Beloved by local skaters but damaged from petty theft and rising property value forced local skateboard shop, Circle-A Skateboards and Coffee, to a new home.
Commonly referred to as “Circle A”, the skateboard-inspired coffee shop was founded by professional freestyle skateboarder Bob Schmelzer in the mid ’80s, according to its website.
In June 2023, the shop was moved to its new location at 380 South 1st St. The shop hosts a variety of events such as skate video premieres, art shows and skate events according to the same website.
He referred to Circle A's old location as the “fish bowl,” which was located right across from the Hammer Theatre Center on South 2nd Street and Paseo de San Antonio. Ng said that the move was necessary because of rising rent and theft.
“It was time to get out of there because late at night, people would break in through the windows and steal stuff and instead of calling the cops, other people would walk by and steal even more stuff out of the shop,” Ng said. “We were located at the old spot for about 25 years but then this year in June 2023, we moved over to the metro building,” he said.
Store manager Nathan Ng said Circle A aims to provide a hang out space for skaters to explore hardware, apparel and potentially new friends. He said the shop benefits both the local youth and adults who share the passion of skating.
Ng said Circle A now occupies the front lobby of Metro Silicon Valley, a free weekly newspaper located on South 1st St., according to its site.
Ng said that Schmelzer and founder of Metro Silicon Valley, Dan Pulcrano both liked the location and idea of keeping the coffee-oriented aspect as a part of Circle A.
“This new location is better because Schmelzer and Pulcrano are good friends and they both know that South 1st Street is a nice and busy street to have business on with SoFA Market across the street,” Ng said.
SoFA Market is a neighborhood market right across the street from Circle A. The market has high quality food and thrives whenever there are events being hosted in downtown San José, according to its website.
Public relations junior Ian Garcia said the most beneficial part of Circle A is the employees experience and knowledge of skateboards.
He also said Circle A has many accessible supplies skaters could use to enhance their skateboarding experience.
“Circle A is a significant store for the skaters because skaters can go get supplies such as decks, wheels, hardware, clothing, things of that nature,” Garcia said.
Garcia said he misses the old location because it provided an open space for skaters to practice tricks and ride their boards right outside the store.
“I know a good demographic of Circle A's clientele would be high school students,” Garcia said. “Those students would sometimes find older role models to look up to, who also share skateboarding as a hobby.”
San José native Brian Martinez said that he goes to Circle A to get new wheels and hardware for his skateboard and he often refers Circle A to his family and friends who share the same interest in skating.
“When I purchase all my skateboard pieces from Circle A they fix and assemble my skateboard free of charge," Martinez said. “Circle A is where my friends and I go to link up and spend our free time.”
