Shorty's Story

1. AFTER DROPPING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, LIVING IN AND AROUND THE STREETS FOR 5 YEARS SKATEBOARDING IN AUSTIN TEXAS, EVENTUALLY GETTING SPONSORED AND MOVING TO CALIFORNIA. IT'S SAFE TO SAY FROM THE TIME I STARTED SHORTY'S UNTIL TODAY I HAD NO FUCKING CLUE WHAT I WAS DOING, JUST GOING OFF INSTINCT AND GUT FEELING.
2. I TRIED TURNING PRO WHEN I WAS 24 BY ENTERING SAVANNAH SLAMMA IN GEORGIA. APRIL AND I LOADED UP THE STATION WAGON WITH AN AIR MATTRESS AND ABOUT 20 BOARDS TO SELL ON THE ROAD. WE LEFT SANTA BARBARA A MONTH BEFORE THE CONTEST TO HIT EVERY SKATEPARK IN OUR PATH. BY THE TIME WE GOT TO GEORGIA, THE CONTEST WAS CANCELED. WE WERE ON THE ROAD FOR 3 MONTHS, SKATED OVER 50 SKATE PARKS IN 27 STATES. WHEN WE GOT HOME, THE HOUSE WE RENTED A ROOM IN HAD BEEN TRASHED AND EVERYONE EVICTED. WE TALKED THE OWNER INTO LETTING US LIVE THERE FOR FREE WHILE WE CLEANED AND REPAIRED THE HOUSE, AND THEY EVEN PAID US. THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED SHORTY'S.
3. APRIL HAMRICK (MY GIRLFRIEND AT THE TIME) AND I STARTED SHORTY'S OUT OF OUR BEDROOM WITH $200.
4. SHORTY'S STARTED WHEN STREET SKATING TOOK OVER AND EVERYONE STARTED REMOVING THEIR RISER PADS. THE HARDWARE WAS 2" LONG SO WE USED TO TAKE A HACK SAW AND CHOP IT DOWN TO 1" SO IT WOULDN'T BEND. THEN I JUST DECIDED TO MAKE IT 1" LONG IN THE FIRST PLACE. (HENCE THE NAME SHORTY'S)
5. ROSA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A ONE TIME AD IDEA MIMICKING THE GIRLIE POSTERS AND CALENDARS YOU WOULD SEE IN AUTO SHOPS AND FIRE STATIONS. THE AD AND POSTER WERE SO POPULAR THAT WE JUST RAN WITH IT FOR YEARS AND WE ALL HAD A BLAST MAKING THOSE OLD ADS. THANKS ROSA!
6. AFTER ABOUT A YEAR IN BUSINESS, A LOCAL SKATEBOARD COMPANY AND GIANT IN THE SKATEBOARDING GAME, POWELL SKATEBOARDS, OFFERED TO DISTRIBUTE OUR HARDWARE. AFTER ABOUT 3 MONTHS, THEY CAME OUT WITH THE EXACT SAME PRODUCT CALLED RAT NUTS. WE FELT EXTREMELY DISSED THAT A MULTI MILLION DOLLAR A YEAR COMPANY WOULD STEAL AN IDEA FROM A COUPLE OF LOCAL SKATERS RUNNING A SMALL COMPANY FROM THEIR HOUSE SO WE STOPPED DOING BUSINESS WITH THEM AND STARTED AN ADVERTISING WAR WITH THEM FOR A FEW YEARS POINTING OUT HOW WACK THEY WERE. AFTER 18 YEARS NOW WE DECIDED THE BEEF WAS OVER AND OFFERED TO CARRY THEIR PRODUCTS IN OUR RETAIL STORE FIGURING IT WAS TIME WE WORKED TOGETHER TO MAKE SKATEBOARDING STRONGER IN OUR COMMUNITY. THEY DECLINED!
7. THE FIRST PERSON TO BUY SHORTY'S HARDWARE WAS ROB WASHBURN FOR A SKATERS PARADISE IN SANTA BARBARA, HE ALSO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR TELLING VK SPORTS IN SAN DIEGO ABOUT SHORTY'S AND THEY ORDERED 20 BOXES (WE THOUGHT WE WERE RICH) ROB ALSO TURNED US ONTO ROSA WHEN I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO DO THE AD. THANKS ROB!!!! (HE NOW WORKS FOR POWELL, OH THE IRONY!!!!)
8. WE DIDN'T START MAKING SKATEBOARDS UNTIL BEING IN BUSINESS FOR 5 YEARS, CHAD MUSKA WAS OUR FIRST RIDER.
9. WHEN WE STARTED MAKING BOARDS WE HAD ABOUT 75 RIDERS ON OUR HARDWARE TEAM BUT LOST MOST OF THEM BECAUSE WE ALSO CALLED OUR SKATEBOARDS SHORTY'S, SO THE GUYS WHO ALREADY HAD A BOARD SPONSOR COULDN'T ROCK SHORTY'S STICKERS OR GEAR ANYMORE. (SEE #1 AGAIN ABOUT NOT HAVING A FUCKING CLUE WHAT I WAS DOING)
10. THE FIRST YEAR TRANSWORLD SKATEBOARD MAG DID THE TWS AWARDS, WE ALMOST SWEPT THEM, WINNING 4 OF THE 5 CATEGORIES. THE ONLY AWARD WE DIDN'T WIN WAS BEST VERT SKATER BECAUSE WE DIDN'T SPONSOR A VERT SKATER AT THE TIME.
11. WE STARTED MAKING SNOWBOARDS FOR ABOUT 3 YEARS AND WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL BUT OUR HEARTS WERE INTO SKATEBOARDING. WE DECIDED THAT WE COULD EITHER DO ONE THING WELL OR TWO THINGS HALF ASS SO WE STOPPED WITH THE SNOWBOARDS.
12. WE ONCE MADE AND AD THAT WAS SO OFFENSIVE THAT IT WAS SEIZED BY JAPANESE CUSTOMS. (THEY BURNT EVERY COPY.) COSTING THE DISTRIBUTOR A LOT OF MONEY. SORRY KOSHIN
13. AFTER ABOUT 10 YEARS, APRIL SOLD HER SHARES OF SHORTY'S TO ME SO NOW I'M THE SOLE OWNER. SHORTY'S WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT APRIL. I'M FOREVER GRATEFUL. THANKS APRIL FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.
14. SHORTY'S INVENTED THE SMALL, "HALF THREAD SMALLER COUNTERSUNK HEAD HARDWARE YOU RIDE NOW. WE INVENTED THE PRE CUT BOXED GRIP TAPE THAT EVERY SHOP NOW CARRIES. WE ALSO INVENTED THE SHOCK PAD AND SILVERADOS.
15. SHORTY'S IS ONE OF THE ONLY 100% INDEPENDENT SKATER OWNED AND OPERATED SKATEBOARD COMPANIES LEFT.
16. FOLLOW YOUR PASSIONS AND FULFILL YOUR DREAMS! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT HAS SUPPORTED SHORTY'S . - Tony Buyalos
FAVORITE LETTER

