Alker

Constantly Curious

Retail is dead. Not everywhere.

Palace is about to open a new store in Seoul on February 8th.

February 2025 · 2 min read

Open magazine spread reading A Skater's Work Is Never Done next to a skater photo

I have a long and personal history with the brand. In 2009, I was responsible for the Dickies brand in Europe, and we did a limited bookzine called Love Your Work—featuring Lev Tanju and Palace. Actually, Lev even photographed a few images for it (some images of the book below): A Skater’s Work is Never Done.

Cover of the Dickies Love Your Work bookzine in gold type, listing A Skater’s Work Is Never Done with Lev from PWBC

I also got to know Lev’s two other co-founders, Gareth and Marshall—happy to still call Marshall a friend today. The three of them met at Slam City Skates, the legendary skate shop that Gareth and Marshall owned.

Around the launch of the booklet, Palace had just opened their first pop-up store. No crazy lines, nothing. You could just walk in and hang out with the gang. (I bought a shirt with a parrot on the left side—will never forget that.)

Fast forward to today, and the brand is stronger than ever, opening a new store in Seoul very soon.

Palace store with a giant bulldog figure in a yellow Palace hoodie, clothing rails, mirrored walls and red marble benches

So happy to see how they’ve built the brand and the company—and I still don’t feel too old to wear their stuff. 😊

Big white PALACE letters above the glass entrance of the brand’s new Seoul store, set between concrete pillars Red marble counter in front of three skateboard decks framed on a dark wood wall, a glass case and clothing rail beside it Video wall of a person in a cap and a hoodie with Korean lettering, next to hanging skateboard decks, some printed SEOUL Giant bulldog figure in a yellow Palace hoodie reaching up to the ceiling over red marble benches and T-shirt shelves Shop floor with octagonal wood-grain concrete pillars, red marble benches, a glass case of caps and a rail of shirts Close-up of the angular board-marked concrete ceiling around a glowing skylight, reflected in a mirrored wall Front view of a giant bulldog figure in a yellow Palace hoodie on a marble plinth, with T-shirt shelves and clothing rails Long rail of pastel and bright T-shirts on a red marble plinth under the angular concrete ceiling, caps shelved at right

New pieces go out by mail first.

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WRITING

Constantly Curious.

Stories and observations on brands, football, culture and technology, including a few from thirty years ago.

  1. October 2026Judge Dredd opens a Palace store
  2. September 2026Who needs a frog on a T-shirt?
  3. August 2026Thanks, Tim
All writing
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