One not insignificant benefit of operating a hard goods business out of California is the abundance of space. You can just find a warehouse, or gentrify one into existence, and use that as the base for all your operations (shipping/receiving, offices, private skatepark, futon, mini fridge).
Which is why the setup for 5Boro skateboards in New York is so impressive. For the past ten years, Mark Nardelli has been running 5Boro out of a one bedroom apartment in Chinatown.
He uses part of the basement for storage, but his apartment regularly gets filled with boxes and taken over with packing product to send out, spray painting test graphics, and shooting catalogs. It’s also a defacto skate house for out of town riders, so Mark rarely has the place all to himself.
We met up with Mark to get a look at the 5Boro apartment and meet one of their up-and-comers, Amir Denis. If you ever thought of running your own board brand, Mark is a good example of the kind of dedication and flexibility you have to have to succeed.
Check back tomorrow for a new vid from 5Boro on the site.
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February 6, 2020 2:44 pm
Jenkem, this is awesome – thank you. Nardelli is such an great guy. 100% pure skateboarder, super generous, and still ripping after all these years.
I kindly suggest that everyone goes to 5boronyc.com, and shows their support for this sick company by buying a deck, a sweatshirt, or treat yourself – and get one of each !
February 6, 2020 3:06 pm
do one on hotel blue
February 7, 2020 8:25 pm
Hell yeah! Nardelli is the real deal. One of the most dedicated, hardest working dudes in skateboarding. Got so much respect for Nar!
November 23, 2020 7:28 pm
Nice video, feeling of 90s’ vibe. His apartment is pretty small actually, I think modern one-bedroom property in London https://1newhomes.com/new-homes/property-1-bedroom/ is much bigger than a New York one. Anyway, I’ve never been to NY so I could be wrong.