Butcher, Baker, Skateboard Maker

Skateboarding has finally blossomed into a recognized sport complete with pro teams and dedicated skate parks. Becoming mainstream has made them no more conventional, however. Skateboarders still hang on to the image of the hip urban rebel, and as such, they have developed a love affair with a young skateboard company named Baker.

Baker skateboards are easy to love. Hip and funky, the company was launched by a professional rider still active in the sport. Andrew Reynolds’s dissatisfaction with the image of Birdhouse skateboards, his former sponsor, inspired him to found his own company. Working with former Birdhouse team manager Jay Strickland, he went out on a limb in 2000 and hit the trade shows with a line of new boards and the rest is history.

Part of Andrew Reynolds’s success is his actual involvement in the sport. He has done more than simply lend his name to a line of boards. He is out there among the skateboarders instead of playing the role of a traditional role of a CEO in a glass tower, crunching numbers and predicting trends. Reynolds is taking the pulse of real riders, seeing what they love and what they “diss” as bogus.

The skateboarders on the pro and amateur Baker teams have a different image, from Terry Kennedy, whose line of board art features a mouthful of colorful bling, to Spanky Long, who is known for riding goofy. Such high profile riders are idolized by skateboarders, and some have made the jump to MTV, increasing their popularity beyond the skateboarding community.

Baker skateboards and wheel art are hip and quirky. Jim Grecco’s ice hammer line of boards and clothing, the toothy Terry Kennedy smile merchandise, the whimsical cartoonish art on the Jeff Lenoce boards, and lots of cool Baker graphics offer skateboarders a world of choice. You can go with the pro skater of your choice or just proclaim your allegiance to Andrew Reynolds and Baker skateboards. Take your cues from the company that built its reputation on being “out there.”