September 17th, 2007. Having completed my 15th orbit around the sun, a friend of mine asked if I wanted to go a skateshop located in Buffalo. Being from the small town of North Tonawanda, the city of Buffalo may as well have been New York. Skateboarding had more or less, really only existed in front of my house up until that point. Don’t get me wrong, I was a total skate-rat, but I really only knew of the slightly inclined driveway at my neighbors house, and the above-average height curb around the corner. There were no spots and more importantly, there was no scene.
I. Marquee Moon
I’ll be honest in saying I don’t recall much about my first visit to Sunday. I wish I could wax-poetic about how I remember every board on the wall, or how something came over me where I knew I was right at home. But, I can’t. What really happened was I went in with a friend, he bought me a skate video as a birthday gift, and we proceeded to go on our way. Happy to add another DVD to my collection, I studied the case like it was a textbook. The video had the Sunday logo on the front, so certainly this must mean they made it, and furthermore, it must be full of spots near me. On the back were photos of people skating with their names underneath. Wait, are these spots they’re skating really in Buffalo? And how the hell do you pronounce Eoannou?
Vice Versa changed my life. For the first time, I was shown a real, tangible skateboarding scene. A scene that was in my own backyard. A scene that was within my own grasp..something that I could wrap my head around. I probably watched that video every single day for an entire year, and then some. Vice Versa captured such a specific feeling of comradery in skateboarding that I hadn’t seen in other videos. The film was a complete piece rather than just a collection of random people that were called a team — an album instead of a compilation. This was skateboarding exactly how I felt it should be.
To this day I play the intro song in my head all the time (‘Bijoux’ by Caribou). I was young and very impressionable, and Vice Versa influenced me in profound ways. Everything from the skating, to the filming, to the post-production on the video, all of that stuck with me. JP back-smithing Channel Two. Dave front-blunt Mineral Springs. Sal switch front 360 jazz gap. I truly think I could name every trick done in that video. Though Buffalo was still somewhat out of my reach geographically, I had this to remind me of what exists merely 25 minutes away from my driveway. Skating the spots was certainly on my to-do list, but I knew at some point I had to involve myself within that scene, hell or high water.
The following year (2008) a few friends and I built a DIY skatepark in North Tonawanda. Skatepark is probably an exaggeration, but it was ours none the less and we took great pride in the place. Somehow I had caught wind that a few of the Sunday guys were going to come to NT and skate our spot . The people from that video I saw just a year prior, were now going to come and skate our spot? Imagine if you’re a basketball fan, and suddenly Lebron James pulls up to your driveway and shoots hoops with you for a while. That is what it felt like to us. We were honored they wanted to come and skate a spot we put so much heart and work into. As the years went by, we periodically held skate jams, to which they (Sunday) always made an effort to come to. I had gotten to know the guys more and more as time went on, but still, getting to skate with them on my home turf always meant so much to me. Finally I started to feel like I was a part of something.
II. Staying Quiet
As I got older, I eventually came into possession of a drivers license and set of car keys. I was starting my first year of college and many days instead of going to class, I’d drive to the shop and hangout. Again, I’d love to spin some tale about how I was instantly part of the crew, shooting the shit with the guys and going skating everyday. That isn’t what happened though. Instead, I’d show up, sit in the corner bench, watch videos and just listen. I rarely spoke and I was content with that. Just being there was enough for me, and I’m sure that rings true for many.
In time I started to warm up a bit though. Like you’ve heard, read, or experienced, JP (Gillespie) is about as welcoming as they come. Knowing I was a fairly quiet person, I could tell he made a genuine effort to involve me in what was going on — something that is not just unique to me. But at the same time, I question whether that was an effort at all. JP is a naturally inclusive person and tries to make sure nobody is left out. Certainly in the grand scheme of things I was no different, but when you’re young and one of your heroes asks if you want to do something like take a drive to Home Depot…that means the world.
I don’t know the first instance, or how it even came to be, but JP and I used to drive to Home Depot all the time. Now thinking of it, we used to drive and do a ton of stuff constantly. I can vividly remember sitting in the corner, and JP asking “You feel like taking a drive to _______?”. I always said yes, and I’m thankful I did. These mini-missions gave me a chance to ask so many dumb questions and listen to countless stories of years gone by. More importantly, unbeknownst at the time, it gave me a chance to learn. So much could be written about the hours and hours spent in the car with JP, but I’m simply forever grateful to have had that opportunity. Trivial sounding, sure, but like many things, I tend to find significance in what are otherwise meaningless moments. Those are where the real lessons are learned.
By proxy, you start to get invited to do more and more things by simply just being around a lot. Occasionally I’d be asked to go skating with the older guys, those same people I saw in Vice Versa years prior. Again, think of what it’d be like if Michael Jordan asked you to play a quick game of HORSE. Mind boggling. I didn’t interact with a lot of them till a bit later on, but Dave (Eoannou), Dave (Weaver), and Kevin (Nyitrai) were always very kind to me. By the grace of god himself, one random day I ended up filming a trick that somehow ended up in the credits of Whatever the Weather (3rd shop video). Years after watching Vice Versa, a video that changed my life and inspired me beyond words, I, myself, had a trick in the follow up to that. So damn cool. After clocking countless hours at the shop with Andy (employee/filmer), him and I started to be friends out of lack of better options, and soon I met a new group of people from Grand Island.
