Rip City lives

My cousin asked for my advice on where to buy a skateboard and the answer was obvious. When I was a freshman at UCLA, didn't have a car, and needed wheels, a buddy took me to Rip City Skates and it was already old school.


The same dude--I think his name is Jim--sold me a Natas SMA board back then, and he was there today! Such a cool guy with no vibing or hustling. The man just wants to sell customers the proper stuff so they can shred to the best of their abilities. And there's so much history in the shop. I'm not even talking about personal memories and gear.


Above, autographed boards by Skull Skates icon Dave Hackett and Wes Humpston, who designed the Dogtown logo.


Four members of Black Flag (Rollins, Martines, Ginn, and C'el or Kira...) and TA.


Ollie Gelfand, inventor of the ollie.


Lester Kasai. I met him in Hawaii, and one of these days we'll get around to interviewing him in GR.


Above and below: the one and only Gonz.


And GR homie Cab. There's tons more, but the board was assembled and it was time to roll. Yes, you could shop online or go to a megastore like Active or 9 Star, but why? So you can give your hard-earned money to some suits or get ignored by cooler-than-thou kids in ugly streetwear? Rip City is a living part of skate culture and history that should be appreciated, experienced, and supported. And it doesn't hurt that they've been offering a $99.95 complete setup for as long as I can remember...