We caught up with 303 Boards owner, Sam Schuman, to learn a little bit about their history, what a normal day like is around the shop, and to pick their brain on what it was like making it to the final round of the Dew Tour Shop Showdown. Voting for the final round is still live! Cast your vote today but remember, you only get one, so make it count! And be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the edits when they go live during the Dew Tour webcast. #DewTourShopShowdown

When did you open the doors to 303 and what were you doing before that?

We opened 303 in 1997. Before that I had a small skate shop called Image for a couple of years. Before that I was just piling out and skating everyday. Damn, I miss those days!

Did you guys have a plan in mind while filming your Shop Showdown edit? Or was it pretty loose?

It was pretty loose actually. Grant has been filming the Pretty Boys video which features a bunch of our up and coming guys. So we hit him up and he threw together an edit pretty quickly. Turned out great so we ran with it.

Did you guys think you’d make it to the final round?

I thought the edit was great but I knew we were up against all of the good shops. So it never really crossed my mind that we would be in the finals.

How important is it to have core skate shops still exist amongst large retail/E-commerce chains these days?

It is very important as you can see in the Shop Showdown! Local shops are where it all starts for the future pros.

Where did the name 303 come from?

It is the area code for Denver. Back when we started you didn’t use the area code for anything. Back when phone numbers were only 7 digits. So to us it was a creative way to rep Denver without saying it. So we tattooed it on our arms and ran with it.

What’s a normal day like at the shop?

Always crazy! We are always busy selling and designing shop product and working on collaborations. Plus the team is always coming through. Being the spot in Denver, tons of pros are always coming through also.

What’s the best part about having the keys to your own skateshop? As a kid did you ever imagine this is what you’d be doing?

The best thing is being part of what you love every day of your life. I never imagined this as a kid. I was supposed to be a doctor or a fireman. Damn, did I blow it!? I think I realized at about age 15 that skateboarding was my life and I wasn’t going pro anytime soon so it seemed like the logical option. Started with no business sense just a love for skateboarding. But it has been an incredible journey so far.

Top 5 best things about Denver, Colorado:

1) The Skate Scene

2) ALL OF OUR TEAM, FRIENDS, SUPPORTERS AND FAMILY. They are the best!

3) The Women

4) The Food

5) The Weather

What else is going on for the rest of 2015?

We have a bunch of Collaborations with brands such as Psockadelic, Altamont, Girl, Volcom, and Creature coming in 2015! We are currently working on big things and even bigger projects coming in 2016 and the near future!