Robert Brink - Writer

Michelle Pezel

July 12, 2005 | Skip To The Comments (0)

Unsing Heroes: Michelle Pezel
By Rob Brink
SG Magazine January 2005

Just outside the downtown area of East Vancouver is a simple and modest little skateboard shop and art gallery called AntiSocial. Owned by Michelle Pezel and professional skate-boarder Rick McCrank, AntiSocial isn't even three years old, yet it has already generated quite a buzz in Vancouver and the skateboarding world.

Despite its frequent association with McCrank, it was actually Pezel who came up with the idea to open the shop. “I made Rick join in,” she says. “It wasn't too hard to convince him, though, because now he can get free griptape.”

“It's something that Michelle wanted to do for a while,” explains McCrank, who came up with the shop's name. “Michelle mostly handles everything and I just give her input. I have a full plate with skating and parenting, so Michelle has to bear the weight of the store.”

Pezel is hard-working, honest, and humble. She is also a skateboarder and a role model in every sense of the word—from her time on a board, to working to have skateparks built in Vancouver, to her attitude and respect for skateboarding. “Skateboarding is a plus when nobody is around, says Pezel, who uses the empty space in the store to set up flatbars and other assorted obstacles after-hours. She even has some skate footage in the AntiSocial DVD, which was released earlier this year.

AntiSocial is spacious and minimal, to say the least. The rear half of the store is reserved for an art gallery that changes every four to six weeks and serves as frequent host to parties, video premieres, and art shows that highlight friends, skateboarders, and local artists. The shop also sells art books and magazines that relate to skateboard culture, and CDs from local bands.

It's the stuff that skateboarding has opened people's eyes to,” says Pezel. “CDs, ‘zines, books, galleries, skateboards—I see the connection, don't you? Think about how much of the music that you found out about through so many skateboarding videos.

“It's fun,” she continues. “The younger kids get a little weirded out about the gallery sometimes, but they usually enjoy it. And then they come in and show me their art books from school. I like being around the kids and seeing what they're up to. They've got a lot of character around here.”

Pezel and McCrank and AntiSocial are skateboarding. They exist for the right reasons. They give back to skateboarding and to Vancouver. “I get no income from AntiSocial,” admits McCrank. “That's not why I opened it. I did it for skate-boarding in Vancouver.” “It's supposed to be income,” Pezel adds. “Everybody thinks we must make all this money, but I haven't gotten paid yet.”