Today we’d like to introduce you to August Bindbeutel
Hi August, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Skate St. Louis was founded in 2021 stemming from inspiration and guidance I, Auggie Bindbeutel, had as a kid. My neighbor taught me how to inline skate at 8 years old and from there this activity stuck with me throughout life. I spent my time in college studying engineering and business so that once I graduated I could build a business to get others into inline skating. Skate St. Louis is that! I was lucky enough to have a teammate and friend, Brandon Religa, in college that shared the same aspirations and beliefs, which led us teaming up in this business. The years I spent inline skating as a kid and young adult led me to understand what the best skates are, how to maintain them and how to teach others. I hope to continue this pursuit with support from the community in the form of public and private skating events that serve the youth and adults of the St. Louis area!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The path to gain traction for Skate St. Louis in 2024 was bumpy and foggy as I was venturing into unknown territory. I did not have a playbook for rental based businesses. Brandon and I had to make the playbook, and still are! We initially set out to rent skates directly to individuals but soon realized that individual rentals lacked consistency. We spent time planning and strategizing our next move; group rentals. This was a huge realization for us. We had a few organic messages come in requesting us to serve a large group all at once! This was it! We have now locked in this new strategy. The path we are pursuing is always changing but with persistence and patience I know Skate St. Louis can grow engagement in the community one event at a time!
As you know, we’re big fans of Skate St. Louis. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Skate St. Louis is a mobile inline skate rental company specializing in skating events brought right to you! Whether it’s a trip to a nearby park or hosting the event on location, we can accommodate your needs. With 90+ pairs of youth and adult inline skates, as well as helmets and safety gear, we have everything needed for a successful event! At Skate St. Louis, our mission is to promote an active lifestyle and encourage people of all ages to learn a new and lifelong skill.
We are most proud of our ability to teach kids about inline skating and to promote our St. Louis parks and greenways. We also back the efforts of Great Rivers Greenway in their mission to, “make the St. Louis region a more vibrant place to live, work and play by developing a network of greenways to explore and enjoy.” What sets us apart is our skate quality and our mobile capabilities, giving a modern touch to the traditional rollercade.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
At the onset of the pandemic, people were looking for new and creative ways to get outside. Inline skating was one of those activities and started making a comeback after it’s popularity in the 90s and early 2000s. Even inline skate brand, Rollerblade, couldn’t keep up with the demand as inline skating regained its popularity. We have only seen this trend upward out of the pandemic, fueled by social media. Just with the people we talk to, the interest is high and they want to know more, especially parents. Regarding Skate St. Louis, we see this as a great opportunity to bring something new to the community! Beyond skate rentals, we see this growing into skating classes, camps and cross-training opportunities for not only the ice-hockey players but across all sports.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://skatestl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skatestlouis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkateStLouis
