Palace 5ive

Two weeks ago, I came to this store with two pre-​teenage girls that were visiting me from out of town. One of the girls had specifically wanted to visit a skate shop to purchase something there with the money she had saved up, instead of at a tourist type place in DC. She doesn’t have a skateboard, but is just really into that scene, and I found this place on Unilocal.They have a great selection of items, and she loved looking at all of the skateboards. However, I knew that she didn’t have enough money to purchase one — she had saved up just $ 8.00 — but I couldn’t have her leave empty handed since it was the ONE type of store she wanted to visit. I asked the clerk what they had that was under $ 8.00, fearing that he might laugh at us. He not only directed us to a wall of stickers, but as we were looking at them, he also brought over some drink coozies (sp?) to look at. She picked a few stickers and brought them to the counter to get pricing, and was able to get 3 of them, and she was thrilled as she paid for them herself. As we left I was holding the bag, and realized it felt a little heavy. When the clerk said he «threw something extra in», I thought maybe an extra sticker. However, he not only threw extra stickers in, but a book and a few other trinkets, too! She sat in the backseat and was looking at the book the whole way back, reading names and stuff off to me. What the clerk didn’t know is that this young lady is currently in the foster system, who just recently was placed with my friend’s family after being in a group home for a long time. She not only was away on a trip for the first time, but that $ 8.00 is a HUGE deal to her, as she had been saving up. The fact that she has such special souvenirs now from her DC trip is all due to the staff at this store, and I can’t thank you enough for providing her that experience. You made her trip very special!

I hate this shop. Never going there again. They have great apparel, but its just like any other shop. Everything is overpriced because everything they sell is the popular name brands. Sure they have clearance items but even those you can get DEALS/​SALES if you go to zumiez or pacsun etc.
I really like the vibe you get when you first walk in. At first the shop may seem small when you walk in but theres actually a whole nother side to the shop that expands.
Being from the So Cal bay area I have been to alot of local skateshops like this one but the staff here is just so rude.
Vans Skatepark at the Block in orange county; everyone knows how laidback the employees are and chill but
at palace 5ive the guy who helped me out was just a complete dick.
tbh i can explain the two situations i had encountered when shopping that aggravated me enough to write a shitty review and give them one star but i wont. There is no WHY. What matters is What. And what they did is fail to provide me with respect, character, kindness and service.
I’d advise you to stay away from this shop if you dont want to be heckled by their rude, sarcastic employees but you’ll probably still go because they are the only legit local skate shop in the area. Thats whats keepin them alive. No rivalries.

What can i say about palace 5ive, nothing bad but bad ass Vans, and crazy cool Nike SB shoes which I love by the way :) Anyways palace 5ive is great skate and outdoor shop for anybody and the ppl that work there are great too, it’s lil expensive but well worth the money and the product is not cheap so it will last awhile. What a great shop guys keep up the good work !!!

Palace 5ive skateboard decks are advertised at the wrong size. I bought a deck that was advertised as being 7.81″ wide and when I got home I found out that it was only 7.69 at its widest. The manager told me that it was my fault for not measuring it in the store even though it was labeled. The manager was incredibly rude and refused to do anything about it. Please do not shop here. They lie about their products and are not willing to admit when a mistake has been made.
The first time that I went to this store, I wanted to by wheels for my cruiser. The manager told me to by OJIII’s he said that they are amazing wheels and everyone loves them… they sucked. When I went in to get the deck that they lied to me about, the sales person laughed at the fact that I bought OJIII’s and said that they were widely known for falling apart and having a horrible ride.
They lie, do not go here.

Been here twice. Once with my lil kid and once by myself. Different guys there each time and both times, they were cool to talk to. Cool clothes and shoes, but, clothes stop at XL and shoes stop at 13, so, if you are a big guy like me, they will have nothing for you. Limited selection of decks compared to other shops I go to, but, def have enough to get the job done. Wasn’t sure about 3 or 4 stars. Was going to give them 3 for not having my size in gear, but, gave them a 4 because the guys I talked to were cool and I found a deck I wanted each time I was there. One weird thing that happened last time I was there is that there was a guy hanging out by their front door that I thought was going to ask me for money, but, instead he asked if I had any used trucks to give him.

