On a Roll With Bet on Wheels

Buoyed by the success of its new skate park in Orange, Vans Inc. said Wednesday it plans to open three more skate centers, including one in Ontario.

In the first nine weeks of business at the Block mall in Orange, the skate park attracted more than 30,000 participants and generated more than $800,000 in sales, Vans said.

The company now expects the park to generate $1 million in profit in its first year, which will help fund the development of other large skate parks. The parks cost about $5 million each to build.

“We thought we had a good shot of [attracting] at least 100,000 participants in the first year, and it looks like we’re well on our way to dramatically exceeding that,” said Gary Schoenfeld, chief executive of the Santa Fe Springs-based Vans.

Vans Skate Park has been a major draw for the new shopping center, which opened in November, said Jim Mance, the Block’s general manager. Only the 30-screen AMC theater attracts more customers, he said.

“We’ve had as many as 200 outside the door,” Mance said of the skate park. “I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life.”

The skaters may be less surprised by the turnout, since many youngsters have been griping for years about not having enough places to ride their skateboards.

“They need to build a skate park in Laguna,” said Zack Jones, a 10-year-old Laguna Beach resident, who was at the park Wednesday afternoon with his pal Sesa Carreras, 9, and Sesa’s dad, Jake.

Sesa chided his hometown for having a dog park but no skate park. Laguna Beach has been unable to decide where to put a skate park.

“If they make a place for dogs to play there,” Sesa reasoned, “why don’t they make a place for kids to skate there?”

Vans was tuned in to this sentiment when it opened its first park at the Block. The company, which makes footwear, apparel and sports products, promotes sports favored by its target customers, who are ages 10 to 24.

“If you build it, they will come. That’s what they say, and it’s actually working,” Vans spokeswoman Staci Levine said.

In Wednesday’s announcement, Vans said it has struck an agreement with the Block’s developer, Mills Corp., to co-develop skate parks at three other shopping centers, including Ontario Mills. The other parks will be at shopping centers in Prince William, Va., and Toronto.

The Ontario center is expected to open in the fall. The others will open over the next three years.

Vans also is considering building a skate park in Orlando, Fla., with another developer, and the company is talking to government officials about developing a park in London, Schoenfeld said.

“Now that we’ve seen the success of it, we think it’s a concept that has viability in a lot of other regions, both in the USA and internationally,” he said. “We think it’s great for kids but also makes sense for our shareholders.”

Vans shares rose 31 cents to $6.38 on Wednesday in heavy trading on the Nasdaq market.

While the Orange skate park was intended for skateboarders, in-line skaters and BMX riders also use the facility. Tuesday evenings, from 9 to 11, are set aside for the bike riders. The Ontario skate park will include a full outdoor BMX course.

“There’s even fewer places to ride BMXs than there are skateboards,” Schoenfeld said.

On Wednesday, during what one employee described as a fairly slow afternoon, about two dozen skaters--most on skateboards--swooped along ramps and in concrete bowls that look like empty swimming pools.

About a dozen younger children skated nearby in a smaller--if not always tamer--section. One in-line skater in baggy britches skated down a ramp and across a wall, intermittently hiking up his pants. “Wall ride!” he shouted.

From the sidelines, parents watched, alternately smiling and flinching.

“I think this is great,” said Irvine resident Paula Donahue, an instant before a helmeted youth swept up a ramp and fell on his back. “I think.”

Donahue was there with six children to celebrate her son Thomas’ ninth birthday. She said she chose Wednesday because weekends are so crowded.

“Boards fly,” she said, waving her arms in an attempt to describe the commotion on busier days. “There’s a line clear out the door. They sell out.”

The park’s fees range from $7 to $14 for two-hour sessions, depending on the day and time, and whether the customer is a member. The complex includes a retail section where shoes, skateboards, T-shirts and other products are sold.