Welcome back and thanks for joining us for another week of Comacan Questions, this week we are talking to yet another guest we met online; however, it was more than just stumbling upon the page. While scrolling through some of the skateboard community that we already knew and followed, we had this really eye-catching display pop up, crafted by this week’s guest. From there we looked through some more of his work and followed the page, obviously we wanted to spread the word which led us to this interview right here. With that being said, we hope everyone enjoys this week’s interview with Not Pro Skateboards.
Why did you choose the name Not Pro Skateboards?
It started as a joke to make my own pro model but clearly, I’m not. But I kinda liked the name. Then about 2 years later when I had made my first wheel display, I figured I needed a company name just in case I was going to try and sell them so I went back to the original name for my board. Probably not the best name, lol, but I’m all in now.
What inspired you to start a company?
So, when I made my first wheel display it was for a set of Speedlab Wheels Slappy Hour wheels. I posted a pic of it on Instagram and a few people liked it including some nods from Speedlab and Jason Adams. I thought that was pretty cool but I was part of a group of skaters on Discord that was started up by Kris from Progression Skateboard Co. he had a lot of passion in wheat he was doing and i found it inspirational so i decided to take the leap. There were no other wheel displays online so I figured some other people out there would dig it or it would be a bust.
What products do you offer?
I mainly offer custom displays based on the wheels people collect. I do a whole lot of custom one-off projects of this sort. Then I also make some 3d displays just to hang on your wall. But a side effect of all of this is now I get a lot of custom projects that aren’t skate related.
Where are you based out of?
I’m based out of Chicago but have shipped displays all over the world now. That part really blows me away.
Where can people view your products?
Mostly on Instagram @notproskateboards but I have some stuff at notproskateboards.com Since the majority of what I do is custom orders i usually just work through dm’s.
Do you make custom pieces?
Almost all of my stuff is custom orders, so yep. If you have an idea just shoot me a dm and I’ll brainstorm with you to make it come to life.
What does skateboarding mean to you?
I started skating when I was 14 in 1988 so skating has had many meanings to me over time. In the beginning it was all fun and adventures. No cares in the world other than doing trick after tricks and pushing myself. These days it helps calm my mind and lets me focus on that moment where I’m trying something and nothing else. I’ll be 50 this year so I’m definitely not as good as I used to be but I still got impossibles on lock so I’m happy about that.
Do you have a favorite piece you’ve made? That’s a really hard one, lol. I would say that the one I call the Shield less probably is. It has a wine rack vibe to it. Very clean and basic piece but it lets the wheels be the center of attention. It really is nice looking. But after that I would say the display, I made for my set of G Bones. It’s basically a big fidget spinner lol.
Anyone you’d like to thank?
There’s a good handful of people I’d like to thank. My dad for helping me as an artist at a very early age. He was always painting something in our house so I took a lot of inspiration from that. My best friend Corey for getting my into printing. He’s been pushing me to do something with my art for about 20 years now. My wife Kerri who I made a bunch of my early creations for and has seen me progress to where I am today. And to everyone that’s supported me and has shown love for what I’ve been making.