Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandi Myasia.
Hi Brandi, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey into custom skate building and community organizing grew directly out of a deep belief in the power of movement, creativity, and accessible public spaces.
For years, my work centered on education and human development. Holding a Master’s in Educational Psychology, I spent much of my career within school systems and workforce development programs, focused on how people learn, grow, and build confidence. But off the clock, my heart was always connected to street culture, hands-on craft, and the vibrant rhythm of the roller skating community.
In July 2020, I took a leap and built my very first pair of custom roller skates. What started as a personal passion project quickly revealed a much larger need. Roller skating isn’t just a sport or a pastime—it’s a dynamic blend of physics, self-expression, and community connection. I saw an opportunity to bridge my background in educational psychology and hands-on craftsmanship by launching Daisies & Pancakes.
The vision was clear: build high-quality, custom footwear-to-skate conversions and create inclusive spaces where people of all ages could learn, move, and connect.
In August 2021, we launched community instruction through The Lab at Texas Southern University, Houston Texans YMCA, Life Time Fitness, & POST Houston, teaching technical skating while weaving in kinetic STEM concepts—showing youth how geometry, algebra, and friction come alive on wheels. That momentum kept growing:
Collegiate & Youth Outreach: We established a collegiate roller skate club at Texas Southern University to mentor young adults and promote movement on campus.
Brick-and-Mortar Launch: In November 2024, we opened our physical shop in Houston’s historic Third Ward, serving as a hub for custom builds, boot lasting, plate mounting, and community gatherings.
Creative Productions & Collaborations: We’ve expanded into major cultural programming, from wrangling and training skaters for the Art Car Parade to producing original skate-versus-dance performances like Saturdays! at the MATCH Theatre.
Today, getting to where I am means standing at the intersection of craftsmanship, education, and culture. Whether we’re designing custom sneaker-skates in the shop or running youth workshops in the neighborhood, the goal remains the exact same: using eight wheels to build confidence, foster community, and keep Houston rolling forward.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road—though I don’t think anything worth building ever comes without a few bumps along the way.
Transitioning from a traditional career background into full-time entrepreneurship and artisan craftsmanship meant wearing every single hat at once. Early on, one of the steepest learning curves was mastering the technical precision of skate building and custom plate mounting. Building a pair of skates isn’t just about bolting hardware to a sole; it requires exact mechanical alignment, structural support, and an understanding of kinetic weight distribution to ensure the skater stays safe and balanced. Teaching myself the nuances of high-level craftsmanship through trial and error took immense time, patience, and grit.
Then came the logistical and financial realities of scaling up. Opening our physical storefront in the Third Ward in November 2024 was a major milestone, but managing retail inventory, foot traffic, and shop equipment while keeping our community programs free or low-cost brought a whole new set of operational pressures. Finding the balance between running a sustainable, revenue-generating business and maintaining a mission-driven community space is an ongoing juggling act.
On top of the business operations, there was the challenge of building institutional legitimacy for what we do. When people hear “roller skating,” they often think of a simple childhood hobby or a weekend night out at the rink. Explaining to schools, community boards, and grantmakers that skating is a powerful vehicle for kinetic STEM education, physical wellness, and urban culture took persistence.
What kept us moving through every challenge was the community itself. Every time a skater steps onto a pair of custom builds we crafted, or a kid in one of our workshops grasps the physics of friction while carving a turn, it reinforces why the struggle is worth it. Smooth roads don’t teach you how to navigate sharp turns, and every obstacle has only made the foundation of Daisies & Pancakes stronger.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At its core, my work lives at the intersection of artisanal craftsmanship, kinetic movement, and community empowerment.
What We Do & What We Specialize In:
Through Daisies & Pancakes, I specialize in high-precision, custom roller skate builds—specifically converting street footwear, boots, and iconic sneakers into fully functional, high-performance skates. This process involves custom plate mounting, and selecting component specifications tailored to each skater’s weight distribution, style, and foot mechanics.
Beyond hardware, I specialize in kinetic STEM curriculum design. We translate the mechanics of skating into real-world educational tools, using movement to teach youth and college students concepts in physics, geometry, algebra, and friction.
What We Are Known For:
In Houston, we’re known for taking roller skating far beyond the traditional rink walls with our community-centric programs: Running The Lab—our hands-on instructional program—and founding collegiate skate initiatives like the student skate club at Texas Southern University, Houston Texans YMCA, Life Time Fitness, & POST Houston.
The Custom Sneaker-Skate: Building bespoke, one-of-a-kind footwear-to-skate conversions that combine street style with precise mechanical performance.
Cultural Collaborations: Program coordination at Discovery Green Roller Rink, Skate event at The Orange Show, wrangling and training skaters for major citywide events like the annual Art Car Parade and organizing creative skate-versus-dance theater productions like Saturdays! at the MATCH Theatre, Partnerships with Adidas, Beyonce, Ivy Park, Footlocker, Nike & Jordan, Live Nation, Usher, & so many more.
What Sets Us Apart
What distinguishes us is that we treat roller skating as both a technical science and a vital public resource.
We aren’t just selling retail products or teaching standard skate lessons. We are integrating educational psychology, hands-on mechanical engineering, and community building into everything we produce. From our physical shop in Houston’s historic Third Ward, every pair of skates we build and every workshop we lead is designed to cultivate confidence, agency, and spatial awareness.
What I Am Most Proud Of
I am most proud of creating a tangible, multi-generational hub where local youth, veteran skaters, and complete beginners can walk through our doors, feel immediate belonging, and discover what they are capable of.
Watching a skaters’ eyes light up when they realize that mastering a smooth crossover turn is just applied geometry—and then seeing them apply that same confidence to their everyday life—is the ultimate reward. Building a enterprise that keeps Houston rolling while elevating local culture is what I’m proudest to stand behind.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is that sustainability requires both structural precision and deep community alignment.
When you’re building something non-traditional—whether it’s a custom pair of sneaker-skates or a community-based social enterprise—it isn’t enough to just have passion and a great idea. You have to pay relentless attention to the mechanics underneath.
In skate building, if your plate alignment is off by even a fraction of a millimeter, the entire ride feels unstable no matter how great the shoe looks on the outside. The exact same rule applies to running an enterprise and doing community work. I had to learn how to build strong, intentional scaffolding: aligning financial operations, honing the technical details of the craft, and creating clear systems for our programs. Passion gets people through the door, but structure, consistency, and clear intention are what keep the doors open.
Equally important, I’ve learned that you don’t have to build in isolation. True growth happens when you stay grounded in the community you serve, listening to what people actually need rather than what you think they need. When you combine precise, high-level execution with real, authentic human connection, you build something resilient enough to withstand the rough patches and keep rolling forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.daisiesandpancakes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daisiesandpancakes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daisiesandpancakes/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandi-allen-roots-a3b84344/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brandimyasia1130
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/daisies-and-pancakes-houston-2
