Dom DeLuca | The Nine Club With Chris Roberts - Episode 186

well we are back huh back at the 9 Club everybody today we got a special special special guest special guest Dom DeLuca what up with us again second time amazing second time on the show first time was that the adidas dr. days yeah yeah yeah came on there was it was a quick one on location quick one yeah yeah that was like a minute long man half long yeah yes good 15 minute mine cloak quickie that's in the back door but thank you so much for coming thank you from great listen really you started off in Brooklyn you have a Brooklyn house Brooklyn how does a skate shop out there you owned it with Kareem Kim yes no less yes so I don't know Kareem that's amazing started in a rap but now you Brooklyn projects out here on Melrose yeah that's crazy and I left Brooklyn to come to yeah why did you do that the first time I guess it was honestly it was the weather the weather and the girls that was God's honest truth like when I used to go walk on Melrose and hang out in the Melrose I'm like what is this the first time I moved to LA before I had the shop which a lot of people don't know about is I moved here in 91 ish oh wow but I moved here and I lived with Scotty and the guitar play of anthrax I worked with them they're my best friends and he moved out here in Huntington Beach right off the beach no wonder he moved here yeah dude so so life is commutable dude hi not coming from I've been around the world with them touring this not another thing and then remember going there in Rodi Rodi for Scott and for the band and I remember just going to his house it was in between tours like hey just stay here because we're gonna go to Japan Australia someone's sure so is there for two weeks and I'm are waking up and I walking down to the Sugar Shack on Main Street this place and walking here and like I'm going to the beach I'm like what the [ __ ] this is like full-on Baywatch I'm like what the [ __ ] is this this is this I've never seen like this in Brooklyn or Jersey or anywhere on these codes I'm like yo so I wind up living there for the day watch her babe lunch it was I was baby it was definitely babe watch but it was Baywatch she's so like the the lifeguard yeah has a long way like holy [ __ ] so it was kind of trippy and I was like wow I could I can you could do this I could do this and then like I was there for six seven months and then I got the job on MTV and I had to like you know move back to New York but I always wanted to come back and I did come back when I worked for the music industry I was coming from Def Jam really Def Jam EMI records Road Runner and I mean I could say now cuz half those record companies out of business or I don't know people work there but I used to like take trips on their dime how to find bands but I would find bands but I would go there because I would just look and slay [ __ ] cause it's like oh man I'd say it's like the [ __ ] Beverly Hills hotel and you know you know traveling expense I would I can just bawl out at [ __ ] 24 years old 25 years old right so is like you know I was living the life and you let you like you just mentioned you were MTV VJ up from all headbangers ball bangers balls co-hosts as well I don't even know where to start you know we've we've already covered five topics and let's go back to I want to know about the Brooklyn house in New York sure in Brooklyn and Brooklyn it with Corrine Campbell how does this even come about so it all started with with MTV at the time started with him to start at MTV so I I always wanted to open up a skate BMX shop hmm because I was a BMX I was I skated but I was super into BMX super I was sponsored I was pretty accomplished and there was this one shop I used to frequent when I was a little kid called and people in on these customers know this called Marine Park bikes hmm and it was a small little store like I think they were probably pushing drugs out of there I really it was it was literally 300 square feet 400 feet and they had some ill BMX bikes but they had skate [ __ ] and I got my first skateboard which was a it sticks from there um and I remember this guy that was there his name is Qi way and looking back like you know he was like a Christian Hosoi clone his whole style and and this place Marine Park bike state they sold vision streetwear and it was so dope and BMX bikes and outside I just loved it I know I I started going there right after my pops died so I had no brothers and sisters and I found this community of like misfits but that's how I got heavier into BMX freestyle and skating because it was all these kids hanging out and smoking weed and like it was kids but it was in the 80s sure it was amazing so when I got the job at MTV from hanging around Def Jam and working at Def Jam hang around The Beastie Boys and just being part of the downtown crowd I befriended people like Shaun Stussy and um you know haze rks and stash and futura been gone from pervert and Brunetti from [ __ ] and these were dudes that had these street wear brands but nobody knew about it was very very niche I was very few had if you knew you knew sure and I used to get and Rick cloths from fresh jive and I used to get all this stuff sent to me because I used to wear it on MTV and back then I was the only one wearing that stuff I think the only other person wearing street wear it was later on was like Russell Simmons throwing fat farm and everybody oh but I was wearing all these brands and a lot of these brands were sending me free [ __ ] so eventually my my dressing room I had a small dressing room I shared it was literally like a closet it was just filled with [ __ ] so I opened up with two other friends first my friend Dave and my friend Joe we opened up a booth at a flea market at Caesars babies are like a swap meet hmm it was called Brooklyn Union gear company in 92 Brooklyn Union gear good yeah okay so cuz my two friends were in the mob so it was like the whole Union it was like oh god you ever like straight mobsters like their family so we're just selling you [ __ ] after like three maybe maybe like three months than worship the cell so then it's like well let's open up a shop and the person that helped me open up the shop was a guy named Vinny Rafa who owned dead-end skateboards and and hood he was like I'll help you did the dead this down Allah thing and then sure enough we opened together we opened up Brooklyn house okay in Brooklyn and then after like two years of being the only skate shop in Brooklyn at the time this was 93 94 95 ish I decided to come out here and I opened up Brooklyn house West with Kareem oh you opened your Brooklyn house West out here gotcha and then Brooklyn my friends left they like here take it so that me and reom had both of them and then in 99 ish I couldn't do the back-and-forth thing anymore so I got rid of nah I got rid of Brooklyn house in Brooklyn and just stayed out here mm-hmm and then in 2000 I had like a meltdown I know what I want to do anymore like I was I was still doing Brooke I was doing Brooklyn house I was working in the music industry it was a lot going on and then uh I was just like you know what I'm over everything so I quit my job in the music industry I shut down Brooklyn house it skateboard was in a weird place at that time 2009 United yeah and then in 2001 right after 9/11 we we opened up Brooke extra 2002 we opened up Brooklyn projects 2001 is when I closed down Brooklyn house I remember having it on a side street and Musca after 9/11 coming with his flag of America out of his Cadillac and like America we were all [ __ ] all hide [ __ ] and [ __ ] sad same time and that we closed down in 2001 and 2002 we opened up Brooklyn projects okay me and my my partner who passed away Murph mmm and Murph and then Here I am still I mean it's kind of crazy you know I've been through the wringer so many times with so many you know incarnations of my store and it hit me a couple years ago that like like I was telling you guys earlier I want the throw in the towel a couple of times because it's it just gets harder and harder and harder and you keep on reinventing yourself try to reinvent yourself sure and I understand why skate shops go out of business and it's become it's it's becoming uphill battle like but unfortunately my passion became my career this was always this is always something I wanted to have but I always made money working in the music business working at MTV doing consulting work for various brands mm-hmm I never I've never taken a salary out of my shop this is like a passion project it's a path like yeah straight and I do it for the community I give out more than I receive I mean last year my my business manager was just like dude do you know you gave out twenty six thousand seven hundred and seventy three dollars that's the number exactly wholesale product to your skate team now that's like it's already that's like $60,000 sales sure but I gave it up because I wanted I want to yeah I want kids to skate I've never told anybody know when I had my store in Echo Park literally people thought I was dealing drugs out of there because there was no business out of there but I kept it open because the community needed it and honestly I never sold everything I sold they are thinking about it it was a cost of below-cost because the kids couldn't afford it and it was so like it was so like I don't want to say heartwarming but it was kind of sad but it made me feel good when there'd be like three or four kids buddies mm-hmm and then one by one buddy would get like the new deck right but then like two months later that deck we passed on to his friend and then somebody we get new wheels and like each one of those kids had something they bought the store passed down them because they didn't have the money and I felt so bad and I used to give them so much free [ __ ] and like I remember my rent was like $1,100 over there which was nothing but I couldn't even pay rent sometimes because I was giving out all the product for free or giving it at cost because I felt so bad because I wanted these kids scape you know and I've been doing this so long and it sucked because you know you do something 2530 years you have a 401k you have a retirement sure I got nothing yeah I don't own a house I rent my apartment you know my goal is to build this up and eventually sell it but it's it's still hard I mean I reinvented myself with Brooklyn projects and then a couple of months ago a couple years go by and Street where's the thing so I am good I'm making money on street wear now and then by me doing that it creates this little microcosm of in fact Fairfax opens up well now I can't carry these brands because they have stores let me reinvent myself again and I did that again and then my lease is up okay you want to stay Dom it's gonna be ten grand a month I'm like I can't afford that okay boom Brooklyn projects the original location closed down I then had Brooklyn projects in Pasadena that was hard to go to eventually I lost Brooklyn projects Pasadena and then I became homeless for about seven almost eight weeks epic I became homeless for two months like I was literally sleeping on people's couches no home just my car all my [ __ ] in storage and then eventually I sold some BMX bikes I had got some more money together and opened up Brooklyn projects again where it is now but I remember I mean maybe they were saying it because they cared about me but there were so many friends they were like dude don't do it now is not the time yeah well I'm just about to say you got one in Pasadena you go on over here it's like what they said do not do it it's 2009 now recession sure don't do it don't do it don't do it don't do it don't do it I'm like dude this is all I know no we'll give you a job the hundreds will give you a job here or this one will give you a job here well I'm like no this is all I know how I want to do this and I believe in Syme not done yet I feel like I'm the guy that can hit the Grand Slam but I haven't gotten that right a triple I hate me hit a home run but not the Grand Slam so I'm gonna do it and then you know what a lot of people I'm not gonna mention names the first six months they wouldn't sell me they'd be like mmm I think they were like there was there my friend Erin who owns agenda you know one of my good good friends he owned a gender you got rid of buddy owns a network now but he was the one that was saying like jokingly after about a year and a half he's like oh you know when you opened up again there was like there was like inside bets like oh how long's it gonna last three months six months a year and it's like well that's cool to know but they were doing because they love they they don't want to see me fail yeah yeah sure but you know I like adversity I like give me something that you know I like the challenge that's all I know I don't know how to like relax you know any mean because I wanna I feel like there's so much to do and I think a lot of times and you guys know me for a long time I think my mouth gets in the way of my good intentions sometimes but I'm sorry passionate about things if I see something that's foul I'm not gonna be like every been our industry they know it's foul but then when the door closes and we're amongst friends oh man that guy's what a [ __ ] jerk you know what it did obviously you know you're a dick and they'll be like oh yeah okay well we're not gonna date him with you I'm like mmm okay thanks so it's it's been a struggle I mean but you keep it real I keep it real and you know here's a shocker I've never been embarrassed the one thing about me is nobody can call me out for anything I've been the same person for 30 years you could say I had long hair which I did I wore tight jeans which I did that's the only thing I'm guilty of in in doing that would be frowned upon today is my first store Brooklyn house at one point sorry at one point I was across street from a park and I did carry Rosie's inline skates I can't say I did because it doors open well let me tell you that was like at one point I was making like Nike SB money with that [ __ ] because because literally the kid will come in buy a $10 skate then weeks later he'll buy the eight all bearings then two weeks later buy new wheels another $80 then two weeks after that he'll buy another [ __ ] in pear pads then two weeks after that oh the new boot came out I'll need another new skate and it was just like rich kids did you get backlash from the local skaters there were you just tell him straight up what was going on a man like some of the biggest local skaters used to rollerblade I mean no offense I'm not gonna put you on blast bro but I have to but Giovanni Retta used to rollerblade I heard that before you know he used to he used to when he came to Gino Iannucci he rollerblade hockey hockey yeah yeah yeah but there were some skaters that you know they didn't make it but they were like they were really good in skateboarding but they they were like inline skaters they would do like the K rail they would they were grinding there in it and then eventually they went to skating more you know any means so telling me that all these people would my rollerblades from you a lot of people will buy role-based our skaters like I don't I put your names there's like two there's two or three that would buy the white Arlo eizember groceries and the Senate hoodie and all that they did but they were like 13 14 years old I get it and it was new it was new and you would see it around though - there people were doing it you go to the Brooklyn banks there was skaters and there was in liners Fram BMX is weren't even there yeah at the time so that's the only thing and I can be guilty of you know any mean and that was for a good year and a half okay but I also sold snowboards in there is this old BMX [ __ ] in there so I sold a little bit of everything to make myself money because I was 22 years old with a [ __ ] store you don't I mean and and if they're gonna I kept the doors open for [ __ ] 10 years you know any me and there was no foot traffic there it was like you had to take two trains and a bus to get there because there's in the middle of boondocks [ __ ] Brooklyn like in the middle of nowhere so it was just like you know that's the only deck I could say that but you had to do what you had to do right but here comes to my here's my other point I was young okay mm-hm what I do it now no no I didn't know I didn't really know about integrity back then at that time I found out about integrity through MTV mmm and I remember when I had the shop and I had implemented get going into about three years into my MTV gig two and a half years and I remember because I had nobody teach me about integrity you know you don't it was it was different back then Jerry and I remember being on MTV and I had to do this album release thing every month Oh or every week these records are coming out this week below blah so I remember talking about I think Cinderella the band Cinderella I'm like oh my god the new Cinderella blah blah blah I had to like hype it up it up happening exactly I hated I hated them I you know and I remember going out that night or that week and some of my friends you know first my Scott from anthrax was like my but my best friend he was like he was with somebody I think he was with maybe Kirk from Metallica and they were looking at me and they're like dude Cinderella really I'm like what are you talking about it's like you're really waiting fat son they're all a record and I'm like no don't like that and then kids would then fans but yo you Cinderella like I'm like whoa and then I started having this epiphany as I holy [ __ ] wait you're watching yeah people are like what the [ __ ] and then I talked to Scott and Charlie I was like yo like I don't get it they're like yo like you can't do that and then at the time I worked at Def Jam also I had the shop Def Jam and MTV oh jeez was an MTV pet paying you good way no really if I told MTV was paying me 500 bucks a day 200 it was 200 after taxes was 280 280 a week I do want to shoot a week so for every shoe is $183 oh wow about the end of the day I'm making you know [ __ ] three six twelve like a thousand dollars a month but he's back when MTV was killing it but I was doing one show and I wasn't like during primetime was that did anyone get like traffic come into your shop because of you be yeah a couple people I mean it it it happened later on you know after the year two it really started like people will come to the shop and and then people will come to shop more because I have my boy like Simon Rex who is on Dirt Nasty or like Eric nice from the grind come to my shop and like people had fought you know and but you know I learned about integrity through that because you know then at Def Jam I remember years later I something we'd have a our meetings right and this was at when Def Jam went with Island Def Jam right and I remember sitting in the I remember sitting in the a in our meeting and you would go in a tower meeting and everybody bring their their music that their wanna sign yeah hey what do you think oh I like it oh I like it like it did it I okay so they brought some stuff and the rule hidden unspoken rule is I got your back you get my back you get his back everybody say yes so we still keep our jobs to get our project signs so I did that and I remember Leah Cohen who was like the president Russell's partner pulls me aside that night on the way home he's like hey let me tell you something you're in the big leagues now I know for a fact you didn't Union like none that [ __ ] but you said I go and he was like my dad he's like a father figure to me and taught me a lot he go I go no I think I think it all sucked he's like why'd you say it I was like because I'm just going along so they could say yes to me goes well you know what I don't want you doing that I hired you because I want you to be the truth and if they hate you because this was gonna happen if I sign all these bands and they all fail and then well you and then you complain like yo well I'm gonna tell you like you said it was good to so what the [ __ ] so then between those two things I was like you know what integrity yeah that's why to this day no offense to any skate shop no offense to any skate shop out there to this day I have never ever ever ever sold a shop work oh really yeah to this day I do not sell shop words hmm I'm stupid but I feel if I saw a shop board well 35 bucks 60 bucks you're taking away from a pro we're sure you're taking away from Mashhad you're taking away from you know whomever you know Dan harvesty you're taking away money from them because a kid and it trips me out when I go in certain shops which remain nameless that even some prone Pro zone you go into the shop and there's 30 boards on the wall that are shopping and like 1015 boards are like pro boards it's like yeah I get you make more money but you're killing the sport it was like in the late 90s it was like the blank race the mini logos oh yeah I didn't sell those because Kareem is like the [ __ ] you're gonna sell those we're selling menace we're selling world yeah deeper he gets a royalty so I still don't and and certain brands recognize that like deluxe Jim Tebow oh yeah you know he gives me like extra love and NHS and you know they they they recognize like wow like you know he's he's in it for the long haul sure and and I'm very passionate about it and and my I have my integrity I'll never ever ever you know I'll never back down from that and that's why I'm kind of like the unspoken hate most hated man in the industry you know what I mean because a lot of people I meet later like like that I know if I never met they'd be scared to talk to me not scared but like this person he's a dick and you know but then when I meet them like later on like yeah man like yeah like so-and-so said that you're like you're this and that but you're [ __ ] you're [ __ ] cool like I don't know you know Mike yeah I know that dude right you know I mean it's like I just speak my mind and I I say it for a reason I don't say just to hate like we were saying before guys don't hate because it's like you know it's like it's a reflex like you know yeah yeah I want to be loved by everybody I want everybody love each other I want I want I want like synergy but it's just like I've done so much for the industry and a lot of people in industry mmm they've used Brooklyn projects as a stepping stone sure and Brooklyn house yeah because you know even like the big slap in the face and I didn't bring it up these are some pro friends that you've been that are on your show there are good friends of mine they even brought up like when they did the movie mid-90s yeah you know Jonah Hill goes on there and start saying yeah you know I was around the skate scene and everybody used to hang outs one shop hot rod in Westwood no dude nobody hung out there it was what you're emulating with the characters try be like Billy Valdez and this like Rheem and this one's like Keenan that was Brooklyn house on Melrose in the 90s sorry there was no other skate shop ranae's closed it was Brooklyn house nobody went to hot rod well people were hit were hanging out at hot rod I was one of them but it was before it was you and [ __ ] Anthony van England that's all people that Robbie McKinley and Cameron post fruit you know it wasn't people go in there but it wasn't