Take a Look Inside Palace Skateboard’s First Mainland China Flagship Store in Shanghai

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Summary

  • Palace Skateboards opens its first standalone store in mainland China on May 23, located within Shanghai’s historic Zhangyuan complex in Jing’an District
  • The store’s design draws from classical Chinese garden architecture, continuing Palace’s approach of tailoring each location to its surrounding cultural context
  • The opening is accompanied by a Shanghai-exclusive collection featuring “Shang-Hi” branding, a Chinese zodiac rabbit mascot, and graphics referencing the city’s iconic Oriental Pearl Tower

Palace Skateboards has always expanded in a way that feels authentic to its roots. Since its founding in 2009 by Lev Tanju and Gareth Skewis as part of London’s skate community, the brand’s growth has felt organic, simply extending the culture it originated from. The new store in Shanghai, opening May 23rd within the renovated Zhangyuan complex, exemplifies this approach. It’s Palace’s first independent location in mainland China and represents their most impressive retail space design to date.

To understand the significance of Palace’s new store in Shanghai, it’s helpful to look at how the brand has always approached retail. After starting with online releases and a few select shops, Palace opened its first permanent store in London’s Soho. This set the standard: a space that felt like a hangout for the Palace team, not just a typical store. This same idea was carried through to locations in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and South Korea. Each store blended with its local environment while still maintaining the recognizable Palace style. The Shanghai store follows this pattern, but it’s a much bigger and more ambitious project.

Okay, so I checked out Palace’s new spot in Shanghai, and it’s seriously cool. It’s not just some random location – this place dates back to the late Qing dynasty! They’ve totally restored it, keeping all the original architecture, which is awesome. It feels like Palace really did their research and wanted to make a statement about respecting Chinese history. They didn’t just show up – they understood the place. The mirrored Tri-ferg sculpture they put right at the entrance is angled perfectly and looks like it belongs there, not like it was just dropped in. It’s a really thoughtful design choice that blends the old and new perfectly.

The store’s interior design is equally thoughtful. Natural stone and limestone create a solid, grounded feel, while mirrors and touches of gold and red hint at Chinese culture without being overly thematic. A central structure, inspired by traditional Chinese gardens, provides a focal point. Outside on the terrace, a small pond features a miniature tree island next to a classical statue, a combination that blends the brand’s playful spirit with respect for the building’s design. Considering the brand started by filming skateboarding videos, this is a significant and impressive development in how they think about space.

This special collection for Shanghai emphasizes the city’s unique culture. Featuring the “Shang-Hi” logo and a rabbit inspired by the Chinese zodiac, the designs on items like jackets, jerseys, hoodies, and t-shirts also celebrate Shanghai’s iconic Oriental Pearl Tower. While incorporating Palace’s signature hand motif, the collection is clearly designed specifically for this launch and this city – it’s not just standard stock.

Palace’s success in opening new stores comes from truly understanding each location, unlike many other brands that simply copy the same design everywhere. They’ve opened shops on three continents, and each one feels unique. While many brands now see stores as just places for photos and social media, Palace still sees them as important spaces for creativity and self-expression.

Palace Skateboards is opening a new store in Shanghai on Saturday, May 23rd, and will be selling a special collection available only there.

Palace SkateboardsUnit W1-1A, Zhangyuan
280 Maoming North Road, Jing’an District
Shanghai

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2026-05-22 14:26