HELENA — Two teens have opened Creep Skate Co. in downtown Helena.
Jake Orgeorn, a high school junior, and Levi Metz, a recent high school graduate, opened their skate shop in December 2021.
The two had been kicking the idea around for more than a year but finalized their decision just a few days before the shop actually opened.
After brainstorming possible names, getting a loan of a few thousand dollars and dipping into savings from previous jobs, the two were on their way to opening.
Their goal is to help get others into skating and grow the skating community.
“It's super sick, like, having a bunch of little kids coming in, ‘Oh, I’m buying my first skateboard,’ and it’s like, ‘Alright, let me help you out,’” says Orgeorn.
The two sell skateboarding equipment and their own branded items.
The pair found the name “Creep” to be aesthetically pleasing and fitting for a skating brand. Originally, “Creep” was used as a graffiti tag. The boys said the graffiti artist agreed to create the store-front's painting in exchange for a few skate decks.
They also built the shop to be a community spot for them, their friends, and others.
While the pair have only been skating for two or three years, they are enthusiastic about the culture and the community that the sport of skating can bring together.
“Even if they don't skate, like people come in here and they just goof around, like watch TV, play video games or something, so, it's cool to, like, see people come together and, like, hang out. Like, kids that you wouldn't expect to be hanging out with, like, other kids, you know what I mean,” says Orgeorn.
Creep Skate Co. is at 335 North Last Chance Gulch.