like the scene at Brooklyn house where those guys were drinking I may have videos of them hanging out drinking a constant hanging out there [ __ ] this little lived over there right yeah so it's like they're bringing up to me like dude that was like that was like Brooklyn House and the fact that they didn't like oh my god you know whatever it is what it is again he's he's got it they didn't even give hot rod was either it wasn't it wasn't honk all that motor you guys knew you knew they'd make they made up a skate right to pick what was kind of like every shitty skate shop in the early nineties just like of course right but but as far as like you know I used to go around in the 90s to certain shops you wouldn't see you come into my shop any day of the week sure enough this Keenan hanging out there is Gino and our kopecki Billy Valdez Fabian Alomar they're all hanging out there drinking Hank just Justin Pierce when you come to town Howard hunter Peter BC all hanging out yeah they all hang out there that was like their go-to then we'd all go out because I was the key to get in till he's [ __ ] play this club so it was like that's where everyone meet up and that's that was the the there was all the shops that were there had their pros and then whatever I was just saying they like skate shops in general are always like I hangout spot yeah yeah I heard you wanted too much money for them to use your name in the movie hey man if 1.2 million dollars sorry I would enough I need you as my agent you could have knocked yeah help me more about those days do plea or tell us about like I didn't those guys there that was [ __ ] ever I could tell you a funny story but Kenan and Kenan who else was there but I had this reputation of oh my god she's so [ __ ] up but so I used to I was younger and in my 20s and there was a lot of like single Hollywood moms in their 30s that had kids they're like 12 13 years old and they would drop off the kid at the shop and I would take care of it you know they'd hang out like oh my god I can't a great time you saw guy Mariano and cream camel game a person did you has a ramp back then too and I had a rapid Oakland house is Brooklyn house no we had another Africa we had a backyard that we had a barbecue and beers that's it and I remember there was one kid and he a really hot mom she really was into me and I remember I remembered she watched I drinking as well she did yeah she did she was like oh my god I can't believe that this is actually you so so I remember like brown chicken brown cow I mean the kids in the front hanging out with like other kids and like guy and whomever's outside hanging out and then like I start like catching head from his mom and then Kenan walks back there and I'm sitting in the back and that's like dude get the [ __ ] he's like he's a dude what the [ __ ] I said get the [ __ ] out to go and then and then she's getting on bass so she gets up and she leaves and he's like dude that's [ __ ] that's wrong dude I'm like what he mean goes you got a little dude out there and he didn't have from his mom like that's just wrong she's gonna kiss him after that all right and then someone else you know so it was like that was like a you know a funny story and that's one of them another one happened where we had okay we a skylight in the shop and I member went to New York and some of the kids were [ __ ] around and this kid fell through the skylight and he [ __ ] cracked his head open I was bleeding oh [ __ ] and like they're they called me I was in New York like what happened we do I said I said first of all it's called ambulance like yes all right drag his ass out and said he fell on the [ __ ] Street Oh clean up the blood you know I mean so we dragged him out and you know this kid's name is Robert and you know he's fine now I still see him actually yeah but you know I don't want to [ __ ] have this kid sue me and [ __ ] like that so they took his sneakers and threw him on the roof then he climbed up did yes he was a trip and he fell in he fell 16 feet straight to his straight you know just back onto his head yeah yeah it was pretty crazy I mean back then those days were fun they like Joaquin and hanging out there and Gino and Eric but pecky and Costin and you know Tim Gavin and Kareem and [ __ ] Billy Valdez and favorite al Marsh Shiloh great house to me um Jason Till was to hang out there all the time [ __ ] it was just like a party we would meet there and then we go to the clubs you know Musca was a big part of it and it was just like schizo everybody know schizo oh yeah yeah let's not say his name three times I'll [ __ ] pop did you really yeah oh my god he that guy he's an anomaly let me ask you a question because I I think the skate shop thing is very interesting I mean you've been doing it for so long in like you know the landscape is constantly changing right now we got online a lot of skate shops are dying maybe some are thriving in certain areas it depends but like how as a skate shop owner how are you navigating and staying in business and not closing the doors like what especially like it's a lot of money to get paid for rain supply your own no room yes soon my ran you know his is I mean out all right now am i right nom bash say it's 70 to 50 $7,300 month okay that's a lot when you have like brisket job when you have my monthly expenses rent employees yeah it's about twenty-one twenty-two thousand a month and how do you do it though how do you I mean listen you got the ramp in the back which is great like it brings people in skates I mean maybe a lot of people want some free grip tape and some shirts yeah but uh like how does one navigate nowadays you know it's it's anybody knows the answer right it's tricky well well Nike it well Nike SB but you know what a shoe brand um you know we had this meeting and the new people at the shoe brand some new people not the old heads some new heads that don't know they're like Brooklyn projects why are we gonna do something with them like well where were you did a bunch of [ __ ] with them but they're like a like a street where Brandeis I got there a street where shop they're not really a skate shop and it's like see that's the attitude like a lot of shops would be like old Street where a street where Street where it's like when shops are closing in the early 2000s mmm because street wear was big but street where it got its roots from skateboarding you know I mean diamond is a streetwear brand but it's a skate brand sure yeah but you know I mean brands like ten deep the hundreds fresh jive juicy does all there's all street wear brands but they all have routes and skateboarding somehow someway and that's why the kids wanted yeah I think with me it's constantly trying to find that new brand I mean I get here's the thing if I drop certain brands that make me money like right now what makes me money Brixton obey Huff my own Brooklyn products line does great so if I dropped Huff you obey mm-hmm and Brixton like say then there'll be two or three cool guys skate brands that would be like okay we'll sell to you now but do I want to like get rid of you these guys which make me a lot of money to have your what like you're a drop of three t-shirts and a hoodie every six months in my shop no and when the kids come in asking for your product I'm like I tell him strap I go well no they're too cool to sell to us but I have these the 14 brands here that are way better than them and eventually they all come around there was like three or four brands I tried to get it you know my first when they first came out and they were really really hot mm-hmm no no no no no and then like people will come in like sometimes they're pros they're actual pros would come in y'all hook we don't carry our brand I'm like cuz your brand is too [ __ ] cool and then sure enough they call me right hey do you wanna I'm like yeah there's there was one or two brands after a while I'm like even though I I'm a fan I would love to have them the fact that they were dicks and they even [ __ ] answer me my emails mm-hmm I was like yeah I don't want your brand I tell my car your shit's wacky you too [ __ ] busy to [ __ ] answer an email I can get I'm gonna answer from jay-z quick and got an answer from you [ __ ] you that's how I gave things if I can call like jay-z and taking like tooth raised again on him on the phone or a text or anybody or Bieber or whatever if I can get them on a [ __ ] phone right and you can't answer an email the [ __ ] out it's frustrating for a skate shop especially one that's but I mean you have so many roots in skating and now you know it's close to coast and everything it's right yeah man it's it's it's it's not frustrating anymore it's really really it's honestly it's really really really really sad yeah it makes me depressed it really does I went through a really bad bout of depression years ago because you know think about like if you you know you help Roger you know you help him get to be the [ __ ] president of a [ __ ] media company like say right yeah you helped him and then now for him he could just be like yeah you know what here's here's a little something here's just a little sure crumbs yeah crumbs but but for you the crumbs is a whole [ __ ] meal to him Simon a thought yeah yeah but he won't even do that but you helped him get to that point right and him just going like this can kind of change your life a little bit mm-hmm but he won't you're like wow man what the [ __ ] did I do to you except give you I helped you get to where you have to be like what did I do to you yeah that I [ __ ] your mother did I King did I steal from you that I bang your sister but you like you said you you you in the last what a couple months or something you wanted to throw in the towel like I did how like it's it's I'm just trying to understand I didn't throw in the towel you know I know but I'm just trying to understand well this this game show I'm sorry does everything to do with your location of where you are compared to like the other shops around you there's all the shops except super supreme but designing a skate shop name is Sketch up you go to that doesn't put together skateboards I'm waiting okay if you're a skate shop you should be able to put a [ __ ] skateboard together that yeah yeah you know people would give me [ __ ] on Yelp because kids would come in with supreme bags here at first I'll put together alright put together no problem here you go yeah yeah but after a while I'm like yo why am i cleaning up your [ __ ] it's like you know no it's 25 bucks starting to talk to them yeah it's like oh it's expensive Mike well if you know it by your [ __ ] [ __ ] from a real skate shop yeah they're a brand look who waits in line ain't no skaters they used to it came in on the on the legs of skateboarding yeah it came in and helps skaters get to be who they are but the end of the day let's call for what it is if they didn't pay certain skaters you know they have a bank a bank book you know I mean if Louie Vuitton want to start a whole skate team and throw out millions and millions of dollars we've seen this before we've seen stupid brands come in like Skechers and stuff that will write you a [ __ ] check a hundred million dollars you know what give me a give me a bank account I'm young he's like yeah let's do this dude let me say this okay I'm not talking [ __ ] okay this is like pervy example and I'm not comparing the two but the railroad asphalt Yacht Club oh yeah okay why did they get those riders it wasn't because it were the cool brand Stevie had a lot do it but then the day like yeah we'll give you 10 grand yeah so Supreme okay take away the money take away getting free clothes that you could flip for a couple hundred dollars what do you have you know and it's like you know that they do right by hiring skaters to run it I mean my best friend one of my old friends Jeff penguins Brooklyn yeah you know Reese Forbes runs Frisco ha ha yeah you know I love that you know I mean I you know I [ __ ] I love that but it's not what it used to be I'm happy there to giving it back that way but I remember like rude words talking about it I've got to you but like when they're cherry video came out yeah it's a [ __ ] video why not offer it to skate shops and James like no oh no like why not I know you want to keep all of it's a [ __ ] skate video you you know if you were to gave your skate video to when skateboarding was going down the tubes if you would've gave forget about Brooklyn projects take me out of the loop if you gave like shops like Black Sheep [ __ ] humidity [ __ ] you know Familia [ __ ] Atlas whatever here's this here's here's here's the [ __ ] Charvet you guys are it's not online you guys have it you know whatever it would help them it would help them forget ten kids in like okay cool but I didn't do that yeah yeah so it's like what are they doing for skateboarding other than [ __ ] you know paying kids to ride for them and giving people like job jobs I mean I love it I love that pang has a [ __ ] job make you know running a company I love that Rhys is doing it yeah but what are you doing for the community right right right right well take all that out of the equation right and now you're a skate shop mm-hmm there's hundreds and hundreds skate shops I mean they're closing their doors today you want one got hit by a tornado you know like how is that like that that mode they have to relocate and do all this I mean it's very sad but it's like how does this how do you you know what dude like what do you do I don't it's not online anymore here's the here's the deal I never went online you don't have an online shop I have I sell just Brooklyn products t-shirts oh that's it okay no boards no whatever why because number one you have to compete with what cc everybody else yeah yeah so I think kids now I see it and people think I'm crazy but I remember a year ago I told people you need to work on your online store I'm like no dude the newer kids that were born with the [ __ ] phone in front of their face yeah they're the ones that are come out they want to be part of community they want to come and see it smell it get it now interesting it's going back if you can weather the storm it's going back to the brick-and-mortar Jeff besos he he is opening these he's going back to brick-and-mortar Amazon shops right yeah he took down yeah Barnes and Nobles right now I'm gonna open up my own Amazon shop which is a Barnes and Nobles electronics he's he's doing it now he's doing super mark he's sees it he's like men back around you think everybody's coming out of the out of their house when you get a set yeah thousand I see it here's a fatso like you want like you order so many things online remember you get this point like Elizabeth it wasn't exactly what I wanted you're still wanting like go and touch and look at it everything else how are you gonna buy and that's thing I never gonna go buy a [ __ ] like unless you know and you've written that board 200 times and you love that board you could order it online right CCS back there to catalog it was cool because it was new you looked in the catalog the pictures you couldn't oh yeah there was no shops there's a lot of shops when you get it cool and you get to put the board together but you didn't know any better you know I mean now it's like there's so many shapes sizes this title thing you want to go and get it now you want to wait like a week for your [ __ ] board you know they need and then I I feel like kids look my business has grown since 2018 to 2009 it's grown 13% oh whoa so it's not like it's like people are just not coming to me they are I'm selling more sketches than I ever have are you playing it out and you're like you said you got the Brooklyn projects brain goes right to gut that brand you're doing well doing very well now do you think you have an upper hand as well with you know you have Bieber coming in the shop and you have like he's skating in the ramp and stuff like that that was you are you planning some set are you in your head like okay listen I gotta focus on Brooklyn projects brand like let's do this I think this can actually move and help the shop and do are you are you planning 10 steps ahead or are you just going with the flow and whatever [ __ ] happens I think I was playing 10 steps ahead but after the second step it happened a month from now sure as far as Bieber he's done a lot from me in the shop yeah but it's also hurt me in a way interesting how so tell you when he started hanging out hard and wearing our stuff and tagging the shop and you know whatever and I loved it yeah that's great this was went to three years ago years ago three years ago I love him he's didn't he's been nothing but a true champion of me my shop nf skateboarding he loves skateboarding yeah he actually loves skateboarding and hockey and you know all the my followers went from like 20 something thousand to eighty ninety thousand cool button it went Instagram started changing the algorithm where there it was it would go by like how many likes you got it you know yeah so now when I would post a bieber pic or whatever mm-hmm a hundred thousand likes and isn't that but then those kids wouldn't like anything else oh said I Instagram was like oh this has got to be like some sort of fake come because he's getting on every Bieber picture or post he's getting X amount of comments this but then here's a here's my own here's another skater boom here's Sasha daily he'll get [ __ ] a thousand views not a hundred thousand views cuz and Instagram was like oh what the hell you know it was showing it on its explore page and it's just yeah the more [ __ ] that happens and more that it's being so it was it was hurting me so then I said you know what you know then I was getting a lot I was getting flagged a lot more because the people that were following me were like 12 13 14 year old girls and I'd do something off Kander and like you know now like the parents like oh flag I'm like what the [ __ ] it's just like so then I was like you know what I'm done I deleted the Brooklyn projects LA account really yeah I deleted it it was Brooklyn projects LA then the so I had Brooklyn projects that was that was flagged before the Bieber thing because I was posting all kinds of fucked-up [ __ ] I lost the account right three years really [ __ ] up [ __ ] and oh dude you don't even know I dude I'll show you videos later but then I was getting eventually like my account got deleted by Instagram so I couldn't I couldn't have I couldn't have Brooklyn projects anymore yeah so then when I deleted my account this girl had it a Bieber follower like my name came up again she owned it oh and I'm like what the [ __ ] her name was Madison or not and I was like she was like some seventy year old girl I was like yellow that's my name and I tried to get it from Instagram look I came all the paperwork all know we can't I'm like she took it and it's like she's reposting Bieber pictures on the ramp like she's like oh yeah so I share like 10,000 followers so then eventually I said to her ago look I'll buy it off you how much do you want and she [ __ ] hit me for 300 bucks I'm like yo here so I gave it she goes I said okay I'm gonna send you to my she goes now I get the money first and then I'll give you the the the the the name that password I'm like wow so she did it she did it and then eventually I got it and then I started it again and I built in them like 25,000 followers but Alyssa's it's it's it's real followers you know you're sure yeah yeah so here so so you you're not posting Bieber stuff anymore I post I think once I've posted him and I don't even tag him no I just post and people see it they see it because I don't wanna I would think that a brand would be all over that look you know what I mean if Bieber's coming in somewhere I mean Bieber's got what you know he's got a couple thousand followers you yeah it's got a few yeah I mean that that's that's a dream come true for some people you know because you saw it almost in an in a negative positive there's no ROI that's like yeah yeah you know for brand started like a skate brand started by Kylie Jenner if she's like the backer you know yeah it's gonna have 100 million followers but that's not no ROI all these girls that have like millions of followers are like Instagram models you're not buying Brooklyn quad you know but they're not even their own thing their own brain they don't have a brand they're just getting paid by some rich dude they're like hookers but they have like a million followers you know I mean there's no ROI anymore that's why a lot of people hit me up sometimes like influencers I got a hundred thousand I want to Brooke the prior stuff but I'm gonna do this in this I'm like why who cares like what do you what are you really gonna do for me you're gonna you know sell yeah and you know though there's been some YouTube stars that have I've tried because there were homies sure yo here wear the shirt you know whatever tag us that month I didn't sell that short I mean I sold maybe wanted to extra but it wasn't like Oh so-and-so's wearing it I'm gonna saw 100,000 yeah yeah it doesn't work like that it's it's it's no oh we get Shawn evidence wearing like good like 9 club sweatshirts on hot one hot ones and then what happened who's sick that people were tagging oh yeah stoked e but even even if you post something on Instagram and everybody's like I want to buy that I want to buy that I want to what are you coming out with I want to buy a water but you come out with it and then I do sell like 5 yeah you know yeah where I want that I want that I want that I want that you want it for free you know you don't want it I get that all time like a one point zero one percent exactly why it's it's yeah it's it's it's it's really fake actually you know like this whole social media thing it's just like you know it's souls are it's very bizarre because I mean well did you tell did you tell Bieber about that situation no I didn't tell him because you know I was talking to him about it years ago like I've got the conversation but he kind of said something in a joking like I remember I'm not throwing him on the bus I'm not talking [ __ ] but like we were doing something and he and I gave someone I gave up a bunch of [ __ ] to his friend mm-hmm like a lot of [ __ ] and then he post he posted it on his social media but Bieber did and this guy goes and I'm like thinking to myself I'm his [ __ ] kid took like Dallas Osbert [ __ ] and Bieber's like I'm just looking and Bieber you know justice set to like one of my employees ago i recharged $100,000 for his post and this cost the peanut like her but loud enough for me to hear it I was like you know yeah but that's the world he lives in listen he's done nothing but help skateboarding he really has he's helped my shop he's been a champion at my shop you know he started that drew drew houses faster he got like what Dominick he got like a bunch of [ __ ] skaters writing for him yeah David Loy I think for him and I mean he got like he's supporting skateboarders he's support you know what he's supporting more than skate supremist supporting you know at the end of the day because yeah sorry but you know what he's he's apparently he's going to be hitting up all these skate shops to carry his brand but he's gonna do it right and try to do it and we'll see what happens I I don't know but the fact