OUR ONE-YEAR PHOTO EXHIBIT WILL BE UP IN THE SHOP FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. BE SURE TO STOP BY AND CHECK IT OUT ALONG WITH OUR NEW DECK WALL AND STORE CHANGES.

ALL THOUGH SOME PHOTOS STAND OUT FOR JUST BEING AWESOME, LIKE THE ACTION SHOTS FROM SHOP KIDS AND OTHER EVENTS… A FEW PHOTOS HAVE MORE MEANING THAN MOST MIGHT KNOW. SO I’M GOING TO EXPLAIN SOME OF THEM. COME ONE, ITS RAINING OUT, DON’T BLAME ME FOR BEING EMO.

THESE ARE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE…

THIS IS ANDERS PIGORSCH DOING A RATHER LARGE HARDFLIP AT THE RAMP IN THE SALOMON/BONFIRE SHOWROOM. THIS MIGHT BE CONFUSING TO SOME BECAUSE ANDERS IS INDEED A REP IN THE SNOW INDUSTRY. IN ANY EVENT, HE SKATES REALLY HARD AND IS THE RADDEST AND MOST WELCOMING REP IN THE INDUSTRY. ON THIS NIGHT, ANDERS INVITED US DOWN TO DENVER FOR A PRIVATE RAMP SESSION, SOME BEERS, AND A LINE PRESENTATION. NOT A BAD WAY TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR CUSTOMERS. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING ANDERS!

THIS IS DAVID GIORDANO, MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS DIRTY DAVE. HE IS THE KING OF THE LURK SQUAD THAT SPENDS THERE FREE TIME OUT FRONT OF THE SHOP. ON THIS SUMMER DAY, GREELEY TURNED INTO A DOWNPOUR THAT FLOODED THE STREETS AND SENT CARS FLOATING AIMLESSLY DOWN HILLS. DAVE DECIDED TO GO SIT OUT IN THE STREET. RANDOMLY AWESOME AND REPRESENTATIVE OF ALL THINGS THAT ARE DAVE.

(EDIT) AS I WAS TYPING THIS, IT STARTED RAINING HEAVILY OUTSIDE. AND THIS WAS THE TEXT MESSAGE I GOT FROM DAVE.

THIS SUMMER, AFTER A GRUELING SUMMER SCHOOL SESSION, MYSELF AND SOME (WHO MAY OR MAY HAVE NOT PASSED SUMMER SCHOOL BECAUSE OF SOME BIRTHDAY EXPLOITS) PACKED UP THE VAN AND HEADED TO MY HOME IN INDIANA AND THE HOME OF BLACKLIST LBG. ONE OF MY FAVORITE MEMORIES OF THE TRIP WAS THE SKATEPARK TOUR WE WENT ON AND THE HIJINX ASSOCIATED WITH FINDING THEM. WE GOT TURNED ON TO THIS PARK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, MISSOURI BY THE MIDWEST VANS REP, TODD. THE PARK WAS GNARLY. AND ANDREW KILLED IT IN 90 DEGREE TEMPERATURES, RIGHT OUT OF THE VAN, AFTER A LATE NIGHT IN KANSAS CITY CASINOS.

FAST FORWARD TO THE FIRST WEEKEND IN OCTOBER. IN THE MIDST OF A FAST-PACED SCHOOL YEAR AND A SLEW OF DELIVERIES FOR OUR UPCOMING SNOW DIVISION, I HAD A PLANE TICKET HOME FOR MY COUSIN TONY’S WEDDING. I LEFT ANDREW IN CHARGE OF THE SHOP AND ALL THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH SHOP LIFE, INCLUDING HIS FIRST EVER BLOGGING. WELL, TO SAY THE LEAST HE TOOK CARE OF BUSINESS. AND THIS PHOTO IS JUST A REPRESENTATION OF THAT.

THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RELEASE OF SPIKE JONZE’S “WHERE THE WILD THINGS” HAD EVERYONE IN ARMS, INCLUDING. SPIKE JONZE’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE SKATEBOARD INDUSTRY PRODUCED SOME AWESOME COLLABORATIONS AND EXCITEMENT. WELL, ON THE EVENING OF HALLOWEEN, MAX (AL PERFECT) PAID THE SHOP A VISIT. NOT MUCH MORE NEEDS TO BE SAID OTHER THAN AL WON MY LIFETIME RESPECT AND $100 AT A BAR FOR HIS COSTUME.

I TRIED TO BRING A RAILJAM TO GREELEY 4 YEARS AGO ONLY TO HAVE THE UNIVERSITY PULL THE PLUG THE DAY BEFORE THE EVENT. 4 YEARS LATER, I HAVE MY OWN STORE AND WE HELD A RAILJAM ON 16TH ST LIVE. I’M NOT PROUD OF MUCH, BUT THIS PICTURE IS SOMETHING I’M PRETTY PROUD OF.

THIS IS MARTIN SALAZAR, KNOWN AS BUGGY TO MOST. BUGGY LOOKS AND SKATES LIKE OMAR SALAZAR, ALTHOUGH THE RELATION IS DENIED. BUGGY IS A PRETTY SIMPLE DUDE AND HE LOVES TO SKATEBOARD. AND THIS PICTURE IS AWESOME BECAUSE NOT ONLY IS HE GETTING AFTER IT, BUT THERE IS SNOW ON THE GROUND. THIS PHOTO WAS LATER POSTED ON THE BLACKLIST LBG WEBSITE TO MOTIVATE THE LOCALS TO QUIT BLAMING THE WEATHER AND GET OUT AND SKATE. PRETTY COOL IF YOU ASK ME.

SO AS MOST KNOW, IN ADDITION TO RUNNING THE SHOP AND PARTYING MOST NIGHTS OF THE WEEK/WEEKEND, I’M ALSO IN MY LAST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE. THAT SAID, I DON’T GET MUCH TIME AWAY. WELL, WHEN MY FINAL SPRING BREAK ROLLED AROUND I DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND CLOSED THE SHOP FOR A FEW DAYS SO I COULD ENJOY TIME OFF WITH MY FRIENDS/EMPLOYEES AND GO TO THE MOUNTAINS. IT WAS THE BEST FEW DAYS OF SNOWBOARDING EVER. AND I TOOK THIS PICTURE ONE DAY AND I THINK IT’S REALLY AWESOME BECAUSE IT BRINGS BACK ALL THE MEMORIES FROM THAT WEEK IN ONE IMAGE.

SOMETIMES THINGS JUST HAPPEN NATURALLY AND THOSE ARE THE BEST THINGS. WELL, THE MORNING AFTER A PRETTY ROWDY IN-STORE PARTY THIS PAST MONTH WAS JUST THAT. I WAS WALKING TO THE SHOP TO OPEN UP AND WHEN I GOT THERE, THERE WAS A SINGLE RED CUP JUST RUSTLING IN THE WIND IN FRONT OF THE SHOP. THERE IS NO REASON IT SHOULDN’T HAVE BLOWN AWAY, BUT IT DIDN’T. I HAPPENED TO HAVE MY CAMERA IN MY POCKET AND I SNAPPED THIS SHOT. I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT HOW POWERFUL THIS PHOTO IS FOR ME, BUT I THINK I’VE RAMBLED FAR TOO MUCH AS IT IS.

TAKE PICTURES KIDS!