III. Tuesday/Thursday or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Vortex
Up until college, I never really understood the appeal of coffee. Not in a ‘I need this to stay awake and study all night way’, but because I hadn’t started drinking the stuff until it was offered to me. Before the Tuesday/Thursday schedule became a thing (more on that in a moment), another common question JP asked me was “Want anything from Starbucks?”. However, the question never ended there because whether I responded affirmatively or not, he’d then tell me to walk with him. If you know JP, then you know he is tall, and for someone with somewhat short legs, keeping up with his massive strides meant a light jog for me. To this day, I’ve been told by some that I walk way faster than necessary — something I directly attribute to those Starbucks treks with JP.
After Whatever the Weather had come and gone, Andy, the Grand Island crew and myself started to film for a new project. As it worked out, almost everyone involved happened to have Tuesdays and Thursdays off, which allowed us to meet up and go street skating. I don’t know if we all instantly clicked or not, but none the less we were drawn together through the common goal of making a skateboard video. If you’ve been part of a project like this, be it behind or in front of the camera, you’ll know how hard it is to get motivated at times. Don’t get me wrong — we did a hell of a lot of skateboarding in the four years it took to make A Stone’s Throw, but it wasn’t always done at actual street spots. What largely happened on those Tuesday and Thursdays was this: meet up at the shop around 12. Wait for JP to roll up. Proceed to walk to Starbucks and get coffee. If it’s winter, sit inside. If it’s summer, sprawl out on the sidewalk. Then, after all of this has been accomplished, proceed to get caught in the shop vortex.
I’m unsure on who coined the term ‘shop vortex’ exactly. When it’s 7pm and you’ve realized that the whole day was spent sitting in front of the shop maybe skating, mostly talking; that’s when you know you got caught in the vortex. At the time, there is no denying how much of a negative this was. Looking back though, I am eternally grateful to have gotten stuck in that all those times. So much bonding, so much shit talking, so many stories told, and so much learning, all over the act of sharing some bean water together. We were growing up together, and the shop was molding us into the people we are today. The best part of that statement is that it’s not unique — countless people can say the same. Occasionally I’ll pass by the old shop and get instantly taken back to that period of time spent sitting on the sidewalk. I try really hard to not be overly nostalgic in my life, but it’s hard not to with this one. Thank you 587 Potomac. Sincerely.
Somewhere along that road I was entrusted with the keys to the castle. This goes to show that loitering around enough does indeed pay off. I was granted the Sunday shift and I couldn’t have been more honored to get asked to work there. I guess JP figured that if I was going to sit around so much, I may as well put air bubbles in some griptape too. To this day (with an extra shift in my repertoire), I still look back on the time when I first got hired and smile about how proud I was to be trusted enough with it all. The mystique of that has never really worn off and I wear that badge proudly. Getting to be a part of Sunday on that level is one of the few times in my life that I’ve really had the feeling of ‘wow, I’ve made it’.
In December of 2013 due to impending circumstances out of our control, we made the call to move out of Potomac and into our new home at 212 Grant St. Closing and cleaning out Potomac was undeniably a sad time, but all the same exciting knowing what was coming next. A new space was found that acted as an empty canvas, fit to fill out JP’s vision of what he wanted the store to be in this day and age. For nearly 4 months straight, JP and Andy built out the new shop, floor to ceiling, breathing new life into Sunday. Our clubhouse had moved, but our home stayed the same throughout it all, as wherever your family as, your home is. If you’ve been in 212 before, you’ll know how stunning it really is. Every single detail was finely looked over, from the molding to the lighting, nothing was skimped. I give the utmost respect and admiration to JP for pulling that off in such a short period of time. Hard work has never been exemplified in quite a better fashion.
Sunday has been the most important thing in my life for the past 11 years. If I was down, I knew I could count on the shop to lift me back up. When I needed advice, I knew JP would be there to give it whether I actually asked for it or not. To say the shop has played a pivotal role in the formation of who I am today would be an absolute understatement. When I was young, it was the home away from home that I needed. When I was older, it was the place I knew I could go to get away from the real world for a bit. The shop has always been a safe space, for me, and for so many others. I met some of my lifelong friends through the shop. I’ve been to new cities, weddings, funerals, watched new lives come into this world, all because of Sunday. If you have anything remotely like this, I ask that you hold onto and cherish every second you spend with it. I am beyond blessed to have gotten so many years with the shop, and I hope that future generations will have something of their own just like this.
Of course it’s sad that the doors are closing, but rather than mourn, I think it’s more appropriate to celebrate. Celebrate what was done, what was accomplished, not what is lost. Because really, nothing is lost. The backbone of Sunday isn’t product, it’s really hardly even skateboarding, it’s an attitude. A moral code and a set of beliefs that transcend any sort of physical space. To be inclusive. To show empathy. To wear your heart on your sleeve. To love and be patient. To be humble and live in the moment. To have fun. To fall and learn and then fall harder than you did the first time. My life is forever changed because of a little old skateshop in Buffalo. 11 years ago I pined to become part of the scene I saw in that video. Looking back, and perhaps I’m biased, but I’d like to think I did pretty okay.
Thank you JP. Thank you Andy. Thank you Sunday and those involved for accepting me as I am and presenting a little corner of the world that I can proudly call mine.
As it was and as it always will be — everyday is like Sunday.