that he's doing it you know what I can say with him when when he wore one of my hoodies I had 300 hoodies on Friday he posted it whatever on Tuesday I had zero well yeah online and in his store that have gone gone people were stuck I could still you know I could have still made more and I was sold them all sure so you know what he's done a lot I can't say he hasn't done he's that him little Wayne has done a lot for skating yeah huge even like Travis Scott people like oh like um what's his name from Gary from skate line yeah yeah yeah I love him he's the best dude he makes fun of my shop saying people do coke in the back we don't do coke it's weed [ __ ] but don't get it twisted yeah exactly one is green one is white um so um but he was like making you know I made a joke like Oh Travis Travis Scott like holding the the fish I was you know holding the wrong somebody help him out it's funny but you know Travis Scott he basically him in Nike SB just put a lot of [ __ ] money into skate shops and put a lot of [ __ ] people in skate shops that would never ever ever I sauce I saw skate shops I got it and I was I was just curious as my own mental note that had like six thousand eight thousand followers on Instagram I look back today or yesterday 12,000 14,000 double so he did a lot for skateboarding with Nike SB so talk all the [ __ ] you want he put money in the [ __ ] register he quit eyes on the skate shop you know and now he's set the bar high like Nike what do you have next you know name means there's always keyboard warriors out there I mean you know we did Justin Bieber little Wayne I mean we had Lil Wayne on the show I know it's great and a lot of people were like oh god I had the whole wrong idea of this dude like he actually is a skate rat he's a [ __ ] skate beats better than me loves I mean he's he's really really good he's too scared am i right he's really good and he was a fan he learned how this guy did for me it's not about being good right for me it's about riding the board and being in love with it you know this guy lives and breathes skip when he took skaters on the road with him and dude he came on our show was like oh yeah I love Don Dixon I'm like good job not what I expected a little winded after his shows he's going out skating old yeah yeah he took scares on the road to go skate during the thing and so they're always gonna be those warriors that oh [ __ ] these dudes and whatever but you know like you just said like Travis Scott put a lot of money in these skate shops pucks so much money yeah was great for the skateboarding community then of course he did like I said he's done more for skating than a lot of companies have done for skating crazy you know nay mean because everybody's a purist and if you realize it's that do you think Travis Scott knows that he's no I don't know are you dumb yeah who tells him that those I mean he tell them or not I think you know coming he comes into the shop and he came in right after the release the day after and we were talking he's like you know I said go thank you it's like I was like for the release oh how to do I said oh man dude he's like yeah yeah dude like a herd of ski shops cuz you know there was a push back you know if you notice every Travis shoe was available at other shops and available online at sneakers yeah every pretty much a lot of hot Nike dunks were available on sneakers app yeah Travis like no handful of skate shops no online I'm gonna sell it first sell it out and then everybody's got to go to the skate shops and get it oh that was his idea that was his idea and he pushed back he's like no nope I want to give it back to why why is that why is he so it is he does he skate or did he grow up skating or I I don't know much about Travis Scott so I I'm not you know what I know that man know that he has a hundreds tattoo he's a fan of the hundreds okay okay but I don't know I mean the story I heard is like you know he wanted to give back to skateboarding and I could use that to go up to the higher Nike SB use that to say hey we want to make this not available on sneakers and what people go into the shop and it it worked right everybody everybody got what they wanted Travis got his shoe mm-hmm Nike got SB got the hype and got people like yo we're [ __ ] back and in the biggest way ever and skate shops got [ __ ] thousands of people you saw that we were talking about you saw that Instagram Instagram is an e-book don't stop calling the shop stop demonizing it's like at one hand I get it cuz I was getting a lot of fungus but and a you never think that you were giving free [ __ ] out like this is [ __ ] porn star you know what I mean like like it's like you never I know I'm embarrassed dude it's like there's still like flux of people coming in to come to the shop to music today somebody came in like he was trouble make no oh man and in his like he's looking around he why not buying a Brooklyn products t-shirt Oh Mike thank you what's that work though with the you know people coming into the app like a you kind of it's a raffle or something Mike so we but the problem that we were talking about is there's this there's this app which is a great app called cop a date kind of weird name but cop date and it's just like it takes away the headache of giving out raffle tickets or doing emails and we've used this app a lot of shops blacksheep up you know a lot of shops have used this app and it's worked seamlessly kids go on they log on they join like a almost like a Nike sneaker and then the system picks out however many winners and let me size the out random and then they get the notification then they pay a $5 fee or $3 fee to cop date then they come it's great they come in with their phone with a with a QR code you scan it shows their name their size it's already it's already saved for right there boom so that's it easy no headaches don't line up is easy supposed to be easy most easy well all these shops started using because this this release was gonna be really really it could be dangerous like the diamond released me out the shop somebody you know gun got pulled out people got beat up he was got robbed it was insane it was crazy so we learned like with the sneaker culture [ __ ] it's it gets it's it's serious stuff when you could buy a pair of shoes for $100 and flip it for $1,000 I'm getting mine you know enamine shops got robbed by the way couple of shops got broken into and their [ __ ] got stolen so you know this this app was really good but then it just got crap cuz it got so flooded yeah it was just overload and then nobody know what to do is this shop started getting like oh [ __ ] the app like we're gonna mail this yeah it's like dude like I told people's like yo chill out they're gonna fix it I would talk to the app and you know what Thursday night you know it's already done fixed cool people log down on Friday okay it is fixed and they everybody got the thing and then you know what the people that did the emails and all that extra stress and work that a headache me people came in on Saturday boom thank you goodbye yeah yeah cuz they used to just be like a line outside no not no more now the line just like you come me I'm like yelled like a diamond thing like we I got into it with the dude because in the morning when soon as he opened up there I'm I seen the kids waiting line there was like probably before he opened up like maybe I'll 200-300 kids waiting in line for I think we had total of like 200 shoes oh wow so and then one dude just walks up I'm getting mine ain't nobody tell you telling me [ __ ] walk right in front line I'm like no B you ain't going nowhere you getting the [ __ ] off the line cuz he's threatening these kids and these kids are just little stinger looking and like y'all know we were here I was here first I got yo man I was here last night I gave these kids water you weren't here you ain't get and I got into with him I said y'all if you want to go do something scoffs let's go around the back well then the cops came and then they told to leave but it got crazy people I have video man people people are trying to bum rush the door it was like I was like you seen those videos like of like like Black Friday sales people beatin yeah it was like that it was like that so after that I was like nope that's gnarly for skate shops to deal with - yeah and it was never like that you know how many more about this a barber so they know what product we have the ass yeah yeah see they know it says you have when that person wins a raffle they automatically pay for it if they won did I automatically they pay for you guys get paid no no so they don't they don't buy the shoe from the app what happens is when you when you sign up when you sign up for the cop the cop data so then that they come to you to collect our shoe that they won and then they pay they pay they pay me I feel like that the app it's like you should automatically get paid for those people that I want it so that the app to make money mm-hm so they get all these this information always people sign up so the people that win data collection data collection oh yeah the people that win so these this app there's stores on there me black sheep Commonwealth Kings well whatever yeah you have followers now so this it's actually a good thing because now we have a handful community I have 18,000 followers on there like but these are people that want to buy so I can I can eventually go to them ago hey I have a Brooklyn projects collection I could send it to you yeah these are people actually want to buy yeah I said I feel like the app though she's like if like if that person wins the raffle or whatever it is their credit card should be paid like charge but the problem is is the money but and they have to come collect the shoes but the problem is is though somebody in in Milwaukee can win the right yeah these guys are coming in to person to purchase because then they don't want to touch the money because then they're gonna have to pay percentages and taxes and all that so basically all they do is they collect it's three dollars actually so if a kid wins they'll send the thing hey you won it's three dollars you know to them all right that's how the app makes them in charge no I don't get charged so it's a free app so if there's a hug to choose I mean to app the end of the day don't make in 300 bucks especially at $3 or [ __ ] entry yeah okay enter you know so oh interesting but I got a headache that day I got a headache with all it was a clogging on my feed dude you know and people are getting mad at us like yo [ __ ] cop day [ __ ] you guys I'm like well GB you're at mad cuz they don't know how to use it right yeah looks like it's not only that oh yeah it's like whoo you know we're not sneakerheads skaters most skaters aren't sneaker heads you know the sneaker heads they know this app they know what the deal is you know uh skaters we don't buy something and you know what dude I think the skate shops were getting a little bit too scared didn't know what to do if they would have just relaxed like I did yeah it's like dude it would have worked out it worked out they said they're gonna take it they're gonna take care of it and getting their service fix it was too many people it was this Christmas for the crash servers and it's like just let it let it reboot sure and what they did was and I got we got some heat from customers is on Thursday morning they shut down the wrath was supposed to go to Friday they shut down the raffle on Thursday like but they took all the shops off like done so kids like oh there's no more shops yeah we closed around 4:00 stop stop trying to log on cuz people they're trying to get sneaky like one kid DMS us I find it hard to believe this guy [ __ ] DMS us just the best [ __ ] I find it hard to believe that I didn't get picked I have 500 500 emails with ghost accounts trying to get that shoe and I didn't get pick I'm like bro are you [ __ ] kidding me like you're its reasons like that greedy [ __ ] so here we're doing with all these emails and stuff right and so once they got rid of all the shops for that whole 24 hour period people like oh it's it's not showing up and I'm like yeah it's dun dun dun Friday comes they put it back on no more raffles but you can log on see your place et 1 ok and then you got the notification right they calmed the server's yes yes and then Friday came they notified the winners and I looked and all the winners started getting confirmed confirmed they pay their $3 I see boom boom boom I was like ah this is perfect and then the kids came in lined up had their phone scan here's your shoes thank you bye okay that's it wow he's the whole thing I loved it it was the best should ever yeah well you made a lot of money they're building a second-story man Wow it's gonna be a 12-story melrose lunch a [ __ ] sugar fish trust me dude yes yeah the Nozawa baby yeah one thing that I wanted to talk to you about cuz I thought it was super interesting yes you're an interesting guy clothing prick I got a great story for YouTube one more thing to add to my resume yeah oh yeah this is interest or let's hear it oh let me let me put this on the back okay I got it okay I remember the house I do a skateboarding oh yeah but it was kind of cool it's gotten me laid a couple like so it this is a funny story so sometimes like you know listen this is like twenty fifteen years ago fourteen years ago when VCRs were still happening DVDs you know we used to have after parties at my house mmm you know me and my boy Greg and my partner Murph and Muscovy come to my house after the clubs and with chicks and all that and it'd be funny it's like the go to like they'd be going into like you know my kitchen and grabbing drinks and all that and I would take the girls into my bedroom you know two three four girls and I used to pop in the headbangers ball tape like hey this is no I didn't like everybody musk is like oh man he's going to the tape again ah that got really old so fast forward I was really good friends at one point in time with Vin Diesel oh wow what the diesel high-pitched yeah yeah you in Vinnie Marco Vinnie mark Vincent van but he was to be a bouncer at a club I used to work out back in the 90s and we had some friends and I reconnected with him when he did Saving Private okay and we were talking all that and then got that was Tom Hanks well he was in Saving Private Ryan he was a Vannucci he was great you're like are you [ __ ] kidding me I swear to god I've never seen I seen it I just don't remember it too well but he's in it Tom Hanks the lead yeah diesel was in it Vinny um yeah Vinny so be that Mars Mars the club oh not Mars no no no the Palladium and the tunnel all right and limelight he used to be a bouncer so frequented all of those by the way I remember you used to have pink hair yeah [Laughter] we used to wear anyway so Passover the fast-forward so we're hanging out and he's out here I'm out here we reconnect blah blah blah and he hasn't had a breakout movie yet it was like he did that movie and thinks something else I don't over the other thing was so um at his house I'll never forget he bought a brand new house up on Lookout Mountain okay and it was pretty small was nice but I'm in there and you know I'm acting like Dom I'm all over the place and his girls in the house of God I'm like just being like a [ __ ] lunatic maniac I've yeah yeah like yeah so he's looking and he's reading a script and I have it at home I got show it to you so I have it and then he's like later like an hour into it every leaves he takes his script and he takes a black sharpie and he he signs it to me right okay to dambulla blah whatever I forgot it says and then he looks at me goes I'm gonna get you a lot of [ __ ] with this [ __ ] script I'm like what do you mean he goes I want to make you famous I'm like okay so this is a script from the fast and furious his character his name was Michael whatever his last name is guy he crosses it out and changes it to Dominic because it reminded him of me oh so that's why he's Dom Dominic and it's in he I had that [ __ ] where it's Michael he crossed it and then and then my and then like I remember going to the premiere and he would you know like who's you know cuz I went to the premiere and I didn't wear a suit okay so our gonna premiere and he's like oh it's nice that you got dressed up like like this guy and then he was on oh this is a guy that the characters mild after and like him so it was just really funny that you know that that was like matter new VHS tape yeah yeah but then also he put me in xxx oh really I made it I had a speaking part that was cut out but I'm in it but but you could see me I'm part of his crew okay that comes out of the van helps rip apart the the Corvette mm-hmm and then later on I'm in San Francisco we filmed I'm in the club scene and I give him a bad but it got cut out but I'm you can still see me movie it with the vet I said yeah guy said I said got it you know he's like put there he's telling me I'm I got it and I'm taking something apart but he put me down and I got cut out whatever you can see me yeah I didn't do that but no but no I I did that he pulls it up on YouTube and I pull out the I pull the script I used to pull the script out no I gotta go for now so love it I love it I feel like we can stay here all night and listen to your stories bro it's great I'm certain of it will pop up yeah right but I wanted to ask you about you know skateshop Brooklyn projects Brooklyn projects brand yes right now you sell the zuni's which I find very interesting because a skate shop selling their product to escape to another skate it's I mean a big skate shop by the way so big this can also go back to James not so in Cherry videos to your shop though right here's the way I look at it there's a lot of skate shops mm-hmm mom-and-pop yeah [ __ ] zoomies [ __ ] me [ __ ] soomi's [ __ ] Simmons well the way I look at it is I was telling you a story I think you guys were here at that I was at a party randomly with Warren Buffett he was a club with the tunnel you know this this is like three have four years ago listen up he was there I felt like I do be in bed at night yeah this is the afternoon so in the afternoon thing it was like a birthday or so lunch it was something but he was there and I remember and he was there with he was friends I don't know who's friends at the family I was there with and I'm talking to my friend and his dad and we're talking about like you know telling my friend like yeah I'm I was thinking about maybe I want to grow my brand and I want to sell to zoomies and you know but you know every was gonna talk [ __ ] because you know Zumi Zumi Zumi but i don't know and it's like just do it so Warren Buffett comes over he just gives the conversation you overheard he overheard the conversation and he was just like he's like what is this you know you you know he's very inquisitive yeah you know I want to talk whatever and we're just talking and and then um knows nothing about my brand or resuming nothing nothing about skating even nothing zero he knows about making billions with the B&S at the end so then we were just talking and then um he he painted - he painted the picture to me that instead of looking at as as a bad thing it's like think of it this way how many shops they have and I sat at time I think 500 he goes okay so if you put your brand in there and let's just say every kid likes it that's 500 salesmen salesman he didn't say Custom 500 salesmen that you have in all these states that would never know about you that would push your brand which then will have a affect to that community and I'm like and he broke it down a little bit like not too much but I was like holy [ __ ] and then I took I stepped back and I was like you know what you know in certain cities you know being on tour mm-hmm you know I remember when I was on tour with like you know anthrax Metallica Slayer and going to certain cities I would love to go to the skate shops me and Scott from anthrax we would love to go like local cities like Lawrence Kansas skate shop ski but a lot of times there wasn't skate shops okay there was a zoomies there was a like a gadzooks or a journeys that but in certain cities certain towns that is the cool shop the cool kids and then you know when I sold to zoomies it actually it will help my brand but it also helped I think you know the community in a way because you know like I talked to some of these kids from going to the zoomies rocked ember thing in 100k oh yeah these kids are not like knocked over it's fun it's fun it's like it's super fun and it's so dope talking these kids because these are the cool kids in Kenosha Wisconsin Boise Idaho you know people have to take take a step back it's only helping the community because you know what one kid from azumi's literally just hit me up by two three months ago he I'm not wholesaling my brand to any skate shops now and I'll tell you why I'm I circle back but he's like yo I learned a lot and everything and now I have the only skate shop in town like like actual mom-and-pop that he opened up with his friends because of you know learning about the brands and making connections and learning about the business he used to he's like a college right now it's like I have a core stuff and people who go and get that stuff and so yeah yeah so they're not doing a disservice it's like they've grown my brand I sold to skate shops right and you know what two things happened some of my friends that own the skate shops they were like I love you Dom but why would I carry another skate shops brain in my skate shop right well you carry primitive yeah well that's a skate shop and a skater that was it you carry diamond well Huff those are skate shops and their brands so I had that fine the other thing was they would order $200 $150 $300 okay how am I gonna make my on that I mean I saw my own store granted but zoomies any brand that they take you know they're ordering double or triple that and then just recently I met the owner of zoomies Tom Campion dude I never met the guy I didn't know like joking around I was like who's this all dude like he did cuz up to me we're talking this and that best [ __ ] dude ever we're just talking politics and this street where escape were in a Brooklyn prodigy not from Brooklyn different like but it just sounds like who's this guy he's great very Sanders guy yeah yeah like you know Larry David scuse me yeah and I'm like what Larry Sanders is great too yes yes more like a Larry David thing in his and I'm like oh that's the owner of zoomies I'm like what you so unassuming but what he did for all his work he really gives a [ __ ] and the kids that work there they give a [ __ ] and you know what I think it only I think it only helps a skate shop because end of the day I think a store like like Vans having skateboards and all that that it once there between bands in a and azumi's it's you know I mean but nobody says thing about Vance Cazares there's there a skate shoe brand which by the way vans doesn't sell me hasn't sold me for 15 years that's another conversation but sorry want them do you want them to sell to you but by the who your neighborhoods let me tell you the story about vans yeah it's kind of funny I'll tell you the story about vans and I really don't care but it's kind of it's very very funny when Vance had that big you remember this when Vance had