"I WENT INTO TACO BELL THE OTHER DAY AND THIS GIRL STARTED TALKING TO ME BECAUSE I WAS WEARING A SHORTY'S SHIRT, LATER THAT NIGHT THAT SHIRT WAS CRUMPLED UP AT THE END OF MY BED.......NEXT TO HER PANTIES. HAHA THANKS BRAH" - SAN DIEGO
FAVORITE QUOTE

"I ALWAYS THOUGHT EVERYONE AT SHORTY'S WAS ALL FRESH AND STUFF UNTIL I WENT TO YOUR TRADESHOW BOOTH AND REALIZED YOU WERE ALL DIRT BAGS" - BRETT HAMMOND
I WAS AT WORLD INDUSTRIES THE DAY THE SUGAR COATED PENIS POPS CEREAL BOXES ARRIVED. I RAN AROUND WITH ROCCO AS HE FRANTICALLY COULDN'T WAIT TO FILL IT WITH ALL THE PRIZES AND MAGAZINE. HE THEN GAVE IT TO ME AND SAID "IT'S THE VERY FIRST BOX." I HAD HIM, JEFF TREMAIN, RICK KOSICK, AND EARL PARKER SIGN IT BEFORE HE SHRINK WRAPPED IT. I THEN HAD SEAN CLIVER AND I THINK MARK MCKEE SIGN IT, I CAN'T REMEMBER BECAUSE YEARS LATER RATS INFESTED MY HOUSE AND ATE THROUGH THE BOX AND SHREDDED THE MAG AND THE CONTENTS INSIDE. DAMN RATS! THATS WHAT THE GIANT HOLE IN THE FRONT IS FROM.