.
That year, Karl lost two relatives in a tragic accident. His cousin Dean Lowe was killed by a drunk driver along with his 11-year-old son Charlie while walking home from a birthday party in Grouville. It was an incident shook the island to its very core.
While dealing with his losses the best he could, Karl suddenly became unwell in December 2023.
Initially diagnosed with grief, Karl’s condition rapidly worsened to the point where he could barely walk. After a couple of months of back-and-forth and no improvement, Karl eventually took himself to A&E where he was told he had cancer.
Several tests later and a large tumour was discovered in his chest that resulted in six months of intense chemotherapy followed by three weeks of radiotherapy.
“I pretty much lay in bed for a year,” Karl said.
Thankfully, he finished that course about twelve months ago and is on the long road to recovery.
A third tragedy struck the community circle when skater Danny Cram took his own life in late 2024.
Since, a namesake charitable foundation @dannycramfoundation has been launched to support young adults’ mental health in Jersey.
Tribute boards for Danny now proudly sit on the shelf in Consume as a memento for the sport he loved so much.
But at the time, the news of his death was felt widely by Karl and his fellow skaters. They then all decided to spray a dedicated Cram artwork on their boards in solidarity.
“It was shocking,” Karl said of the loss. “No one expected it.”
“I was pretty sick still at the time, so I wasn’t around as much. But [Danny] used to come into the shop quite a lot,” he added.
“He was loved within the skateboard community, a true character – one of a kind. It was a huge loss to the community.”
All the while, Consume on Halkett Street stayed open. And Karl had to rely on those around him to take on the shop, keep it going and serve its customers.
“There was nothing in place [for the shop],” Karl said.
“I had a Saturday boy working here called Taylor and so it went from me coming in every day, to him having to run the whole shop overnight. And he was only 18 at the time.
“It was a big mission for him, but he got through it. The legend saved the day,” Karl laughed.
The skate community rallied round when Karl fell ill.
Other than Taylor, Karl found other keen skateboarders who could help out. But that period was “touch and go” Karl admitted.
Understandably, during what have been two years filled with heartache and pain for him and his family, Karl has not picked up his skateboard for a while.
But more than the physical sport, the difficult period has shown him what good can come from a community such as skateboarding. And when he’s ready, he will jump back on the board, there’s no doubt, for what escapism he says it can provide.
“Skateboarding is always there for me,” Karl said.
“It takes your mind off these horrible events and gives you focus, because you want to get back to the things you love, and when you’re skateboarding it blocks everything else out.”
He added: “You have to concentrate on what you’re doing. So I think that in itself is a good thing, especially for young people now with all the distractions and extra nonsense that’s thrown at them daily.”
Karl explained that even though he admitted skateboarding is as “hard and scary” as it looks, the skills it develops and determination it can foster in someone matters more than success on the deck (the wooden bit for non-skaters).
“Kids may see videos [of skaters] and think they could just jump on and do that. But they don’t see that that person has probably taken about five or six goes to film that line, and taken however many years to get to that level,” Karl explained.
“It takes years of dedication, it’s a journey it’s a skill to be dedicated , I don’t know, I feel everyone just wants everything now and with no friction no story just consume and move on.”
“Skateboarding teaches you lots of life skills,” he added.
“You’re on the street with people, real people with real emotions. You learn about your body because you injure yourself. You learn how to heal. You learn about the technical aspect of how to put a skateboard together its hands on you know”
He continued about how the sport creates a junction of a variety of skills such as photography, filming and artwork.
“It’s a whole industry,” Karl added.
The sport, which has now been introduced to the Olympic Games, has subsequently been given a major platform worldwide. Following the success of its inaugural iteration last year, Jersey’s skate culture festival Bowl Ā Crock returned to Les Quennevais over the weekend.
Who knows where skating will go next around the world and how it will be replicated in Jersey. Whatever that looks like, it will be in the safe hands of the likes of Karl, the JSA and Skate Jersey.
Until then, Consume remains open on Halkett Street for those wishing to perhaps reminisce in a youthful passion or be welcomed into a whole new community that will stick together through thick and thin.
Still on the road to recovery, Karl is not often seen in the shop but to find out more or connect with the independent business, you can take a look at its Instagram @consumestore.