that big the big like uprising like it started poppin 2003 to 2004 remember they're like the syndicated it was like vans van so it was cool they did a lot of co.labs it was like the [ __ ] it was a Nike SB was a halo effect okay I started carrying it but back then you had to like if you wanted to skate hi you have to buy three other oh yeah styles okay a navy II Dustin don't lane TNT to get one of those okay I did it yeah for about a year and after a year I'm looking at my back room swear to God there was a hundred and ninety something pairs of vans that didn't sell and it was all these other shoes sure so I started saying hey listen I I can't yet get can I get some returns yeah sure I'll pop the email to show you guys I'm not kidding I swear my mother you got the email from 2000 and I say I'm looking but here's the thing so eventually I I start getting returns mmm no problem yeah you sense him she's back you get a credit I order X amount of dollars that could it get supplied no problem I did about three or four times I think the fourth or fifth time I get an email doing this way too much so I get email saying hey Dom you be on the lookout for a check for $2,200 that's like all right and due to the the constant return this that you know the returns of the product and product placement in your store and this and that we are no longer be able to sell you hmm I have the email I swear to God and almost like wait a minute you don't want to sell me because I don't want to be a stockroom for your [ __ ] mmm okay so I was like I was bummed that's like a [ __ ] it you know I mean all right whatever so fast forward I opened up my new location and I hit up the rep and I was like yo what's up like this that another think I'm a back blah blah oh yeah I'll call you yeah yeah sure three or four or five months nothing so then I got really pissed I put the email on Twitter and say you know cuz people will come in and ask me Marcelle vans you have a ramp like like like I saw i watch caravans steve olson this one that pro that sure this is the reason why because this dude doesn't want to sell me because I didn't want to [ __ ] be a stockroom so then years after that I saw this do it at a trade show unless hey man what's up and he kind of gave me a cold shoulder like you know if this was the Dom 20 years ago I would have knocked his teeth out but I was like are you whatever and just recently I was up at the hundred K mm-hmm and we were talking and Steve Van Doren was there and we're talking and it you know I saw and this one everyone I was like yeah it's like I don't want to bring it up to him but I told his SOI it's like it's kind of wack that you know at one point I was like Stephen Doran knows me from at the time and I was 12 or 13 I was like the only like I remember him saying this I was the only sponsored kid in Brooklyn like BMX like I was actually sponsored by bands in 1982 okay and it's so funny that I have a skate shop a ramp I've been there and somebody a nobody and this the problem with skateboarding nobody of any sort of like history knows history and there's people there you know who I'm talking to some people there at that that know that has been around they wouldn't think like hey shoe brands in their every breath why are we in Brooklyn projects there's nobody else there's nobody else there and that's the problem skip one you got like idiots that are not doing anything they're taking their job they're getting their check and they're not doing anything they're not doing they're not they're not they're not questioning anything what's going on like why aren't we selling to Brooklyn projects is there a reason did they owe us money no did they stiff us for money no did they did they back to our stuff no do they have no accounts no what's the reason you tell me if there's a if there's a legitimate reason oh there's a fitness sixty shops no there's nobody around me supreme well they carry four styles okay who there's not a skate shop right all right so it's kind of like it's pretty pathetic and and that's that's the problem people in positions that don't see that questioning it just to do their job that's like dition have their the they're the [ __ ] cancer in the in the industry and that's the things there's a backstory to it there's a story to tell yes which people love where you love that right it's it's a hat the email set and I remember cuz Dustin Dolan why don't you carry the shoes once you carry my shoe I'm like y'all dude here's the email he's like well that's [ __ ] up I was like yeah and then I'll make some calls but then like a week later he's like hey you putting that Twitter thing out there is not that really good I'm like hey dude this has been like you know listen if something doesn't call me back and again I'm big on respect yeah if I email you once twice and you just just are trying to like reply to your customers coming in there Bailey why don't you sell to them wait right here trying to like like tell this ad right I said this is why I don't sell bands here this is the reason yeah you know here's your check well here's your product here's your money we don't wanna sell to more because you're not we're basically taking back too much stuff okay and now you're at the time right now that now their whole program is different it's changed yeah and I still like get it from all sin and hosoi like dude you want me to talk to sounds like no I don't want you to talk to but the thing is I don't want to put Steve indoor in a place because then it creates a it creates analyst shitstorm the guys in it way he's gonna go like you know you know open up and I'll do it the people in position they I'm sorry but if I opened up a skate shop in [ __ ] whatever you know like let's say New York okay if I opened up I've a count if I had a excuse me a company and I want us all to New York who's the [ __ ] hot sketch up in New York whoa wait labor yeah why I would question why are we in there oh they don't want it okay or I don't know we never went there it's not like I don't want it like like yeah give me vans I have your other [ __ ] shoe brand in there and it sells so I mean yeah so what is it then the people that are in positions that like that doesn't even occur to you this like you haven't scratched your head like hmm why aren't we in there Oh Dom doesn't want us okay [ __ ] them and that's what's that's what's killing skateboarding that's one of the things another thing is there's a lot of brands that a few brands that oh we can't sell to you yeah why oh you're too close to supreme I'm Mike just been going out for years right and you go in there basically trying them trying to protect the people had already sell my [ __ ] right but then you go in there and there's one t-shirt yeah and you go back three minutes later there's no t-shirts some of those brands eventually sell to me and it's like you know one of these brands was was a it's funny story it was wrapped by a pro skater hmm was a friend of ours mm-hmm he came in he's like how come you know sell this our brand in here I'm like I try but you know they were like supreme it's like dude you're a totally a different customer and like they order two boards and I'm gonna give it to you am i cool yeah and I did and he did and later on that they stopped care cuz supreme discards old they're all boards and crooked and that's it they don't they don't they have like temple words and wants it and he was telling me he's like dude he's like don't that the company it's like they're tripping like you order like he swear the guy said he goes you've ordered more in one month than Supremes order in a whole year almost because it sells in like yeah I I'm not gonna order one more ten boards I'm or two t-shirts and more sooner because I sell it yeah people come and then they kind of fog stupid because then I met the dudes and I own it then these are the dudes I didn't want to answer my email but then they're like oh [ __ ] and it's like sometimes like it's like I find it really weird and strange and funny when there's certain skate brands that sell to like they won't sell to me but they'll sell to Dover Street Market mmm only so many [ __ ] like six pieces six pieces yeah like like cool and then two months later they don't carry you at all then what you know you think you think I mean think about it when we were growing up guaranteed over didn't give a [ __ ] of your Karen or not know that I don't even exist they don't care I mean the literally don't don't care and it's like let me quick you're carrying diamond you're carrying how forever how did you feel when they opened up flagship stores like only a block away this is how I feel and I just said this actually funny I said this and I caught a lot of heat but good heat hmm I was in complex thank-thanks too complex they did the top ten pioneering stores of street wear go of all time I was like number seven or eight Wow I'm up there with Union I'm up there with all these up concepts and my cool and I said this and it's the truth if it wasn't for me and you guys have been around a long time and you you you got you guys be on the west coast you know this turn you know this to has you've been around you know if it wasn't for Brooklyn Brooklyn house Brooklyn projects and there'll be no Fairfax because James is very smart James looks and sees okay there widens supreme open up before me or right after me it I I helped these brands and the hundreds you know they say this all time like you know and diamond said this like I gave a store for them to put their stuff in Hollywood there was no other stores I created a movement there it was that was it the ramp everything was there mmm-hmm and that allowed people to open up on Fairfax and that's what it kind of like it bummed me out at first mmm-hmm because certain some brands were like oh we can't sell to you no more really after carrying you for [ __ ] five years you can't sell to me no more because it's like opening a flagship store certain brands were like hey you know what we're gonna work with you we're gonna give you a and B we're gonna take cdefg okay cool you would fit you would figure that it's like alright we open a flagship store close to you but you would get the this stuff two weeks in advance before they sold in the stores like that yeah I wished it was like that the only thing that ever did was like certain like diamond at one point did like hey pick the design tomorrow you're gonna get your own color ways yeah that's great hundreds hey we're gonna give you these pieces we're not gonna carry them mmm like these are a top 10 styles pick to size which you people come to so you happen to go to Brooklyn projects sure you know and it worked but then it just like it it had to reinvent myself what what do I do then there's the second way of a street wear and it was like the brands like you know like the future feature I had a brand fil through maharishi and then there was like the green apple trees and then there were certain like the second waves the red clay and the ten deeps that's that that's what started to kind of like keep me afloat taking it wasn't lrg like you guys were real OG a lot right yeah we were lrg towards the the second the second way of the first wave they got too big and they didn't want to sell to anybody there was so big and they did a lot for skateboarding - yeah you know allergy did a huge amount was gate boarding and you know but it was it was a really it was a it was a bitter pill to swallow and you know there was some friends that you know to be very you know upfront and honest there was some friends that I was really like you know I was kind of like you really start seeing the people for who they are almost true colors and you know I don't mind you know like like like mentioning names and do you mind I mentioned some names I don't want to get you guys I'm not talking [ __ ] I'm being very very upfront now I mean but see your story okay this is my story okay but I'm but it's not it's not a bad thing it's just like it's almost like clearing the air you know II mean you know it really hurt me like it bothered me like I know everybody loves him I love him too I think he's great but I'll give you a perfect example one of the kids that who I love I think he's one of the best skaters hands down in the world period is Elijah Burrell oh yeah yeah Elijah was like my kid I was taking him at the club's at 13 he wrote for Brooklyn projects I have magazine things a response program I love yeah and you know he got on FA and all that I'll love him but you know what when I see him he's still the same Elijah what's up Oh hug [ __ ] talk that shows like you know the answers fun I love best best dude but then you have a kid like you know Raquel who used to hang out at Brooklyn projects I given him so much baby signups I know his father he's Kareem's cousin and then it was you know for a reason when his shop closed down he hung out supreme he got sponsored whatever but I was getting him giving him [ __ ] thunders look I get him all kinds of [ __ ] taking care of him and then like he did this article in and I'd even know about it it was brought to me by somebody I remember who but he did this article in high P so how'd you get to skating and he says like I was hanging out in Hollywood I used to I used to skate for this shop on Hollywood Boulevard and it closed down and I started getting down with supreme and so and so forth I'm like man are you that like you're not Kel Smith you can't say yeah I was [ __ ] [ __ ] I was walking with Brooklyn products that closed down I started hanging out with Fairfax got supreme and my life is change forever cool and it's like wow that hurt you it hurt me because I hurt you and every day anything wrong to you right right right and then it all goes back to but my like it's like now my infamous moment with Jason dill having a you know an issue with Jason dill by not selling the FA him at the time I think Jason Dill's one of the most talented illest favorite my top 10 favorite skaters of all time period hell yeah period the guy's a [ __ ] legend yeah I love him yeah is he quirky yes but I love him yeah and you know first of all if I hated to do it I have his board hanging up on my [ __ ] store and it says you know just like every other board next to costings board next to Keenan's board next step of pecky reams Musk is everybody's board to DOM and Brooklyn house thanks for being here for me 365 days a year bulla blocks I used to [ __ ] give him whatever he wanted you know and we were friends yeah we were friends I have videos him at the shop hanging out like we were [ __ ] homies and then he was hanging out the new Brooklyn projects watching videos coming in you know whatever and then one day I just asked him I said hey man you know can I get some F ain't [ __ ] awesome the story look me goes are you [ __ ] crazy like you know you know the rules I'm all priam doubt I can't [ __ ] sell you had how dare can you even ask me that I felt like wow like I felt like a like a dick like really dude me and I felt like it I was like tormented like like I want to crawl up and cry or I want the [ __ ] punch him in his face so I said you know man [ __ ] you dog don't you know [ __ ] you don't even walk around here go [ __ ] yourself you know that's a dick you know what you could have said you know what there's been Brandis said you know what Dom I can't sell you I can't but if you want stuff for yourself I'll give whatever you want mmm you know what I mean but I remember when he started [ __ ] awesome with Mike piscatella and Rick Rodney and I was there when he went to fresh thyme and fresh chives back I was there throughout the whole thing I have old FA pieces and you know I still wear it I love it so I kind of like [ __ ] me up because you know on one hand that hurt me but then it's like I don't know if it's like that I don't know it really bothered me because this a guy I thought was like a friend and then I have a guy like Zach from FTP this brand FTP which is like the hottest brand next to supreme who don't [ __ ] with nobody he's coming to me is like yo Dom look let's do a collab let's put Brooklyn products on the map let's look I'm sorry like people know yeah it's going on right you know I mean you have a guy like him doing it and I'm like wow look at that right this is a kid that remembers come into my store he has to hotspur he doesn't need [ __ ] from me zero this guy he did a DC shoe in his line of 800 people waiting to buy a DC shoe at one point this guy's like you know he's he's like the new face of Street where a skate culture whatever you want to call it but he is the dude he don't [ __ ] with nobodies very selective and he's coming to me saying yo man you deserve more than what you have I want to help I want it whatever I could do to help you let's do this hmm and people like but FTP scold I've been with you get the [ __ ] out here Mike yeah dude like they don't believe it and it's like here's a guy I did nothing for except be there you know sir just like be in the shop is for sure so nice right yeah nine sell his product I don't even sell his product he was a customer there's a kind of customer as a kid and here are people I looked after and cared about and did everything for and never never told them no and you're you you act like I don't exist like I'm like I like I did something wrong like if I do something wrong and I've done a lot of wrong things my life I'm expected to like if I saw Virgil habló I'm not gonna be what's up I'm but yeah I know we I really like you and if you don't like me I know the vibe I'm not gonna be like Oh Virgil you know didn't let me in the show okay peg why I'm like yeah I get it I understand hundred percent you know or if you know a certain skate shoe company or are talking I get it but that when certain things happen that I don't understand because I was always there for somebody it's just mind-blowing I just don't get it and that's why it's like oh I'm bitter desert this is story why I'm bitter it's not like it's like you feel [ __ ] yeah I do feel [ __ ] and it's like and I and the reason I feel [ __ ] is because I've given 25 plus years of my life to this mmm-hmm you think and you could work at McDonald's for 25 years and own a house and have a retirement I don't you can do a lot of things for twenty five [ __ ] years and have something yeah I spent the better part of twenty something twenty-two over the 25 years helping other people because the way I grew up is like working with bands you know like I worked with you know anthrax and then you know Testament was on the road and they needed a bass tech and I can oh I'll help you guys out I'm like oh [ __ ] you know just on the love I think that's what they did it to her hey Dom you want to come like yeah sure right help each other out you know music industry you know like I signed this band this manager has another band I'll check it out I signed them then later on he's like hey dude you know I got a record label you know it's like it's like wanting a washer help each other out we're friends right a cup to skateboarding in the beginning but it was like then beginning early 90s 90s late nineties it was like that but then seeing all then this new [ __ ] and it was like it's just so like it's just so [ __ ] up and if I didn't have like if I was a if I was like a scumbag you know I wouldn't have like I want to be on the show first of all cuz you wouldn't want to touch with a ten-foot pole number two number two yeah people like muska still my best friend right right I have some of the illest riders riding for me I have like Kareem and cost in and you know people Steve you know people certain people that are like legends that consider me family if I was a bad guy if I was like such a stain Jim Thibault ain't gonna be looking out for me and like let's do some we're broke you know all these people would not want they wouldn't [ __ ] [ __ ] with me right so when I see other people I have helped who are in a position to like let me throw a little bone mmm and they don't and these people I help then you have people that I didn't help going man why aren't you like dude we need this we need the [ __ ] we need to help that right let's try to help you do that mmm it's like you know it's like it's it's it's [ __ ] it's disheartening it's like what damn it's like [ __ ] yeah it's like it kind of goes back to what you were saying earlier about like helping him Roger become president right in and throwing the the from the farms right it's like you waiting for the crumbs you know listen you help them become something then everybody's waiting for the crumbs but the crumbs don't comment for him it's just crumbs but to me it's like a whole meal right he won't even take the the like the way the way I was kind of brought up is I'm the breadcrumb trail like the way I do it is if if I'm thirsty and I have like this can of soda mm-hmm I'm that person is okay if I'm thirsty but I know you're more thirsty to me right I'm gonna give you the soda with the anticipation with the thought of like you're gonna drink half it and give me that I'll give you that right most people let's take it thanks a lot daya thirst you know that's how a lot of people are it's how I feel and it's like and now you know coming out with some press on like a complex and I said and all these like little blogs I'm doing this now I I don't I don't have anything they could take from me so if I talk [ __ ] or speak the truth let people know what are you gonna do write something you don't sell me what do you gonna do talk [ __ ] but you let me do you're gonna come see me at my store are you gonna come the faced by all means let's go you can't do anything to me that you already haven't so what do I have to lose so now I'm see I'm just like might want this is my 25 year anniversary this year oh wow so I'm going out there and I'm trying I'm doing collabs all a bunch of different people and so on and brands and so on and so forth and I'm just gonna go out there and I'm going to just tell the story that needs to be told of this is what I've done I have proof I've done this and I'm here to get recognized for it if you had the money to like reinvent Brooklyn projects like what would you do in your retail space to make it different if I had the money to redo everything just like its stuff from scratch okay what do you think like the retail space needs to be now if I had the money my what I was trying to do is I wanted to create a place I don't have kids I don't have brothers or sisters I'm just by myself I do want to like it's funny I did a will I turned 50 yeah I did it well I did a well and I left my BMX collection to have extensive BMX lectures one kid but what this with the name of the store I haven't finished yet but I'm gonna give it to a couple of my closest employees and my friends because when I die I want them to continue it carry on how are you not sure but if I do it right I would love to do like a space where it's I always had this dream about doing an indoor skatepark venue skate shop all of them everything in one and make it multifaceted like you know like you come in the front it's the coolest skate shop then you go on the back there's the [ __ ] skate park and then inside the skate park there's a cafe a coffee shop then at night there's we do events we do concerts it's like it's like it's a multimedia place yeah yeah um you know a [ __ ] carousel like yeah yeah that kept you exactly exactly and you know my idea now is like like I said you know I threw through people like zoomies and myself like you know my brand is growing for the you know the two three designs that carried kids see it they go [ __ ] and they come to online and I'm selling shorts in places that I would never ever sell sure sure ever right you know like like from like the Fargo know North Dakota and coeur d'alene ID you know all these places like it's like I would never get there sure you know I mean IIIi want to you know I want to open up more stores and I want to do right I want to be there I want to be a cultural a cultural center I want to be a mom and pop but I want to be there for the kids like I said giving out $30,000 a year with the product out of my pocket even like some pros we're telling me like dude watch make shot boards and then just don't sell them just give them to the shop riders I'm like that's a good idea cuz now instead of costing $35 every time I give a board it's gonna cost me $15 but then it's like well different shapes and advertising yeah that's advertising but it's like I don't I don't want to take away choices from a kid mm-hmm you want a real board take a real board you want a Deathwish board take a Deathwish board you know what you want Nikes it's way cheaper well well yeah I give them sneakers make sure you rock stickers on your board of course that's the easiest way but I want them I want kids to skate i-i've never told any kid no right you know and and after a while after a couple of months I do kick off people because there were some kids that just give me a video give me a clip once a month something and they just take take a pic they don't do it yeah so it's like you know what next I can't well do that it's great I don't you guys have you guys gotten broken knew before like people steal [ __ ] right like four three times or we got the worst time was 2008 old location they did a real [ __ ] up they they this was like the worst by far they clip the power okie legit they clipped the power to the building the whole I think the whole like three stores cheese they clipped the power and then they they put a chain or something and they they we had a big metal door in the back they ripped the door off the hinges and then they literally cuz alarm the power was off so alarm wasn't goin on they had like a power outage at the alarm company they called me saying hey there's a power outage and I'm like that's weird and and I called my neighbor who has a story he's like yeah well no power either Mike oh I thought maybe it was a communal everyone yeah right right I go to the store in the morning I not I had nothing I had nothing left I had like I had me I had nothing I had probably like a thousand dollars with the merchandise they took about 60 grand it did they left me with they took my computer I mean they left me with like hangers and [ __ ] on the floor like they took everything for me and that was out of business for [ __ ] six seven weeks because I come back from that yeah had I come back from that after two months of insurance investigations insurance sending people like two different investigators take a lie detector oh my god yeah we we got a check it wasn't a lot like insurance yeah no so my fault I never kept you know a lot of invoices once I put the prime I throw it out you know oh I see well show us show us proof they took a you know they took a hundred thousand dollars worth of [ __ ] show was proof right oh I can get was fifty something thousand dollars worth of proof so all I got was fifty seven thousand dollars so I got it then we opened up and literally that same year our lease was up and then the landlords like you know hey yeah I said where's the lease where's the lease where his lease at the time we were paying like forty three hundred forty four hundred dollars a month rent which was a lot back in two thousand nine terrible any terrible no it wasn't no no no no it's not but it it was great I was happy for forty five hundred five grand I'll take it all day and then he comes to us and this is why we closed down on the original location he comes to us and he says okay well you wanted to Lisa McKenna he goes we'll give you a five-year lease I'm like okay but your rents gonna be ten thousand I'm like ten thousand this is a recession for ten thousand how you gonna charge me 10,000 9500 I'm like wow and this would be tells me with a straight face it's like well we always see people here you're making money you pay your rent on time so that must mean you make money so we should make more money it's like just cuz I pay my rent on time and I have kids here doesn't mean they're all buying and gobble it yeah what the hell it's in sand like well then they thought they had me that guy wasn't gonna leave so I'm just like later well I'm leaving yeah and I left well they left you no choice that left no choice and then I had you know I had to find a list but I couldn't find a spot and then I had the Pasadena Store and that was like a that was just a nightmare cuz the recession had to close that down like I said earlier it's like I became homeless and I opened up the new location in 2010 it's so crazy I feel it's frustrating I mean owning a skate shop and doing it and trying to keep it in bits it seems so frustrating it's it you know people not believe it's like the passion it's but it's frustrating people do not believe me and this is the Gaza and I feel like a sucker telling my business I make my money doing consulting work for this brand consulting work for this brand if the shop pays my car payment pays my cell phone bill and gives me about $2,000 a month that's it okay and it's my consulting gigs from various tech that's how I make my living that's how you survive I can't if I want to take a salary from the store well I would I would have to hire I would have to get rid of two three employees now and then I can take the money but I like I have five employees I like yeah I paid them very well I pay them very well I paid them commission and I'm happy helping them you know I'm happy I've never ever I'm a small man shop and I've never ever liked if it's slow I don't send somebody home I just still pay him the full thing cuz I know what it's like when I had a job and I hear this horror stories like there's certain people that come for work like yeah my job come ours I'm working six hours a week how can the [ __ ] can you live like six hours a week you can't you can't no you know and there's not we can have I mean this certain people I go to certain like I go this one spot to get tea drinks and some of the workers there they have like four or five jobs I'm like that's insane like I couldn't four or five jobs well yeah I work three days here and I work two days here I work three nights here and then I'll tell you I do that it's like whoa just two times yeah la stuff if say you say you didn't have any consulting nothing say you opened a shop I mean how does it had as a shop survive it's without any if that's their only means of swaiiow I thought about it right it's it's how do you do it you well you you first open up in a in a in a community that needs you true true where there's cheap rent and there's a lot of kids okay number one number two again I can't knock it you sell your for every the way I say it is for every Shopp board you sell you should be selling five pro boards yeah keep that keep the industry alive and then do your own brand your own griptape your own t-shirts mmm because now you're making higher profit margin and that's how you stay in business and low overhead you know I mean it's like unfortunately it's really hard with the internet but again if you wish the over and enter that whole ecommerce you know it's a funny thing that funny story this is true my a good friend of mine named Michael Marchetti he was like the CFO of EA Sports years ago oh well my childhood friend in 97 96 97 he came in and he was doing this thing with me he brought another dude and they had a company called Net Zero I've heard of it yeah right it was this new thing the internet and that time it was like talking about flying spaceships you wouldn't think yeah but they were coming to me with orders every month say we're building this store for you on the World Wide Web I'm like I don't get it it's like it's just like a store it's in like this like spot on the computer I'm like okay but they were like testing yes fulfill these orders right so they become and then we give me a list and they would sell they would put I don't know how they did they just put like images from at the time don't do I game a dwindle catalogue and they would just buy all the dwindle stuff and every month they would come with 1,500 1825 jobs worth of orders of skate [ __ ] you know Dark Star men is sure and I would get it and I'd give it them they pay me to fulfill it fulfill it you know I would give it to them yeah and they would they would send it out oh god I would just buy for them and I make my money yeah after about four months it was a testing it was a beta test for an online store they would be like hey we're gonna be pulling this but if you want this we can give you everything you can start doing it and and this is gonna be the wave of the future and I'm just like oh yeah yeah I I don't get another thing for me to [ __ ] do no and then what order from like what like a chatroom like I don't understand it so I said no so going back tight like yeah I don't wish I entered the e-commerce business I do wish that ten years ago when I was helping all these brands do things marketing wise push them on celebrity friends of mine like the Diamonds the hundreds I've I would have done a brooklyn products brand back then because because every brand literally nine out of every nine out of ten brands I've helped they're all like millionaires and have housing because it was a time timing and I didn't I didn't you didn't jump I didn't jump 100 miles everything time he's everything I started late with my brand right I started it three and a half years ago I mean I made a t-shirt here but do my brand I did it started doing it three years ago but it's grown in this climate it's grown I think it's growing because I'm not talking [ __ ] but I think that a lot of the brands that were popular the mid-2000s those became like heritage brands those are your dad's brands because when you think about it the kid that wore diamond when he was 21 like say or 19 now he's 38 39 so now he has a kid that's 15 14 12 13 that's like our fathers wearing like Billabong or my dad wears yeah you know the one'll you know so it's like they became they became the heritage brands so now it's a better place for me because when you go into like azumi's for instance it's not like I'm up against 20 hot brands I'm in my own place and it's new and it's fresh because the designs III kind of create our designs of like they're in the same vein of like brands that don't want to sell the zoomies and want so only online and there have their own things so I'm kind of like in that little halo effect like those are the cool brands that will never sell to shops or whatever but I do designs that kind of like which is based like 90s stuff redone that's my ethos so I'll do it it's just like I caught a lot of heat by doing a cold I did a collab with the hundreds just recently and I took inspiration let's call it from a brand that was my favorite brand that doesn't get a lot of credit called pervert from the 90s okay and pervert was a brand that the designer like he also helped he came from like fat farm and you know I'm like it's it's yeah well he's from New York and he moved to Miami opened up animal farm and he joined a cult and he threw away / Ripper was like them it was a line of Ag of a dude or something wasn't it I know the logo well the first logo was the Keebler Elf tree and it said pervert and but the guy made the guy was supreme before Supremes pervert was supreme cookies pervert was supreme before supreme was and so I copied a lot of their stuff and I because the designs are so dope and I I said this is taking inspiration from pervert and you know the shit's old and it was sold because it looks so different but it was 90 stuff it was very it was stuff that was it was all around so I think that's why my brand does well it's because I take my 90s ethos and I'm putting it whereas the other brand still still stuck in like the 2000s is still trying to chase their old consumer and you have to think you always have to think tensed like you said 10 steps ahead like you got to think about okay if I'm if I'm gonna like start you know trying to cater to people in their 30s okay what's the next step because they're good for like three or four years I gotta start changing designs where and not to bring up the hundreds because then ask a print but they do have some sort of roots and skate they did a good job of reinventing themselves where they appeal a little bit to the 30 something year olds but they do some designs that appeals to the 20 something year olds so it's a it's a fine line and you know a lot of skate brands that do it like butter goods okay they do it all timers does a really good job I think a quiet life does an amazing job Huff yeah still killing it have you seen our designs you're the best like you party like catering thank you you know I love when I go in your shop the boards you have in the wall are like the actual like older boards you have oh yeah sign yeah yeah are amazing yeah and that's you know it's funny we had to argue about some guy not me but the kids in the shop it was crazy I have like three muskets musk is like three generations of musket boards you know and the guys and the guy was coming near saying that's not muscular signature you guys [ __ ] good dad and like you serious that's not musk you say I know I'm like and I'm hearing it I'm like do I even like bother I'm like now my guess anything but like this guy was convinced I just signed these boards coming up there do you fish there no but I told Chad and chow is like where do you get these people like it like I'm like dude just like just race motor dude just recently on my just recently look my there was like this chick that came into my store before I started filming with a megaphone talking about free my court shoes from PETA free my koi fish my koi fish our [ __ ] ear legal your your ear [ __ ] abusing these animals I'm like and I started taping I'm like I'm like these are koi fish they eat better than me I spent five miles up everybody knows I love my koi fish I [ __ ] love my fish front have a big koi pond and I gave two to Shawn white the outside the Stono inside inside and yeah okay they get like the temperature of the waters controlled how many you got right now we have eight we had twelve well this is what happens when you take one out the other two or three grow okay and every time one grows really big like I said I had two big ones I gave to Shawn white he puts it he put it in his pond oh wow I had another one that grew I gave it to my friend he has a pond up in Calabasas so now two other ones grew and it's like there's like seven in there now but they're they're happy they eat their [ __ ] I love them and this girls like argument me saying it's illegal snotty legal I grew them from five inches and I'd written up big [ __ ] people come in and like but is she going to every house that has goldfish like I said you know what I said do you go to other chicas no this is only shot I've been watching a shop for a month old I got video you I'm like so you have video of me having that the fish guy come and do all the tests of water and like I pay five dollars a month 550 a month to get the water tested to get the filters clean to get tonight my special fish food is one hundred and thirty dollars for a jar it's it's like organic it's all it's like you do again are they vegan I think they are vegan why why fish that's the weirdest thing to me bro because you can't pet them you can't hold them you you could pad our fish yeah but you know right now there's like no you know it's like a Feng Shui thing yeah it was like cool cuz you know what it does it's crazy but like there's certain neighbors that come in that the kids are like now they're like seven eight but they've been coming here since they're five or six and now they're seven eight nine ten and they've grown within their friends their friends they come to have their favourite ones and they they feed them I let them feed them sometimes and like it's like it's a cool thing it's very relaxed I'm hearing the water and then you know if you having a bad day you sit there you look at them you like oh [ __ ] this is very relaxing I've never yes you have no writer than bad I've never been a fish guy you know I'm not a fish guy I'm a guy I mean you you know you like see ya cats what's your cat's name sue sue sue sue layup Larry's the best III you know what I used to do the charity work at UM I was a volunteer at Petsmart at the the where they keep the strake but they keep that Dopp double cast okay I was doing that for a couple months and then like it was weird then like the the company switched over to another company I'm like okay I filled out and they found it really weird that like I don't stand like you own a skate shop you're you're a straight male you have a girlfriend and you want to come here to take care of the cats for free for two days a week I'm like yeah yeah Jeff Jeff loves cats yeah you know and it's how you know everybody oh yeah yeah Jeff Jeff's great guy these cats that he [ __ ] loves and they're like street cats Ricardo yeah have a car great you know you can equip for you know everybody he's been here for a long day and you know what I it's weird I dunno a lot of people like most do most random it's like cuz I'm a type of guy that if I go to like a party or were you're very personable yeah I just started very person like hey yeah and your memorable bro yeah people remember you people remember me sometimes for the wrong reason okay but but they remember me and it's like you know [ __ ] helping as well dude yeah I know Roger got the VCR tape in his room dude not a story frizzy this is going this is going back for everything this goes my headbangers what's a good one is it goes back my headbangers ball days how long were you VJ for about five years five almost five years did you and and yeah I got laid like crazy no but that's a way no but the integrity thing you were talking about earlier hold the story for a second did you ever find yourself like where like oh this is corny like after Scottie after Scott Ian called you out then I was like okay and then I used to say it Mike I used to argue with my producer I'm like I'm not I'm not reading it because I had to read over a teleprompter yeah yeah okay this is Mike no like did you get fire did you leave so I got fired once I got fired once for smoking weed I should have been encouraged they well here's the here's a story Ben definitely couldn't read the teleprompter no no here's story so they they put me they wanted me to do towards the end they want me to do more on-air stuff like like MTV Spring Break and all this [ __ ] okay because they needed another heavy-metal they need a long haired dude you know that they polish hard left and then have anybody I kind of looked like Seattle grunge belong here they really they ain't having so I'm like sure I'll do it so they stay I started doing some they're called overnights which I was the VJ at night I would tape it in the daytime but like they would play me from like 1:00 in the morning to 5:00 and watch em and then I got the morning shift again and then my big break came on I did a Halloween show with Ed Lover and dr. Dre the the host of mt mt raps cuz he used to bust my chops all time like long-haired white dude but I know more about hip-hop than them cuz I was all you know I was so well yeah and then you know I'm also the one that put together Public Enemy and anthrax to do that whole thing so I kind of created rap rock and I should be collecting a check from corn and it wasn't for me but besides that so I I got this job to go to Miami to do spring break mmm I'm like oh hell yeah so I'm there and then I'm hang out some chicks I'm smoking weed and I got [ __ ] yelled out by just a producer and and I got sent home just like oh wow like literally like she goes you're going home I'm like yeah and three days like no you're going home tonight I'm like I'm shooting tomorrow like no you're not you're done Wow so I go back and I got home like what the [ __ ] so and it sounds so Hollywood but then uh two threes later my producer I drank as long as like yeah Dom on a date you you know you pissed off some people you weren't supposed to do that I'm like okay and then told my agent who was don't ask me how her name is Louisa Luz Mart that time she was my agent but she was also Keanu Reeves ation Jason priestly agent Wow so I was like beside told her and then I don't know what happened but then at the same time I can't match his name but there's another very very big Vijay that got sent to rehab for the third time for cocaine oh wow an MTV paid for it Oh God and yeah this is yeah and she made some calls and then next thing you know she say yeah you're going back to work on Monday I'm like really and then yeah and then I went back to work and everything was fine and then I break yeah no I'm not back to spring I didn't get this right ended this is back to headbangers ball right and by then my I had like eight or nine months left on my contract so I just wrote it out then I got [ __ ] by Kurt Cobain rest in peace he was the homie mm-hmm but headbangers ball was over and they were doing a new show called super rock and super rock was like so this hybrid of rap and and metal and you know it was cool it was everything me mm-hmm Tom you know you're gonna be the host of super rock I'm like [ __ ] yeah I'm gonna be the host of a show and I get to play biohazard and Public Enemy and I'm like so [ __ ] psyched like who's the first guest I'm like oh oh they're like Faith No More Mike oh my god Mike Patton oh my god I'm all hyped two weeks later right before it it's an after our last headbangers ball show two weeks for the super octopus to tape my producers like hey I got some bad news I'm like what you're not gonna be the host anymore I said what the [ __ ] why what I do and like ah it's a long story but I was like who's the host Jackie Ferry I'm like Jackie Ferry first of all if he's seen her you'd be like whoa number one I was like what the [ __ ] oh I see Jackie Ferry at the time was Kurt Cobain's nanny so Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love got hurt like hey just like riki rachtman got the job he was Axl Rose's boy huh that's so then she got the toasting job and it lasted to two shows she was horrible oh wow and that was it that was it mm-hmm and I was a dick because then after the two shows Tom do you want to be a co-host I'm like no I'm the holster I'm not doing anything [ __ ] you guys they're like but I'm like no and then okay you want to be the host and then my agent was like no [ __ ] you want missing the pain like at the time 90 grand a year cuz at the time the highest-paid Vijay was eighty eight thousand dollars a year actually Kurt Loder was making more but like Vijay wise it was Karen Duffy she was making eighty