Red Alert Skateboard Shop in Dover recently moved from its former Broadway Street location to 6 Grove St., where owner Mark Hutton is building an indoor skate park that should be finished in about six weeks.

Hutton hesitates to call the new space a park, preferring to say it’s only a spot to skate and “just basically to have fun.” However, there will be a minimal fee to become a member, and a waiver and helmet are required. He hopes to eventually host day camps and lessons. Also planned are special hours for different ages or ability levels.

The door to the park is through the shop, which sells skateboards and related products. The 6,000-square-foot space will include a 40-foot-wide mini-ramp, a street-style course that loops around one side of the room and an elevated stage that could be used for bands in another corner. Hutton said there’s room for expansion, too.  

The idea behind the park was to have a place to skate in the winter months and other times of inclement weather. Dover already has a public outdoor park in Henry Law Park, which Red Alert has helped expand and improve by working with the city and “proving why skateboarding is worth anything,” Hutton said.

Hutton said skateboarding continues to become more popular. “Kids live it,” he said. “Not to sound cheesy, but this is what they do.” He is also looking forward to being able to skate whenever he’s not needed on the store floor.

The new location used to be a sheet metal factory, and a shoe factory before that. The renovating process has been extensive, including taking down the ceiling and putting up new walls. The shop’s new location is not far from the train station.