This shop is fly. There are two types of skateshops these days: the low-​key, simple, ones that are pretty much as skateshops have been for years and the new breed of boutique skateshops that concentrate on the experience just as much as a Prada or Chanel store ever would. Palace falls into the latter cohort for sure, but that’s not a bad thing, per se.
Palace carries Nike SB, adidas skateboarding, and Vans as their main shoe lines plus a great variety of decks, wheels, and such and a decent array of softgoods. If anything, they could be a little deeper into their clothing selection and it seems like they only carry each tee or whatever in a couple units per size, so if it’s something a lot of people will want, it’s probably gonna be gone in a few days quick.
The staff are chill and helpful if you’re a skater and have legit questions. They don’t bother you or fuss over you – no one working at any real skateshop ever should – only the guys at Zumiez do that to groms’ parents, ok? Some customers, per the reviews here, seem to think this lack of attention is the staff being aloof or worse, but trust me, 9 skaters out of 10 (maybe even 10 of 10) would very much rather have this approach than an annoying staff up in their faces. It’s just how we roll. Palace isn’t quite where some high-​end skate boutiques like Atlas are in terms of their limited-​ed focus and diversity of brands, but they’re legit and offer a really good selection of decks and shoes, plus, they support their community and the store is a pleasure to shop in, so check them out. The wheels and trucks all up in their fancy wooden display cases are a nice touch, too.

I’ve been in here a few times, lots of cool gear. great layout.
Each time though I’ve gotten this weird holier than though attitude from the guys behind the counter, like they’re doing me a favor by working there.
The other thing is the lame purchase minimum on a credit card transaction. I have to buy more because they can’t figure out their own business model and use another service to transact purchases?
Cool shop. Lame employees.

OK so I walked into this spot looking to scope out some new kicks, and seeing how this is a skate shop, possibly some new threads as well. First off, let me say I really wanted to like this place. Being from the South Bay in LA, I have a soft spot for skate/​surf stores, especially since there are few/​none here in DC. I wanted to think that this would be a cool new spot where I’d find some new stuff and maybe some nice kicks to rock now and then. But it just isn’t that place.
Shoe selection is ok. It’s Nike SBs and Adidas, and that’s it. Cool dunks sure, but how many kids can actually afford to scuff up $ 105-​$ 120 kicks? I guess to each their own, and sbs do look awesome. But anyway, there’s not much else beyond that. Some decent threads, but not enough selection to really make a lasting impact. And I really think their skate stuff is just sitting around to look cool. So far, whatever, I wasn’t complaining, there are plenty of kinda pretentious spots like this all over LA, nothing new.
Of course not many of the spots in LA have clerks that constantly eye their customers, look overtly suspicious of everyone in the store, and make everything super awkward for customers.
OK sure you want to watch your shop, that’s cool. But the worst part, the part that made me write this review, is what happened as we tried to leave. I walked out, my gf behind me, when all of a sudden we hear a «miss?»…“miss?”…“MISS?”. We turn around, and the store dude is walking towards my gf, pointing at the jacket in her hand that she walked in with. Dude keeps walking up, and asks to look at her jacket. She stands there, kinda surprised, and he keeps walking toward her until she holds it up, a few feet in front of his face. He mumbles something like «meh, ok» and turns around, walking back to the register. No apology, no explanation, just ostracizing two potential customers in front of everyone in the store. Mind you, we didn’t walk in looking suspicious, hiding from the staff, rocking overly baggy/​ratty clothes, sweating profusely, or carrying empty bags in or anything weird like that… just a normal couple perusing around lunch time.
Whatever. You want to treat your customers like that, like theyre all trying to jack you, go ahead. I’m just not in the mood to be hassled or be accused of stealing. Not planning to visit this place again. And still looking for that friendly, chill neighborhood skate shop where employees spend time chatting with customers about life and other interesting things– not accusing folks of stealing while lacking the customer service to (at the very least) apologize for your mistake.

These guys are great. I went in there to buy my boyfriend a skateboard for his birthday because he really wants to learn. I don’t know a damn thing about boards but the guy who helped me was so nice and did not make me feel like an idiot at all. I felt he was honest and just wanted me to end up with a good board that was worth the money. I thought it would be intimidating, but its very chill and setup really well. I doubt I will have many skateboard needs in the future, but I definitely recommend this shop.

I like this spot. It’s trendy, not too busy and the the staff is cool. The music is fun as well.

I’ll be back to go shopping soon here. We came here for an event on Saturday. Shaolin Jazz was a lot of fun and really cool music for me anyway. I like me some Wu!
Got a good chance to roam around and peruse the merchandise and they have a great selection and the prices are very good.

Very nice setup and extremely cool shoes. The owner is hands-​on and always looks for new ways to make the experience there better.