eight thousand dollars a year and this they were like I wasn't back in 96 yeah that's 95 right for a 20-some mural dude yeah right in saying that thing about like someone who's like a public figure on TV on TV yeah and the grand scheme of things but I think it was like scale because these Vijay's people thought they worked all these hours like if you were on that just show up and do that thing well yeah yeah you would film in hindsight when they're making 90 grand a year 80 grand a year they're filming like if they did the morning VJ throws like hey this hour we got this Dustin this and him they would film in one day they would film a whole week's worth of shows yeah so they're working one week maybe two and you're making 80 grand a year it's not bad and then you get like I would make money like when I was having oh I always do anything right ice to DJ and get money to DJ and they were Dom headbangers ball and you know and I would get more money and like hey you wanna do an appearance like I remember one dude he was it's dude there was a club called Raw on Queens and this guy was like a cokehead mafia boss and he was out of his mind and it was a shitty club but I had hot chicks really douchey looking dudes it was like a heavy metal Club called Raw and queens and I did a lot of shoots there and my producers like why do you want to shoot there so much like your uncle's on this other club L'Amour's in Brooklyn which was like the [ __ ] pinnacle it was that's where you were but I used to go there because the one time I went there afterwards the owners like yeah you know he's hanging out doing coke [ __ ] buy me drinks shakes he's telling the [ __ ] bar that you need to go [ __ ] this dude like he's just like like it was like out of a movie and then he gives me 300 bucks cash I said what's this for it goes that's for bringing the [ __ ] cruise anytime you bring the crew I'll give you $300 and I'm like okay so every month I would do shoot they're like oh yeah and I and then I would go there during the rest of the week [ __ ] free drinks for me and whatever I'm with [ __ ] my friends did all dude I didn't do drugs my friend did all the drugs and it was great it was like four [ __ ] eight months it was the best [ __ ] time ever it was like it was it was great it was like amazing so yeah dude it's pretty [ __ ] there's pretty fun times man it's like kind of surreal when I look back yeah bad I was this schmuck kid from Brooklyn the high school dropout like nothing on MTV on MTV and it's funny I got the job on MTV literally three weeks after this my girlfriend a time of like a year and a half two years dumped me and then I remember like I got on MTV and I saw her brother and at a club music occur and like I was watching TV and she heard your voice and she came in there like brushing her teeth she was like what the [ __ ] he's on TV well you I gotta call him and like in this and I was like I'm done with you you know yeah I already did a girlfriend now but then like an idiot I got a girlfriend like two years into it [ __ ] so you got so after that whole thing went down then that was the end of the the VJ career yeah yeah that was the end of it you had a good run though I had a great run I wish I would have known more of that position this is funny it's like going back to what I did in skateboarding so I I got the job on MTV because from working with various heavy metal bands and whatnot and knowing a lot of people in those bands everybody yeah every time I would go to shows whether I was working or not especially it was only it was always in New York you would see the same bunch of faces and these were MTV executives but you look at them and you know like okay they're not like they were like a little bit older older my say they were like early the pay attention right yeah but then I would always be nice to them like hey I would always say hello and I met them hi oh hi dama hi hi Nancy hi this oh you guys need passes I always get them passes oh it's always nice nice nice and everybody'll and they saw like everybody loved me all the other bands like oh my god you know like that was a character and then one day they came to me they're like hey literally they came to me they're like hey and it was that I remember the show it was um it was at the Ritz in New York here's a crazy bill it was House of Pain Trump headlining taking out this unknown band Rage Against the Machine and some and biohazard and I was there and um I was like oh yeah you know blah blah blah at the time I don't want to work being a roadie anymore I know what the [ __ ] wanted to do and I was just working at rush management Def Jam just being lirik cones like would be assistant just just getting paid just a [ __ ] brush his cat I used to go home I just go his house of brushes cat [ __ ] that was my job I really do like so I said yeah well love a job at MTV I'll sweep off I'll pick I'm thinking like yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah basic [ __ ] so then they were like okay we'll call you okay cool then two three weeks a they call me like hey meet us over here at this this bar called the scrap bar I'm like okay I go there like 8:30 what's going on let's hang out Ricky's right there I meet Ricky Rock means kind of a dick to me cuz like who the [ __ ] his kid but because he was like the king okay and I was hanging out and they gave me a clipboard with some questions and I'm thinking okay I don't they never told you what they wanted they just brought you in and just handed you a [ __ ] clip boy named Tommy that gave me a clipboard and they hear it and then he went to the next spot which was a it was the Academy was the club and scatterbrain was playing with Ugly Kid Joe and I go there I'm hanging out and the camera guy comes and he's like he starts like giving me a mic I'm like what's this for he's like well we're making you up and like like for what it's like you're gonna be talking to the kids you don't know what you're doing I'm like huh well no no no I get my producer like we do much because oh you got to go into the crowd and you're gonna talk to the kids they seem to like you I'm like I'm not doing that like oh no Tom trust me please please I'm like nope I don't want to do it I don't want to do it look trust me just do it you're such a lovable thing I'm like no I can't and then I seen my friend Whitfield who was the singer of Ugly Kid rajo he's like a and he's like yeah you're gonna work for MTV I'm like I guess let's go come on let's go [ __ ] around I'm like alright so then the cameras follow me and I start that was my audition tape and I did it and MTV loved it okay and then literally they gave me a job that next week and next thing you know I'm like the man on the street I start talking to asking kids questions because I was like their age and like I was very like almost like [ __ ] I don't care and I was really good the crowd and that was it I got the job and they [ __ ] left me oh is that crazy and I don't want to do it you never know who you're gonna be around or who's watching all of us I was nice to people and they just like we got right for you we were watching you yeah if you were an [ __ ] never know right I was really really nice and they saw that I knew everybody and I'm always I was very helpful I never asked for anything right never asked for them for [ __ ] like before I even knew even when I knew like eventually I knew they were from MTV yeah for months I never asked them and I would see them every at the time was like every other week there was a show and I never ever asked them for nothing I would get them passes like you know what passes back oh [ __ ] hang out here and I'll run backstage like you understand empty you honey yeah no chill out Dom it just give me some [ __ ] me allow me I feel I'm a walking backstage on and they're like oh my God thank you thank you so I was like you know so that they remember that and then they you know they paid it forward that's amazing yeah man it's pretty it was a pretty um it's pretty interesting life it's my I look back it's like wow that's crazy to see you've seen all the bands or hip-hop start from nothing to the biggest thing that's a wild thing to watch I mean yeah dude it's it's again it's pretty surreal like just seeing stuff like unfold like I remember like coming out here when I worked for Island now I worked for Def Jam no I work for EMI and Vince Neil's wife Charisse Neil had a club on Santa Monica Boulevard called club ugly at the dragonfly and I remember going there and remember seeing ice-t Pink's hmm you know what you're doing like you gotta go come check out this [ __ ] band I remember their name but they're [ __ ] good Baba gave me a chili dog and I go and I have the flyer at home it was this bill this night it was Rage Against the Machine Korn Deftones all unsigned bands like I tried to sign the Deftones but then I get [ __ ] over by my friend guy Oh Siri who signed them because I was the idiot and I told him about and he's like oh yeah and he signed them and then at the time so you [ __ ] yourself over I [ __ ] my friend Jeff wind up managing corn and then it was funny I was selling corn demos and corn t-shirts at Brooklyn house in Brooklyn before the album came out and then you know Bridge Against the Machine happened and you know like yeah yeah and it's yeah that went nuts you know and but just to see that I have that flyer still and it's like it doesn't it doesn't register with me it's like seeing like oh yeah unsigned bands Guns N'Roses with you know it's like what you know it doesn't make sense but but that's how it was at the time at the time that's how it was I mean seeing like I remember getting paid by this guy named fat Perry who was a fat Harry was a like that name hey fat Harry was a skinny or was he fat he's super fat he looked like he looked like the cartoon the comic book cartoon guy from Simpsons - always reads to the oh yeah so he was paying me money because he was helping this band at the time and the band was limp Biskit without DJ lethal from Florida he he was always booked them and Fred knew a lot of the bands cuz he was he would tattoo he was tattoo artists first first and he would tattoo all these bands corn and rage and whatnot rage a biohazard noise bands so through me I kind of put him in Michael Guido who's at the time jay-z's Loreen on he became Limp biscuits lawyer and then they put him with Skyy Jordan Shores a rich guy he was just trying to be in the music industry and then I'm Jordan sure was doing something and he paid lethal and next thing you know limp Biskit happened and when it first happened they did faith and they didn't really it didn't really work but then they did Nicki the year later or two years later with and then it was this like once I heard that song oh yeah I was like I was at MTV this like that my last year at MTV I was like yo this is gonna this is when I heard and I'm not comparing the both because one was like God like him one was it's like it was very gimmicky but like you know you hear certain songs over time that did like you hear coming at them like you hear jump around oh yeah oh yeah five you right the party you knew really dogs out exactly that you let the dogs out back that ass up right you know yeah smells like teen spirit you knew when she heard nookie right you like wow yeah you knew this was gonna be but I didn't think it was gonna be that big it was this like who are you yeah I like dude shit's crazy yeah that's crazy as Forrest Gump [ __ ] it's kind of like what it is in a way like I just I'm sitting here on this is the bench I'm eating chocolate with you know the various people and you know there comes and goes you know what though but you know I'm really like and I'm not saying this I'm being very very forthcoming honest here like I'm really happy that I'm sitting here talking to you guys because I think what you guys are doing is really cool for skateboarding thank you and to be sitting here in the same chair in the same table with some of my idols and legends and this means a lot to me and I mean this because the for you guys to put me in the same group as the people that have sat here it's like well I'm not an athlete I'm not a brand owner like I'm not like as far as brand over I'm not like some like I'm not Andrew Reynolds who owns like [ __ ] Baker I'm not like yeah I'm not Steven during a my gym Thibault I'm not you know unbelievable yeah you've helped a lot of supporters the community and and your side doing it I'm still doing it but I'm really happy Angeles wouldn't be what it is without you and I'm like la Dave and LA Davis nope yeah la Dave is a [ __ ] icon and you know what the one shop that made me want to open up here swear to God because they were dicks to me but there were more dicks to my friends was a shop if you remember this called atomic garage oh yeah it was on Melrose there's a total back to operation they sold but you I went in there coming from Brooklyn having Brooklyn house in Brooklyn I used to come here I'm like man had all these [ __ ] brands and everything was like a candy store so big and I was like [ __ ] all the people and and all the [ __ ] and then that they would back door so much [ __ ] and made millions and I said you know what I want to open up a store over here one day because of this and the way they treat it and then when I opened up I took all their workers a lot of their workers and they try to shut me down and they couldn't because I found a loophole how to get the product because back then if you were two or three miles next ladies you couldn't get it but is there a five mile yeah right but what they did they had a company called moon tide which was in El Segundo so they had two locations so the stuff was getting sent to El Segundo okay so technically it wasn't skin sent to Melrose I found that loophole I was getting stuff and that's how and I remember opening up there and then getting brands like alpha-numeric and then having the Japanese come and I'll never forget this seeing the Japanese gray market movement I remember getting [ __ ] probably $10,000 worth of all alphas cream roof in America yeah and Ally Asha was friends of mine and sound Masekela no more Russian dude we got all this stuff in and then I went to lunch and my two workers were there and I come back and I see these three I see a van parked in front and I see these three Japanese dudes and they're just throwing shell like they're [ __ ] taking everything and throwing it on the counter and I talked about boy Dave who used to run the Tama garage I'm like yo what the [ __ ] are they doing make it a no I'll do that they're gonna take a mic [ __ ] what they look at they're doing that getting just tingled your office like I'm like you know what man [ __ ] it they make a mess dude as I lost it you're [ __ ] cleaning [ __ ] I went to office monkey trying to come back out Dave's all smile and trick the register and I'm looking it's like thirty thousand dollars I'm like what the [ __ ] what happens they bought all of it and look and then the store is empty and I call dream he doesn't answer and he comes to their stories like yo where's all the [ __ ] where's all the stuff I said Japanese boy he goes what the [ __ ] is it getting you didn't like hold anything we have nothing in your now so we have to close for a couple days we had like half our store was like Olaf in America put the shelves but they bought all of it then we gotta take it back to Japan they sell Beller yeah yep yeah so you have to like I learned you had to like limit them like oh no no don't limit them what it's Reem said limit them so I had to I said taking basically all of it leave about 20% left so we could put back on the show it's almost like helping it's like a flagship store for them oh yeah oh yeah I remember getting that I remember getting audio when it was like [ __ ] popping white Hamiltons a good shoe Kenny and then when circa came out oh wow the 901 the zipper yes and then we had the original we got the first one with the metal mesh and then had to change it to like nylons Amedda was like cutting people good so it was like it was I remember having that I still have it parents like it's just seeing all these trends and then like there were certain shoes that I look back now you guys remember this but like we carried Vita Oh Jason dill why'm and then we carried Rex remember Rex yeah with the gel and the heel and then yeah but used to skin and I was like oh this is cold and it you know eventually just wore out and they look out yeah yeah that company didn't look that cool for some reason I don't know why why should know once you do yeah once you did and then we had like Duff's which is really good Duff's it was a [ __ ] big seller and then reom got mad at me because I ordered this one company pts oh yeah yeah yeah remember his company well he wrote from he was on my friend wrote for them so I carried pts for a second their average yeah that company month average yeah no I know they were yeah yeah I know but and then I carried on to fish no bees Oh castle castle remember Catholic okay Castel yeah Estelle was sick go Castel was there are not saying yeah it's one designers job come on Ricky shoes yeah Ricky she was a rip off a link cell I thought there was one that they did have a good team Rajiv Olson yeah yeah not oh gee Steve all shorty Steven yeah yeah this whole take kill for you guys to back then yeah the musca shoe that Jamie Thomas to costume was just like crack though yeah the one and the three of the costume one the cost in three Oh God Lord and then the 23 sales from etnies to David's always read the 90s of coming back does that bring a lot of people to your store it does but not enough brands are non of brands are smart enough to you're drinking milk yeah is that milk yeah yeah I just noticed I was like wait this milk no not enough brands are doing it right I mean like like it was crazy like when you look at stock X which is a sneaker based on you and when the hundreds did that d3o yeah fred durst what fred durst it wasn't they did it and they got Fred Durst to do the commercial and while at that [ __ ] sold out in like literally minutes and it's on stock X or three four hundred dollars a pair yeah you know I mean and it's like you know the DC links and but none of companies are doing it and doing it right like I went to DVS I said hey let's let's you know put back you LeSean Chevy model oh wow I did that a lot do I still have my parent Ike that I don't see Kenan the Milton 3 was a dome silhouette yeah and then there's the profit you know shoe and like the huh five and redo these shoes because they're so [ __ ] dumb even look high when you look at the old look eyes mmm the Carroll the Karl Foster is there like so dope and they're like yeah no they don't they don't get it yeah well do you it goes back to the people working there do you you don't think I think Carol is coming out with his shoe though on the sky yeah well it's it's a lot of money you invest and did not know whether Everest didn't do good or not but you know what though but but here's the thing though I think you're right but here's the thing it for a shoe company okay hey I know that it costs like it costs twenty twenty-five thousand dollars to do the mold again no uppers is nothing it's the mold okay if you don't have the mold okay a twenty-five thousand dollar investment gamble which more than likely if you do the right silhouette you do the right marketing you're gonna at least break even you won't make money maybe but then if you have a hit but your story to tell yeah marketing people talk about it and get shame out there exactly and that's the whole thing it's like people are just like oh they want like that they want to sell ten thousand shoes it's not gonna happen but if you like they DC did it right when DC did with the links it was like a hundred pairs and like every shop got like literally twelve pairs right where do I get it where do I get it it's gone and then next one comes DC had a line for three of the links drops there was a line for a skate shoe yeah it's crazy yeah that's doesn't in this day and age you got to do it right that's it they uh they did it right right and they opened up the floodgates but then they did it a little bit too right then they're like oh yeah take it all and then like they're kind of like they butchered it a little bit a catalyze they fly today and they should have they should pulled it back and I think they are they're not doing any more links they you know they kind of like pulled it back but I think s isn't a great place to do it I think they're a perfect place to do it I think skate shoes I mean super went out of business which is sad crazy yeah you know cuz they had a lot of dope riders I think Nike is on a huge upswing huge upswing but as far but it's you know sad do you remember back in the 90s it was like you had skate shoe companies that's what's sold not vans I'm talking like via in the beginning yes audio it's old or Cyrus it's old DC's like every brand you put it would sell you had that cop you had that customer you had the kid that war America yeah then hit that war you know TC it would always sell you wouldn't like now this skates you I'm not I'm not talking again not talking [ __ ] on there but like it's like some companies you know like they they take the same silhouette and it's like you know looks like a [ __ ] America Reynolds or looks like an excel and like they just do the same thing it's like everyone else right it's like this says the sale roster we going with neo Janowski we need you know if I can Reynold it's a black shoe with a gum solar black [ __ ] yeah and all the shoes are black with white sole right yeah right and it's funny I did this thing like you're like a year and a half two years ago I did like a Instagram post where I took four black shoes from four different skate companies I put them on there and literally they all look the same so no Brandon no there's no branding and it's like it's like how can you differentiate it yeah on the wall yeah and then you know it's like that's the problem and you know I think the world and I'm not saying this because you're here but I think I think it's time for like castel to come back or ask to do that you know that's something different but know that it's not going to be an overnight thing it it's gonna take some money it's a marathon and you'll get a little bit it's gonna go like this justice and you may get this home run and go like that and then I'll slow go down now it's the time right late nineties really to thousands is the time and if you do it you can you can definitely make a business worth like again the halo effect where people like OS shoes because they try to come back a couple years ago with all that but I think they were a little look what the whole heritage stuff oh yeah yeah there were this a little bit too soon it was it was yeah it hit but it wasn't yeah it wasn't like that Grand Slam yeah I think like I mean it's timing like if they if they took if they took in Excel and s that there's an S make what's the shoe called that looks like a help me out here it looks like a it they affect FS took a like a techy looking shoe like the solar because the scheme the scheme yeah okay but they offered it to ten shops only twelve pairs you tell store you do a lot of marketing to hype it up you hype it up you hype it up and then