Nimbus Skates was a short-lived but iconic skateboard company founded in 1989 by passionate skaters Charlie Butterly and Ian McCarthy. Based in the...
Nimbus Skates was a short-lived but iconic skateboard company founded in 1989 by passionate skaters Charlie Butterly and Ian McCarthy. Based in the New Jersey/New York area, Nimbus emerged as a response to the decline of Shut Skates, offering a fresh approach to street skating. Butterly, a skilled skater with expertise in both street and vert, teamed up with McCarthy, a business prodigy known for his ability to spot talent and build a strong skate team.
The duo handpicked some of the most talented riders in the New York Tri-State area, including Jefferson Pang, Peter Bici, Jim Lynch, and Bobby Puleo, among others. These skaters would go on to form the foundation of legendary companies like Zoo York and Supreme.
Unfortunately, Nimbus Skates' run was brief. While they created innovative deck shapes and fresh graphics, their lack of marketing and limited resources made it hard to compete on a larger scale. The company’s fate was sealed when Paul Schmitt, their board supplier, ceased making Nimbus decks. In addition, McCarthy’s struggle with schizophrenia and the dispersal of the team to other opportunities, such as the film *Kids*, led to the company’s decline.
Despite its closure, Nimbus remains a cherished part of skateboarding history, remembered for its unique contributions to NYC's skate scene and its crew of talented riders.
