CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – On Wednesday, Nov. 15, the Cumberland Valley Business Alliance hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Chasing Shadows Skateboards (67 N. Main St.). 

From their new downtown storefront, the shop offers skateboards and all of the parts and accessories that someone would need to build their own. They also sell guitars, music, videogames, books (including some manga), magazines, and other items of interest to skateboarders.

“This is the barest you’re going to see it,” said owner Nicholas Peiffer of the brick-and-mortar location. “Every time you come in is the barest you’re going to see it because we’re just always doing new and better things.”

It’s an ambitious promise to his customers, but it’s also the core business tenet that has gotten him this far. 

Peiffer began selling out of a booth in 1833 Schiers Market in October of 2021. His startup inventory consisted of about five five blank boards because that was all he could afford. As those products sold, he reinvested the money and gradually grew both the quantity and quality of his product offerings. 

“That’s been the most important thing,” said Peiffer. “Taking the money you make, flipping it, putting it back into the business. It’s just a cycle. That’s the most important thing when it comes to being a small business owner.”

Peiffer had created a five-year plan that would lead Chasing Shadows from Schier’s Market to his own brick-and-mortar location. However, when Libre Skateboarding quietly relocated to Carlisle, they got Peiffer in contact with their landlord, and “it was just meant to be.”

Peiffer had grown his initial investment from a booth to a brick-and-mortar location in just two years.

“I don’t want this just to be a skate shop,” said Peiffer. “I want it to be a part of the community of Chambersburg…So far it’s been great. We’ve had a lot of people come in just to hang out, buy stuff, get a new board, listen to music, whatever it is. It’s just been very good so far.” 

He is particularly interested in developing an events calendar that will draw people to the shop.

“Downtown already does a lot of community events, which has been good for us,” said Peiffer. He opened the shop to the public for the first time during AppleFest. “Main Street is really where it’s at for all of the events. Just having our doors open for people to come in during that kind of stuff, too, is awesome.”

On top of one of display cases are a few video game consoles and a small library of games. Once he gets settled in, Peiffer plans to host tournaments for games like “Mortal Kombat” and “Tekken.” He plans to do something similar for tabletop games like “Magic: The Gathering.”

Chasing Shadows also carries finger skateboards. Tech Deck is the major brand, but at Chasing Shadows customers can build and customize their own finger skateboards and obstacles. 

Peiffer said that this is a big trend that has generated a lot of his foot traffic.

“If a kid skateboards, more likely than not, they’re going to finger skateboard, too,” he said. “A lot of people are coming here just for that.” 

Peiffer also offers lessons and workshops for both skateboards and finger skateboards. As a teacher he prefers to teach his students the fundamentals rather than drop in to flashier tricks right away. The keys to learning how to skateboard are very similar to those of his business model: time, effort and getting over the mental barriers.

“If you learn the right habits and the right techniques, everything else will come much easier,” said Peiffer. “If you can ride around comfortably and you know how to finesse your way around the board, when you try to learn a trick, it will come a lot more naturally. It’s about building a good foundation.” 

He added: “It’s day-in, day-out. You don’t really get a day off. You just kinda’ make it your life and stick with it.”