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Words: Bob
Kronbauer
Photos: Andre Pinces
This is the first installment in our
ongoing 'Doing It Right' series. Within these articles we'll be
bringing you various brands, stores, galleries, publishers, groups and
individuals who we feel need to be recognized for their positive
contributions to... well... one thing or another. This one has to do
with the business of skateboarding. This is Doing It Right #1:
The skateboard industry can be an entirely backwards beast at times,
chock full of contradictions. While the greater portion of key insiders
are busy publicly pointing the finger of blame at shop owners for the
way their industry is evolving, one somewhat unlikely candidate is
doing it's part to aid in their longevity while supporting professional
skateboarders and artists alike. One large corporation ("corporation"
being a noun that industry folk have always feared for it's proven
ability to corrupt and destroy the fickle market) has been quietly
lending skateboarding's future a helping hand, and that corporation is
Nike. Making their much sought-after SB line available only in
skateshops, sneaker fiends line up at the door in order to get their
hands on the latest releases, some of the best of those being limited
editions that sell out the day that they come into stock. The sale of
the limited runs help to pay shops' overheads and bring in new
customers while the other side of the shiny coin (the side that Nike is
likely more focused on) holds the fact that their range rivals most
others in terms of skatability, durability, price and technical
advancements. It's no stretch to say that some core shops might be out
of business right now if not for some of the right-brained thinking
going on at SB (in fact, a few shop owners have told me exactly that),
and that they're Doing It Right. To compliment that thinking, and this
somewhat heavy handed smack of praise, we bring you some fancy images
of some of their collaboration Dunks with a few other right-brained
thinkers who you may have heard of...
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