Pancakes and Skateboards is a local skate apparel brand by local photographer, skate enthusiast and owner Cam Nikkel that is making a name for itself locally and beyond.

A recent review on The Hundreds Blog states, “P&S is one of the better new T-shirt lines out there… a very unique dive into a sea of sameness.”

The Uniter: What made you decide to start Pancakes and Skateboards?

Cam Nikkel: I’m a single father first and foremost, so every day after my son goes to bed I am always looking for something to keep me preoccupied. What started as a fun project documenting my son’s skateboarding adventures turned into something much larger. P&S is now the main outlet for most of my photographic endeavours.

In addition to skate apparel, you also print the P&S zine that focuses on much more than just skateboarding. In today’s world, in which people tend to say that print is dead, why publish?

People never stopped painting when they invented the camera; they haven’t stopped using film cameras just because there is a digital option. Whether sales are up or down the bookstore shelves are still full of books and periodicals. Print makes you slow down and appreciate what’s in your hands. Everything we do starts with a long-term goal in mind. Making the zine gives people something to look forward to that’s not available on the Internet. If we stay on this path the zine is just part of the bigger picture.

P&S has opened interesting doors of opportunity thus far. Any favourites?

Meeting L.A.-based photographer and fourth generation Dogtown skater Pep Williams this summer in Winnipeg and being asked to join him for the remainder of a skate team tour he was on was one of those opportunities that doesn’t come around every day. After some juggling, I was able to join their adventure for four days. Four days feels like forever when I’m not with my son. Hanging out with skaters from the same place that gave us Dogtown and Suicidal Tendencies for four days of skateboarding and picture-taking made those four days more bearable. You never know what adventures lay ahead. Having an excuse like visiting new friends to spend some time skating in Venice Beach sounds like a solid plan to me.

What’s next on the horizon for P&S?

We’re excited about a few collaborations we’re working on at the moment with Halen Ropa (Halen clothing) out of Mexico City and Riot !n Paris out of Brooklyn. P&S zine issue two hasn’t even hit the streets yet and we’re working on number three. Further down the road we’d like to reach one of our long-term goals, which is publishing a hardcover photo book.

Shop P&S online at http://shop.pancakesandskateboards.com or support local P&S dealers SK8 Skates and Green Apple. For more information go to www.pancakesandskateboards.com.

Published in Volume 66, Number 6 of The Uniter (October 5, 2011)