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Dan Mc Collister

Monday, September 17, 2012

Black Diamond Owner Carves Out Main Street Niche

Black Diamond Skate Shop, a popular store for skateboarding enthusiasts, opened this spring after losing its lease at the Moorestown Mall.

Seven years ago, Dan McCollister traded in the wheels of trucks for the ball bearings of skateboards, and decided to turn a childhood hobby into a lucrative business.  "From the age of 12, I did the grunt work, like picking up trash and helping out around the yard,” says McCollister, 38, on working for his family’s business, McCollister's Transportation Group, for 10 years, and the place where he honed his entrepreneurial skills.  McCollister left the family business in 2005 and opened Black Diamond Mountain Sports in Larchmont Commons in Mount Laurel, selling skateboard equipment and clothes, as well as merchandise for other extreme sports like skiing, skating, biking, surfing and climbing.  “I wanted to offer a market that I didn’t see …

Bobby29

12:21 pm on Monday, September 17, 2012

Best of luck to him and his new location!   more ›

Friday, May 4, 2012

Township Closes Skate Park for Repairs Again

Moorestown parks and rec director Theresa Miller is searching for solutions after learning the latest repairs could cost around $20,000.

For the second time in as many years, the David Gentile skate park at Wesley Bishop North has been shut down for repairs. Parks and recreation director Theresa Miller said the park was closed on April 19 after a quarterly inspection revealed major repairs were needed. “Because it’s a wood structure, and it receives high-impact use, maintenance is an ongoing issue,” she said, ticking off a list of repairs that include replacement of the skating ramp surfaces and repairing 47 vinyl posts. Miller said part of the problem is also that kids are riding bikes in the park, "and it's not made for that." The township closed the park back in Dec. 2009 as well and did not reopen it until July 2011, after roughly $20,000 in repairs had been completed. …

MDG

11:05 am on Sunday, July 8, 2012

I found this article while searching for word that the park had since re-opened; I'm not thrilled at what I've found. I've been riding BMX for around 13 years now, I live about 45 minutes from Moorestown, and I make the trip often to come ride there. I know a-lot of other non-residents make the trek out to Moorestown and other various skateparks around the NJ area. All the skateparks in my area …   more ›

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