you drop it these shops you know it's all I want you just dropped it you make no money but then it's like holy [ __ ] yeah buddy the word of mouth yeah yeah and people and you start giving the cool guys make it dope thing and then now well I didn't get it shop number four did he get it but shop number three did how do I get it okay maybe your next one next when you get two or three more shops then another two three more shops now you have a business on that one shoe but that's the problem that it's like oh I want 10,000 pairs and it's like it doesn't work the cool thing too is when you do something like that and you focus on like nine or ten stores or whatever I think you're putting your love and energy into those stores yes yes sir you give him back to store you give him back to them and also like that becomes a thing like where other stores like oh my god you do stuff with them like do it with us now yeah you can do with this next nine or ten you know you keep on going with it I think the time is now I know it sounds stupid sounds cliche but I think now is the time where skateboarding takes skateboarding back young ethics and all that but no now catalyst yeah well yeah yeah but now is the time where you know what the ashes you know you have people like you know Virgil taking and not giving back which I wish he would give back more you have people taking taking taking but he's giving back well now it's like well hey instead of you guys like all these big shoe companies always scarce Hey waiting for one person to give them the scraps you created this [ __ ] just reom just open up you it's like it's like I was telling Kirk from Metallica listen your last couple of records weren't like you know you have in the vault [ __ ] million songs that were from the [ __ ] justice for all and you know just hear your scraps what is your DNA yeah use your DNA it's like I know for I know that you know s or you know Saul Tech or DBS or DC you have shoes that didn't make the cut you have designs colors and ever came out really working just we work just blue there it doesn't hurt yeah we revisit and just try and like how you make this sell yes it's easy yeah and and and it's it's I think the main problem is like you for any company whatever they have these designers and they always want to try and come up with a new [ __ ] they always want to try and like improve on [ __ ] yeah oh that didn't work I'm just gonna keep on going you know they don't love you they don't ever revisit something like how can we make this hit as diners want to make something new yeah they don't want to some people like anything at all designers they they think they're making something new bike someone already did that but it never [ __ ] hit yeah well you're you bring back your old stuff you're like how do you you want to use that but how do you go forward at the same okay it's easy now you do it it's like what you note Windell does the best thing when they send a line sheet it's almost it's blind its blah blah blah blah but then there's another tap heritage and you go in there it's a small drop of 101 there's some old blind space just like and that thing too is I as a buyer first or whatever in you're going I want this board I want this porn this board they're all something like looking and going like alright well these boards didn't sell how can we improve on them or do we just scrap on whatever else and like you know and try and really work them into the next line mm-hmm you know I mean and you have to also people that own shops now they were the kids in the shops in the 90s so when they're looking to yeah they have their buyer which is a young kid he'll buy a B and C but like there's dudes that are in their late 30s early 40s that holy [ __ ] 101 or like it's like 10 years ago eight years ago when I was selling all the Powell reissues and know it's like the dudes that were in there for like I used to have that - so you know what you're stupid not doing it because you know what have your your your forward-thinking for the new kids see if it hits and you're moving but then put a little bit the old stuff because the guys that are writing the checks at the store those are 15 20 years back is if you bring it back now he's gonna sell exactly how is it because it's trending now but then also the buyers it's always happening it is always a circle right yeah and now is the 90s and 2000's if you wait another 10 years it's going to be the mid-2000s yeah it's already booming III the funny part is as a part like yeah like you said like a couple years ago or is it all black shoes if you just gonna go back to that again like that sucks you like I feel like there was such a buying time I skateboard in LA yeah but you know what though but you know what though in 10 years from now eight years from now it's gonna be new again because if you look now there's I mean look it you know it's crazy other than look hide there's there's no real skate shoes like I can I carry Lakai DC I don't carry any more but they okay let's say I've had let's say I had DC on the wall there's Nike there's adidas there's converse and his Vance Vance doesn't sell me but let's say I had all seven or six okay they you look at all the shoes like have and nine out of ten shoes is not the black shoe where it used to be it's like different colors Gray's why is yours better and there's that black one so now kids are gonna get tired seeing a red shoe a gray suit a blue shoe a white shoe a brown shoe and then eventually it's like oh [ __ ] a black gum from this it's gonna happen not just now it's gonna happen right now they want color is that point where people like I just something's gonna match everything I have in my closet too yeah yeah you know black [ __ ] that kind of happens when you get in your mid-20s yeah you know I mean I just want to [ __ ] like yeah wear a white t-shirt [ __ ] black jeans and black shoes yeah dude it's gonna happen I just think now like these 90s companies they're just like I was talking to Musca why isn't Tony bringing back shorties yeah shorties not really left there's still IIIi understand that but my point is yet right but they should've been doing backpacks like they should be doing backpacks like bring back to new Rosa maybe Rose has a kid you know I mean like like things like that so it's like but you can't find shorties boards they make the hardware that make the but you don't they're not making sure these boards why not they go to musculus redo your board yeah they don't want that they they're just they don't just don't want it I mean if I was Tony I would basically I would go hard it with the hardware and the backpacks again and rebuild that again and if they want to do a board Brendan do it on a different name really you wouldn't doing the shorteez boards yeah that's what [ __ ] them in the first place the sorties boards [ __ ] went nuts they went nuts by the same time it's like Shorty's Hardware Shorty's backpacks and Shorty's clothing we're still going nuts the clothing was going nuts it was going nuts regardless and then when they brought the boards in like they lost a huge portion of their team because like they're all there's kind of like how diamond was like sponsoring everybody mm-hmm you know I mean like when diamond shoes came along oh yeah that's different yeah that's when she was brought boards no because Tori's boards don't kill I'm just saying that like because Diamond Hardware I mean no Shorty's Hardware they had a huge team that bunch of different riders from different board brands when they started doing boards they lost all those yeah but that boards went crazy diamonds had it and they had a shoe print yes shoes didn't do that well right now it's a different story I respect diamond a lot they built shorties on a [ __ ] hardware I'm harboring they start doing board it was like it was built on a team yeah with that well that lasted until the boy writers couldn't [ __ ] produce proper video parks everything it died I mean the basic I think what you're saying is they put all their eggs in one basket with the boys yeah once the board started falling off cuz all they had they could they coulda kept Shorty's hardware and whatever is going and if they came out with like a different board brand with muskie and everything else it probably would have [ __ ] crushed it still well musk is doing his own board company now so he started Musca well he hasn't dropped yet but he's going to I think it's time he's he's one of the only pros that he's are the good he's doing great and a great head spin like a Virgil where he can begin pay by multiple different brands to design shoes and clothing through skateboarding oh my god yes he's he's he is the true artiste the skateboarder he's everything I miss mess right now he's the best he's the best and you know I just think I'm just curious to see what's gonna happen once if the coronavirus doesn't [ __ ] everything up to see what happens after the Olympics right right is it gonna be a [ __ ] fest like remember when extremes happen extreme Xperia T was doing skateboarding I you don't know a lot of money I'm putting the skaters pocket after that though at what extreme yeah oh no no I know I know that I'm not I'm not saying that what it was an ugly time but the same time a lot of people got paid well I guess I'm saying I'm waiting to see is that gonna happen again because a lot of skaters I know and I think it goes back to one of the reasons why I don't carry shop boards is some of these pros when I find out like they're getting bored or a dollar board only or 500 bucks plus a dollar board after a thousand boards I'm like it's sad yeah I'm like how do you make a living and that's why when you look at certain pros on the Instagram they have 20 sponsors because 500 200 300 500 thousand that's up like five grand yeah or not only that it's like where's this guy been well he has a job he has a job so yeah yeah like he's [ __ ] working over here and trying to skate film a video part of it like I'm filming my BP video finally after 25 year of doing our first video and I have skaters that you know they do side jobs but they can't afford to live so you know what I have a studio design studio there's four kids sleeping in sleeping bags in there I'm like hey you got you could sleep here as a bathroom and you can't shower but like here like right they can't afford to either you work oh you skate and this is thick they want to skate so I'm like okay here you go you know some sideshow I couldn't imagine in my when I was like coming up as a man'd and newly Pro and everything if I had to work another job and do all this stuff and then go on tour and take time off from my job to work and live and then you can't nuts things that the cards are stacked against the new generation and you know it's funny I had this conversation with them but the new generation - at the same time they also have the Internet they have social media and they can build up this huge [ __ ] following group they actually have this leverage looking they have to learn how to monetize what they're doing that leverage yeah but they're not using leverage I went I had this conversation some are some people that like some of these young kids coming up actually have more followers in the brands that they write oh yeah well yeah they're like well here's the thing there's a new wave of like that fashion skier the dude that skates and Jordans and has a million followers but the end of the day they're pretty boys they're I get it it's a new thing but but that's gonna they're not in it for the long haul they're just a flash in my pan and I was talking to I remember who I think I still got the oh no lizard king and I was like yeah we need to get new blood on the shop and this and that like I need some new fresh team writers and he was saying tude it it's funny but like we don't even get like we used to get video submissions a hundred a week now we get like 10 a month because kids kids nowadays a lot of these kids they don't care to be sponsored they get to instant they want the likes they don't care about everything that they tell you you eventually like no they just want the attention to be said you want to touch themselves and it's like it's like there's some kids that have like are really good to have their own or brands and it's like what are you doing like but then it's just it's just a very very weird time like I have one kid I'm not gonna mention his name he rides from he's a good looking kid he's on a board brand but I'm like you know what are you doing like oh you know he's trying to be a model and this and that and like dude you're said he's so [ __ ] good-looking kid but he's so [ __ ] good me only cares about is doing weird tik-tok [ __ ] and this and that it's like dude like you should be going in [ __ ] filming your part for your board company death is waiting for it that is it's already two weeks late and then filming from my video you know any mean but and you don't care he cares like oh man I met this chick she slid in my DMS because she's like that tick-tock thing I did or it's like okay you know it's like it's like it's a different playing ground it is and I don't want us to sound like old fogies but you know I think oh man my tik toks go off I don't know how to do it I mean I have it but I don't even know how to use it yet and all I know is that I think I think skate shops have a huge responsibility to keep the sport alive because if not it's gonna keep on cannibalizing itself and it's gonna keep on going it's it's there for the taking and I think you know skate shops need to step up and really support the scene and support the sport and you know what sell your shop boards but you know unfortunately you're gonna have to sell a lot of Pro boards because the reason why these pros have to have two jobs or you know they make because they're not selling that the company's not making money right because you're not buying you know a guy was selling 100 or whatever 10,000 boards last year he's selling 2004 zere because it sucks and and and he's oh flooded it's flooding you know what I would love look you know the price at board cost thirty-six thirty-seven dollars wholesale mmm you tacked on if I give free get I sell my boards $59 I just raised the price after [ __ ] sir it was 55 it's 59 now well but and I get free grip grip tape so it's costing me 39 yeah I'm making 30 I'm making 20 bucks on a board right maybe maybe 18 so to pay your rent justin boards a month i have to sell 200-300 boards Wow just to pay your rent just a payment right how many do you think you sell I know it's crazy you know it's crazy I was just talking to John job at my John at deluxe I sell it's no shop boards I sell pro boards I sell about 230 to 260 boards a month oh wow okay yeah one shot I thought you were gonna say a lot lower number yeah that's over 200 okay you're almost paint you're almost paying your rent almost play around on boards boards and that's complete another stress that's a little it's kind of all over the little spectrum of boards yeah I'm shocked yeah I I look like today today's a recent we don't have your boards anymore what today was which is a Thursday normal day in March sure we sold two completes Wow and three decks it was a blind board a weekend board and an Alzheimer's board and two completes beautiful on a [ __ ] Thursday great yeah no I love it I love it I feel like if I had Brooklyn projects boards on the wall I would still maybe two completes but yeah no weekend so I don't know let them take the money dumb yep let me tell you something bro I know dude you're one of the guests that we could sit here for literally ten hours and talk about skate stuff talk about skate shop steak talk about the industry shoes I mean you name it we'll you name it you we time absolutely and anal lube oh okay hey you're you're not afraid to talk about things yeah you're discuss a certain which is a I will say this a lot of people come on our show and they don't like going the the way or they don't they don't talk the way but you talk the way you're talking they don't like to you know address certain things doesn't give a [ __ ] yeah like I said before I mean I Roger I have nothing I have nothing for anybody to you know take from me it's like what are you gonna do to me that or already hasn't been done well you're just super transparent yeah super transparent you're real you know you don't you know you don't play games no and I'm yeah the fact that I say it again the fact that I'm here it really means a lot to me because like you know you guys are all like it in your own right legends in the industry think you don't I mean and it's for it I mean I mean that no I know you don't use that word legends lightly no I really I don't really call it a magical very few people legends but you know you're very uh you've been we've been around for a while right but yeah but again to sit here you know if you put like it's almost like I feel like I'm like some small rinky-dink band but then when I'm getting my picture put up in the staple center as with next to the Rolling Stone was a Metallica and you know Britney Spears playing there you know like I just played here and say wow it's pretty [ __ ] I mean I'm in a good I'm in good company and the fact that you guys had me here I'm like like when Don Brown it's like hey you want to be on Mike I almost said are you sure it's this Dominic and not like Dominic Walker or like vibe yeah like you know something know you like you'd be great and like you know those guys liked you a lot and you know you have a lot of stories and I think you know Mike yeah [ __ ] yeah I would love to do it and you know I got my ass over here in traffic yeah we actually were expecting Dominic Walker to walk know but it's been amazing bro and like I said I thought I feel like we could sit here for hours ya know talking about bullshitting and yeah I think it's great you know it's great because I think you owning this you know Brooklyn projects and doing your thing in Brooklyn house and I mean Yvette you've had a lot of years in this game you know and a lot more to come yeah are you contending right you saw some fresh outside skateboard that's true yeah are you content new you are you happy with where you're at right now I could say No okay I'm not I'm getting there one of the things I'm really looking forward to is I got down with my friend of mine Stephen Dorff the actor reason he's on Deputy on that show on Fox and most recently true detective but you know he knowing me and knowing my story long story short you know I got represented by paradigm and now there's a script on my life story oh wow being shopped and there's like two companies that are like holy [ __ ] so I have meetings next week with them so I'm hoping in the next six to eight weeks I'm gonna inked a deal about that beam is my life and you know you'd be like the real mid-90s is what I really want to call it because I have like a lot of stories of what happened and and and then I think then I think this year it's like I'm I'm having stuff like you know between complex put me in the top ten Street where shops and showing love and then the hundreds doing this big thing on me and then I have like co.labs with like you know Nike gonna be coming out and and and and Spitfire and FTP and all these brands like showing me love I think now is the time and doing the nine club it's it's it's I just you know I guess I want to just tell my story and just like let people know like what I've done whether whether you like it or not at least you acknowledge it and sure know that okay I'm not some just like weirdo like right I've done a lot and I never really asked for anything in return and since it's not being paid forward or Michael okay then I'll just I'm gonna put it out there and yeah yeah let's call it call it how it is and you know right so hopefully out of this people will be like wow like I think a lot of good will come from this I you know I hope like like people like somebody had vans would be like why don't we sell to [ __ ] like you basically you want you want to work with everyone today I'm not you know what I'm not you know maybe I am but you know like I have my pride or whatever but you know I I yeah I want to work with everybody you know I want to work with people because it's not only for me like like to go back to vans it kills me that I get like X amount of kids a month I don't have vans right because the kids that don't know me all your shop sucks but then the kids that do know me like well van sucks but why are they in here cuz you know like like I get people saying up vans line that's wack you know I mean so it's like it's a two-way street and it's like things like that it's like you know it I just like scratching my head it's like I'm a staple in the community you know I mean and I'm still a staple and I'm gonna be here long before long after everything everybody else is gone sure and that's rude you've been here before people were a year and after the real you know it's crazy so we did this this and I'll make it short so we could wrap it up but I I did this party with the hundreds on my store again we just did it and I was outside and no [ __ ] no random that was random that's the ghost saying hey I gotta go to sleep shut the [ __ ] up off the wall for no reason just fell decide to fall old so we had this party and it was kind of it was so like like heartwarming but it was kind of like amazing i there was like literally in my shop there was like between the back yard in the front of the store there was like no like three or four hundred people in there was [ __ ] packed young old face haven't seen this huh pre beer there was some free beer free tacos but it was a lot he was hanging out way after the free food was gone and we sold a bunch of [ __ ] and then we're outside me and then I've been hundreds looks me goes dude this is crazy like I've seen people I haven't seen in like 15 years but they're out it's like but there's three generations of Brooklyn projects here because there was kids that were there that were like they're in their late 30s that were there in the beginning of 2000 then the second wave of the Fairfax kids were there and then now these new kids that are like 17 18 19 so it's three generations I mean it's it's it's wild seeing like even there was kids they're from Brooklyn house that are in their late 30s early 40s with their kids Wow yeah and I'm like this kid comes out to hit that the party like you old Dom what's up I haven't seen you in so long I'm like who the [ __ ] are you think it's Miguel I used to hang out a Brooklyn house remember and this I'm like oh my god I haven't seen his kid eat last time I saw him he was like 12 and now as a [ __ ] 12 year old himself yeah no no he had a kid kid was like 9 or 10 and the kids wearing a Brooklyn House hat a Brooklyn projects hat I'm like yeah man we got passed a torch I'm like holy [ __ ] it's so weird I mean I felt kind of like sad because you know I always thought I would have a family by the time I'm 35 and I'm I don't have no kids but like makes me feel good seeing the kids that were kids at my shop you know just just recently growing up yeah just recently I just saw a whole group of them this is a crazy one this was insane I just saw a whole group of them they've it they surprised me um the kids are hung out at the Brooklyn store whoa which literally