Just found this place (or palace?) when walking down the street a few weeks ago and have already been back a few times. Immediately walked in and felt that west coast vibe that I’ve been missing in stores since I came to DC. Nice interior space, with merchandise appropriately placed around the large store. Chairs and couches around, and an iMac facing out from the counter give the store a «come in and hang out» vibe. Chill staff who are funny, friendly, and attentive also help.
Awesome selection of shoes and shirts. Can’t rate the skating stuff — not so much a skater, but check it out if you’re into it. I’m sure it’s good.

5 stars from me. Customer service is always good here. I’ll ask for a shirt size from across the other side of the store and they are there immediately. They dont have any problem going back and forth from the back to get what you want. Price’s are very reasonable too. They are very knowledgeable of what they sell in the store.
I LOVE P5. I live half a block away and i have seen this store grow so much. I love hanging out at the shop on Sundays after work. I’ll spend about 2 hours just hanging out and talking a lot of todays currents.

In CA or NY this would be a solid 3, but I almost gave Palace 5ive a 4 on account of DC’s mediocre selection as far as streetwear boutiques go.
To begin with, the store’s layout and décor are impressive. Beautiful and minimalist. On the other hand, I get the impression that the ‘skate’ section is there just for show. On top of that, the bike/​fixed gear crowd is both more current and more popular in DC right now, and they should have gone that route instead. The selection is solid, I’m a huge fan of Vans collabos and they were in no short stock of them, at fair prices.
I was at the store on a Sunday afternoon before dropping into Busboys, and there were about 4 or 5 employees there as I browsed. The whole time they just looked at me as I perused the store and didn’t say a word for the 15 minutes I was there until I left for the exit. It was pretty awkward, and reminded me of shopping in LA’s Melrose Ave except that in this case I was just as well dressed as the inattentive employees.
In the end, I’d rather spend my money at Major — they pick their niche and do it well, sans attitude.

Great shop. This place has an incredible collection of unique kicks. They carry the Nike SB line which I learned can only be carried by skate shops that have been open for a minimum of two years. The staff is friendly and they always have good stuff on the sale rack. Enjoy.

This place got a great vibe to it… lovin the layout of the whole store. Bought some blazers for the bf; workers over there were indeed helpful. It’s a small trip if you’re walking to the store… we walked for a good 5 mins getting off the U St metro stop but what do you expect in DC? After discovering this skate shop, definitely coming back on my shoe shopping rampage :)

Probably one of the best additions to the U street area this summer– the Palace 5ive skate shop. Not only is it a beautifully constructed interior, with amazing murals, and modernist furnishings, but they have great merchandise. Any store with a Nike SB account is bound to draw plenty of skaters and skate-​culture enthusiasts…
Not convinced of the predominance of a DC skate scene? Hop off the metro at the Shaw/​Howard University stop– 8^th street exit– and walk to the modest skate park… almost any part of the day the park is packed with folks of all ages and creeds… aah, skateboarding: the great unifier…

So you wanna get some skateboarding gear? Or a new skateboard? Or just check out something different in the DC shopping scene?
This is it.
Major kudos to Chloe F. who tipped me off to this new (opened July 2007) hot spot when I was seeking to entertain a skateboarding friend from out-​of-​town. It is everything she said and more.
I had a chance to meet the owner when I visited. He is a mid-​30s skateboarder and he is also the owner of another skate shop in Alexandria (I think the name is Lee’s). Most importantly he knows his stuff. His staff knows their stuff. And everybody is super friendly and helpful.
Bottomline: Get out there and support the redevelopment of this neighborhood by supporting this new up and comer.

Palace 5ive strikes you as a tad out of place considering its sleek lines, minimalist decorations, and, frankly that fact that it is a skateboard shop. I wasn’t aware of a large skateboard market in DC, but heck, I was proven wrong today when I saw a bunch of youngins cruising along on their boards this afternoon. I’m giving 3 stars simply because I dont know much about skateboards or the skateboard culture, otherwise its more like 4 stars.
The boards here, not like I know anything about skateboards, are pretty cool lookin. They seem to have a decent variety of wheels and tools for them. The interesting thing about the store is that some of the clothes have only one hanging on the rack, which means in order to get your size you need to ask someone. Not a problem, as the staff seem to be pretty helpful, almost as if they are happy to be at work. It has a nice neighborhood feel as well.
Price points are a little high, but I’m sure if you are seeking out the designers that they carry, then the prices are pretty average. I would characterize the style here as «urban-​chic-​versatility». I was looking for a t-​shirt for my brother, and they have a bunch of neat things, a lot are designed by local designers.
This store is worth checking out, simply because you don’t see it everyday. The women’s clothes were also very nice… small little details that make the item…“pop”.
sweeeet.