Feature image: Da Klinic’s original Currie Street store which opened in 2021.
Adelaide’s Da Klinic is about to get a whole lot bigger, with the independent skate shop set to open a 560sqm superstore in Rundle Mall’s Myer Centre next month.
The move will see the long-running local business more than double the size of its current Myer Centre store, creating room for a much bigger skating area alongside retail space, a pool table, couches and space for community events.
The new Da Klinic Superstore will open on Level 2 of the Myer Centre on Saturday, October 3, following 25 years in Adelaide’s skating scene.
For store manager Maddie Wilkinson, who has been with the business for seven years, the move is about creating somewhere people can spend time, whether they’re shopping or not.
“We want people to be able to come in and hang out,” she says.
“We want to make a space that is bigger than just a store where people come to buy something.”
Da Klinic’s new store will be located on level 2 of the Myer Centre. (Provided).
At the centre of the new space will be an expanded skating area, which will bring Da Klinic’s existing mini ramp into the new store alongside a dedicated street-skating section.
The area will feature a grind rail, manual pad and slappy ledge, giving skaters more space to practise their skills.
Using the mini ramp will cost just a gold coin donation, with the money going towards a different charity every six months.
Da Klinic has previously supported Hutt Street Centre and Backpacks for Kids, while its current charity is Catherine House.
The larger footprint will also allow Da Klinic to do more with its community programming.
The store will partner with local Free Mind Skate School to offer skateboarding lessons and workshops using the new skating facilities, while the team is also planning events including roller discos.
“We’re very connected to the local roller-skating and roller derby communities,” Maddie says.
“So it means we’ll have the opportunity to hold events like that.”
There will also be space for other workshops, video premieres, product launches and team events, with the store designed to function as a hub for Adelaide’s skating community.
“There aren’t many places around the city, especially, where people can just hang out,” Maddie says.
“When it’s really hot or raining, it means people can come inside, still skate and have somewhere to do that.”
Map of Da Klinic’s new store.
The extra space will also give Da Klinic room to expand its retail offering, including its range of local and Australian brands.
The store currently stocks South Australian labels including Materialism, Gamble, Killer Moeys and The Offbeat Sock Company, with the new space allowing existing brands to bring in more products and creating opportunities for new labels to come on board.
The expansion also means that the company will be able to have its first vintage clothing section.
“We have lots of local brands that use the space, so having more room creates an opportunity for other brands to come in as well, which is really awesome,” Maddie says.
Alongside skateboards, the store will continue to stock roller skates, inline skates, streetwear, footwear, aerosols and art supplies.
That broad offering has helped Da Klinic build a customer base that stretches well beyond skateboarders, with Maddie saying some customers have been supporting the store since its earliest days.
Artist render of Da Klinic’s new space. (Provided).
Da Klinic first opened on Currie Street in 2001, where it remained until moving into its current Myer Centre location in 2020.
With the owners still working in the store and another manager having been with the business for almost 15 years, much of the team has grown alongside Adelaide’s skate scene.
And with independent skate shops becoming increasingly rare, Maddie says that community has been an important part of Da Klinic’s longevity.
“We’re one of the last ones left in South Australia,” she says.
“We’re very lucky that we have a good community that gives us the opportunity to do a really cool project like this.”
The current Da Klinic store will close on Friday, September 25, before the new Superstore opens during the South Australian school holidays on October 3.
Da Klinic
When: Opening October 3
Where: Shop 234, Level 2 Myer Centre, Rundle Mall, Adelaide
To find out more, click here.