I have her in brought in New York and New York I haven't seen them since 95 Oh like and then they surprised me just two weeks ago they all like five of them out of the 10 huh five came I didn't recognize any of them like Dom I'm like it's me Anthony it's me Hector it's me Gabi I'm like what the [ __ ] like yeah I got you know she just got married I'm like wait what like it's just these are people that were like 14 15 13 16 and I haven't seen him and they see him as as like grown adults in their late 30s early 40s I'm like wow that was so it was trippy yeah it was really trippy and I was like man that's insane and then you know it's just like the the fact that I I've grown with generations of people mmm-hmm that means that's why I'm here yeah yeah yeah I want this to be like like you know rip city was a was a was a staple in the community yeah it's it's it should never go right down my first board is to come out here I would in the late 80s early 90s I would go there you know it's like it should not go away right you know what I mean he's a landmark for the community same thing and vow surf yeah you know I mean been you know I've been there it's like staple in LA Dave's yeah you know I want to be here I want like 30 years from now people still still be a Brooklyn project somewhere you know I mean where it's like it continues yeah yeah and you know that's that's I want to leave a legacy I didn't do this and give up everything and sacrifice so much because you know people trip out oh I'm not rich I'm not I do this I still do this for the passion I want to throw it back I say I can't because if I throw in the towel then there's nobody in LA holding down skateboarding realistically there really isn't and I don't want to go away like I I want to I want to be the last of the Mohicans I want to stand there and I want to be there forever so that way it continues what I want to give back to the skateboarding community you know with the ramp I had I had the big ramp I had to take it down I fought the city the city wanted me to take it down permits us and I spent twenty thousand dollars of my own money you know on legal fees had to take down I was gonna go to jail and then now I figured out a way how to do it with a smaller ramp but then eventually I wanna get a bigger ramp but I who would do that like yeah fight the city it'd be like oh yeah I'll take it down right all right you know no I'm gonna fight you because this is for the this is for me this is the community you know I let people back here to skate there yeah not everybody on their mother but I like kids who are skaters sure if you want to skate you don't come and skate if you want to do there and stare and drink beer and be a waste a life and a [ __ ] bag you could do that the [ __ ] on the corner no skateboard in hand you don't want to skate get the [ __ ] out it's like my right I'm like in Apocalypse Now you know like you can either fight or you could surf you know so you gonna skate or you get the [ __ ] out so so you know III really am there for skateboarding and I want people you know I think I want the big brands to know because sometimes it gets caught it gets lost in the sauce sure there's a few like own but then when the people above like how come or not what what's going on like they're doing it I'm doing a movement you know I know right and III appreciate again I really appreciate you guys like you know have him here this will be a great time yeah this means a lot to me more than anything it really means a lot to me this is definitely um I could say this is a you know top-10 highlight of my you know last 15 20 years but amazing Wow I know I mean that because like being you know being on this show you guys started it and you only have the cream of the crop legends and you know people iconic people and very very relevant people that I look up to and sometime like look at a holy [ __ ] and then Here I am you know I mean so it's cool I really really appreciate course but we like I said we fully enjoyed having you here and I think I could I think I could play you in the movie I think I'd be a good Dom but you trying to get Vinny yeah get a [ __ ] job you know I don't know you know we were talking about that actually like who's gonna play you the young Dom and then it's gonna play the middle-aged Dom you ever see it we were skinny as Chris yeah was when I had long hair back in the day yeah oh wait I could get the way a gal it'll be pink extensions it's all good it's all good can we give you some nine clubs yes please yes that'd be me on cinco Kelly we please take the XXL baby I haven't been a large or a medium in [ __ ] 25 years 25 years ago as a medium 15 years ago was a large now I'm a extra-large thank god I've stayed extra-large I haven't gotten to the double X [ __ ] you no double X no let's let's stay away from the dot we are we're trying to get back to large I want that next I'll bar me a fitting fitting trim slender vittles over there figman perfect um Zambia program dumpy yeah listen do you don't I mean you work out you know I don't take you for a workout guy you're not going to the gym and doing [ __ ] I used to yeah meal prep uh-huh I didn't do the I did the meal prep I try to go plant-based for a while kind of hard um but I started going to the gym I started working out at Vinny potties gym the dogs yeah but Brandon people trained me a couple times a Seng yeah I can't it's like having Tony Robbins on steroids Thank You problem I got a cup to put my beer in listen we have god I wish you would have come this is great that you came but I wish you would have come when we had more stuff we're running we are trying to Teeter is more than fine and the cup is for my coffee listen it might and espresso first of all Dom Dom DeLuca look at this thanks for coming down we have sticker pack sticker pack this is I want to see this lined up below the coping of the rear of the room on the ramp got the rim or the koi fish fish I want to put this on put this on the koi do you have names for the koi fish um please tell me you do I have I only have like I have well I have two and well one Sean Whyte got and have one one now I have this biggie smalls biggie I like that yeah that's good yeah yes biggest this is for biggie smalls put on top and some biggie smalls what about it I'll pull em and stick it see if it works I'll take a picture I'll send it to you guys no send it to the lady who came in no I know I'm just joking don't put it on the fish here's a nine club pin it's a magnet so I'm gonna pin you put on your fridge you could put it or wherever you want and my t-shirt switch flip oh honey plug who's doing a switch flip Chris at once upon a time did that trick switch flips as Cornell stage Cornell stage did Yeah right he's still right what's in that video which one hot chocolate yes I okay VHS but you have to take out your vh1 you know I put that all on [ __ ] disc I have it on the [ __ ] cloud I'm good still using that to get some [ __ ] or what not for now no I got a girlfriend I didn't use that together either Naing the [ __ ] God here's a 9 Club XL shirt yeah and you know what I want to let me tell you something okay when we get the new stuff in I'm gonna come hand-deliver you know like a nut like a nine club sweater for my store he's been to my see yeah I've been your bro we've had chocolate signings though the [ __ ] guy with the memory over here can't even shop because you were so quiet and you were trying to chase some [ __ ] tail around the cat tail like literal cat little cat I was wondering what kind of advice can you pass on to other skate shops are like trying to come up and trying to have the longevity that you have had I think like I said before it like you know number one have your own brand but support the skate brands because without the skate brands it's like there's a saying it's like almost like if you chop down one tree you got a plant ten more because if you keep on taking you know the trees eventually it won't be no trees in the forest sure so I think to have a viable business and and to have a prosperous business and a long-long Sheva tea you know don't rely don't rely so much on just the bottom line making the extra dollar I think you should support your skate community but support the skate brands mm-hmm and carry your shop boards I understand I understand that it's marketing it you make your money but there's other ways to make money so do shop griptape do shop t-shirts stickers socks but leave the wood for the pros yeah you know me because that's how they make their money like ice you know that's gonna continue because you know the more and more that board brands go away and pros go away who's gonna be who's gonna who's gonna like push skateboarding who's gonna who's the face of skateboarding yeah there won't be any you know that they won't think of it as like Instagram kids well think of as Tony Hawk yeah but let's say another video game comes out you have no pros because they're in a more personal more company sure there's no more icons look up - yeah you think about it it's like you're right there is no icons I mean I'm not talking [ __ ] but I think we've I think we've come to the point and I don't know why maybe social media but there is that there aren't another there's no new generation of icons even in music like right now who is the new Metallica who is the new jay-z there isn't who is the new cream who is the new Musca there isn't it stops it like maybe Nyjah you know II mean Torey but P rod pirata why not appear odd and Reynolds but but that's like late 90s early 2000s I'm talking about now okay you know she got Jamie Foy a shot but uh there wasn't like a whole it's not a whole stable like it was 15 years ago 15 years ago there was a hundred people yeah you can name now there's probably 20 that you could see carrying the torch and that's because you know it's like port companies they don't have the budget because they're not selling boards to put on the new do it and and caress them and make them the champion unless he has that god-given talent he does you know contests and gets out there but then the day you you have to like you gotta like you gotta like not number one shops don't buy into the hype you know like we were talking before mmm perception you know you can see on Instagram but all this brands doing this and this but then you know what you get it and it's not this in this I mean I think support the core brands the brands that have been around for right when he does I'm saying some they're not you're the right reason yeah reasons they're not going away you know tonight right right I still carry Baker I still carry death wish I still carry DGK I carried real I carry crooked mm-hmm and I mix it with the Alzheimer's the weekends the the strange loves most of the brands are buying from are you buying directly from them are you going to the distributor never used a distributor sorry Reggie you know I mean I used a distributor back in the 90s Eastern skateboards by winning but or south shore when it was it was hard to do a distributor yeah do with direct yeah but I became pricey yeah Kevin I just go I go direct to to the companies you know and it's easy and it's like you know for like I said if you want to carry shop boards by all means but don't make your whole wall shop boards you know make 10 percent 15 20 percent of your wall shop boards make the other [ __ ] 7580 like brand names their names and make your money on the t-shirts make your money on other things grip tape I have Brooklyn project trip tape I make I sell to shitload of that right you know I sell Brooklyn products t-shirts likes glass tile and you make a better profit on you make more money on a t-shirt than you will on a board but I'm about me but I'm me making a t-shirt I'm not taking away money from any Shaw Ishod or a [ __ ] anine Williams or a Lizard King I'm not but I have it from the brand but not the right the pro rider I love but even the brand like you know skate clothing doesn't even sell like it used to so you really support pro riders do you by team boertie i barely by team boards yeah i don't you know i mean i buy the pro boards you know you know i made by one logo board and usually the local boards are cheaper yeah but I don't I really don't and I don't know why I just I just want to like it maybe so I just want to help the pros out yes right right yeah but it's like like when I mean I buy some no like real boards I don't know anybody unreal like I don't have any homies mm-hmm but I buy all the all the pros I was like chocolate they don't make they don't make team boards girl in chocolate they just do pro bono boards because everybody needs to eat yeah I get it and even death wish I don't buy the death wish team you know don't even Baker I don't buy a baker to bless Baker team board I bought was for the new video and you know that's the only team board I bought and I just buy pro boards and if I don't know the pro I just buy it but guys let them get the $2 or dollar 50 or whatever they get you know I mean I want to help you know and I think that's a I think that's a major major major major major part is that's how you support skateboarding am I am i observing in yeah you know there's other ways to make money you know listen a lot of companies I'm not saying they give me extra special love but they do give me a little bit of love because they know this [ __ ] like I remember talking to Eric Ellington and he's like dude do you know that I was he was like I think he was talking to Reynolds or somebody's like you're like the only shop we know that doesn't sell any shop boards that's crazy how do you do it I was like I don't rely on shop boards I don't rely I make my money from the sneakers from the street wear from the Huff's from the hub that's how I make my money right if if I'm just gonna carry hard goods you're gonna be out of business tomorrow bro you know get your diamond clothing get your [ __ ] coffee later view on t-shirts what the profits better probably be sure it's way better yeah you know I mean like like some skate chips I visited in the past it's like all hard goods are go and it's like where's your soft goods and it's like that there's no real nobody nobody's running in to buy skate t-shirt I mean Thrasher at one point because it was the hottest thing but end of the day nobody's ready to buy skate shirt brands like they did back in the 90s so it's like there's other brands you carry that kind of mix that will bring us certain clientele in that will buy sure Brooklyn house guess what it wasn't a sketch that was paying the bills it was the rich Guido's coming in buying the fresh jive the power you know all these three brands they would come and drop [ __ ] they kept the lights on and allowed me to have the skate [ __ ] so I can support the skate community but you can't that's why shops went out of business in the early to mid late 2000s or till like mid 2000s was because you didn't you know if you don't have Nike and you weren't carrying streetwear you know the only brand that's helping skate shops is [ __ ] awesome by giving them something but even they are like pulling back a little bit go more direct to consumer and whatnot so it's like my goal no profit right yeah but okay so if they take it away then you find that what else okay I'll get butter goods boom just like you know I'll carry some weekend stuff I'll carry some Strangelove stuff I'll carry some Alzheimer's clothing brand then start your own brand it's like it's easy to make sweatshirts and t-shirts with your logo on it and sell it yeah your [ __ ] money and a lot of kids around you that come into the skate shop want to support the skate shops I want to represent the skate exactly in their local little town yeah it's the best way you know what you get more representation by a t-shirt than a skate deck you know why when a kid goes to school you can't walk around with skate deck sure go wear a t-shirt oh [ __ ] that's that is even more of a hat yeah because a t-shirt a kid's gonna wear it once a week yeah every goddamn day so that's that's what that's my advice it and work with work with the companies yeah like hey if I buy ten boards can I get a 10% discount if I buy ten set the trucks can I get 10% discount you know most companies give you discounts when you buy 20 sets of trucks you buy a case it sounds like a lot but you'll get a discount and then you'll have trucks you won't have to order every two three weeks your order every six weeks but then you get a discount spend the money just stock it it's not it's not gonna go to business if you have a case of Indies or a case of thunder yeah it's like you can I need for like months right yeah so seem like hardware and barons like going to Costco you're buying in bulk yeah that's the thing and I've been bought toilet paper in like six weeks people there are what people don't watch our other show but you know it's it's there's a way to but it there is a way like I think ski chops now's the time for them to take back the industry anything back the business active closed down yeah they're coming back but it's gonna be three or four stores it's limited yeah but it means mainly online that's right boy what's their business is that I get to coming back but and end of the day it's like you know what now's the time to really go cuz even the cool guy brands that want to be direct to consumer and only sell to their themselves or only certain shops now they're knocking on the door like hey you want to carry our brand you know what let them have some humble pie like yeah I'll carry your [ __ ] piece of [ __ ] Rand I'm doing you the favor you know you have to remember a lot of the times these shops you know you're doing as much as they're doing you their favorite you're doing them a favor by having a place for a kid to come here and see oh my god this is this board you know I mean you can't tell her from the internet you know so we all need each other yeah that's the main thing and that's where brands have to realize being direct consumer you know pigs get greedy and get fat and get slaughtered you don't mean you want to be greedy you're gonna get killed you want to you know just share the wealth you're gonna live a long time cuz the [ __ ] pig that's not fat is gonna be the last to get slaughtered the fat pig is gonna get slaughtered first and that's gonna be the bacon yeah you know that makes sense it but that's the thing so it's like I think everybody has to work with each other and and and it's a it's a two-way street yeah first you know it's not like a brand like hey I'm gonna sell you all this [ __ ] but if it doesn't sell oh no you gotta eat it right no it doesn't sell you gotta give them take some back or you gotta help me market it to people to know that I got it so they'll sell yeah it's it the days of just like the brand and I'll come and get no unless it's some crazy high brand and you know what to all the hype brands they should sell forget about Brooklyn projects [ __ ] it take me out of the mix they should sell to the cool the cool core shops and drive business up to them they can easily do some sort of like sponsoring Instagram sponsored things yeah guys like you know what when I when I did Carrie DC one of the coolest things was like every time Josh callouses shoe dropped he went out there and he [ __ ] tag everybody shout yeah that helped yeah you know Travis Scott Nike SB he they gave it to certain shops that like I said I've watched it they were from like $5,000 to $15,000 because they this they tagged them and we know and they showed this is available he shown love that that's all it is it's it's nothing it costs nothing like what's the big deal and that's what's gonna make it make a skate shop work right that's the only way it's gonna work or otherwise skate companies don't help the skate shops then skate shops well I gotta make money I'm gonna make my own boards except because and then it two three four parlors it's a trickle-down yeah and then that's the main thing it's like don't be smart about it now literally I probably could sell a hundred boards Brooklyn projects boards a month I get kids all the time every day hey I want yeah you shop boards no problem oh and then the kids that don't afford they can't afford it you know what I have some older boards that like maybe three or four weeks old didn't sell you know I do how much you got oh I got 35 bucks I go you know what dude take another five bucks find it here I'll give you this for $39 out the door with free griptape oh I will I'll I'll lose a dollar or you know what he's not buying it reggaeton yeah yeah I'm getting up he's paying cost on it maybe I lose a dollar - but he's buying a board from a company and he's repping it but then he's gonna go out and tell his friends y'all I went to Brooklyn projects they were amazing gave me a board brand new board 40 bucks have words that people come kids come in oh you have use boards you have blanks you have shot boards know how much you got I got like 33 34 bucks you know what I have some old or old ones here take it I'll lose the pot it doesn't happen that too often but when it does [ __ ] it cool you move no product more product if I make an extra five if I lose five bucks it's okay yeah moving stock but then this kid ain't by he ain't going down to the next shop and buying a shop board that's not helping skateboarding that's my advice I love it he can do us a favor you talk to Kareem Campbell and see if he can come on our show absolutely about Bieber let me ask you a question right now gonna end the show do you think Justin Bieber would come on the show and talk about skating and talk about it just to wrap out with us you know what you know him I yes you know him what I think to be completely honest yeah I think it'd be hard to get him to come to Venice first really yeah I think so I think so love Venice he's been down here to the park he has but I think I think coming somebody's house I think he's just gets weird yeah yeah I think if you had if you went I'm just saying if you went to like a studio like a wee workspace or whatever else we had if we had our own if we had a student yeah I really isn't that's so funny because I feel like people like coming here because it's like a skater's house and listen it's it's not a cold studio I like it I'm just saying him but I'll make a phone call as your new manager thank you bro I'll make the call I'll get a couple of people I make a little blessed list yeah we'll just check it off okay yeah yes yes no yeah and then I'll make my phone calls and we'll get them on here perfect and then what what you could do is when I have like a Bieber here I'll be like this latest episode is brought to you by Dom Toluca dumped not even Brooklyn [Music]

Channel: The Nine Club

Views: 69,635

Keywords: chris roberts, roger bagley, kelly hart, crob, the nine club, nine club, the 9 club, 9 club, skateboarding, skate, skating, podcast, history, interview, news, motivation, entertainment, comedy, thrasher, berrics, transworld, nike sb, street skating, switch tre flip, skateboarding 2020, jre, h3, joe rogan, e! news, streetwear, us weekly, chad muska, daily mail, melrose, the hundreds, Brooklyn projects, nike dunk high, nike dunk, tmz, new york, nike dunk sb, no jumper, brooklyn, mini ramp

Id: -k9WBfMjuCE

Length: 198min 23sec (11903 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 09 2020