Painting Art-Deck-O by William Aranda/@_WilliamAranda

Nicole Montes first picked up a skateboard when she was in middle school. Nearly 20 years later, she is the owner of Silver Skate Shop on Central near UNM. Montes said she considers the kids who come into shop as family.

“A lot of these kids I have known for 10 plus years now,” she said.

She wants the customers to get the best gear they can use for a long time, she said.

“My job isn’t necessarily to just sell skateboards, but to sell a skateboard that you will ride for the rest of your life and enjoy and love,” Montes said.

Montes opened her shop in late 2003 and ran it for eight years before taking a break for three. Montes re-opened Silver Skate Shop a little over five months ago.

Along with Silver Skate Shop, Nicole also works as a bartender at Sister Bar in downtown Albuquerque. She said after working at Sister Bar for more than a year, she decided she had enough money to reopen her local business.

Like the kids who come to her skate shop, Montes said the employees at Sister Bar are also like family to her.

“I always try to say, as much as I love my blood family, that it’s not just about blood,” she said. “You can choose your family, you really can. Family are the people who support you and who you support and the people you like to hang out with and have those similar interests.”