This document summarizes Rip City Skate and Subsonic Skateboards, two businesses located in the same building in Portland, Oregon that are central to the local longboarding community. Rip City Skate, owned by JP Rowan, is a sanctuary for longboarders and the center of Portland's downhill scene. Subsonic Skateboards, owned by Scott Moore, handcrafts custom longboards in their basement workshop using woodworking skills. Both owners are actively involved in the longboarding community through their shops, sponsoring events and riders, and prioritizing personal connections over business. The co-located shops serve as a home base and clubhouse for the local longboarding community.

1. 8 LONGBOARDING MAGAZINE SUMMER 2011

2. For as long as there have been skateboards,
there has been a withstanding relationship
between skateboard communities and the
shops that support them—think Zephyr Surf
Shop and the Z-Boys. These shops are vital to
skateboarding communities because they offer
skaters a sanctuary. Growing up as skaters,
we’ve always needed a place to fit in, a place
where it’s considered “normal” to skate. Skate
shops are our clubhouses. In recent decades,
street skaters have found a mainstream accep-
tance. However, longboarders remain on the
fringe, neglected by not only the public, but
the rest of the skateboarding community as
well. The downhill scene in the Pacific North-
west has long since been on an upward slope.
But even with the popularity of the sport in
the region, we are still outcasts. Longboarders
need a place where we are accepted. We need
a Zephyr.
On a busy street in Northeast Portland, an
unassuming building sits nestled between a
pantsuit store and an outdoors retailer. The
building’s entrance consists of two glass doors
that open into the storefront of Rip City Skate.
Inside, skateboards line the walls. Soft goods
are minimal—a few t-shirts and sweatshirts
here and there. The phone rings. Skaters
behind the counter discuss hills they are going
to bomb, ideal parking garages, and upcoming
punk shows. In the back room, someone dips
down into the bowl, appropriately named
“Gnarble.” The sound of trucks clashing with
the coping rings out; then a loud pop as the
board snaps into its rider’s hands as they exit
the bowl. If you were to travel to the dusty
basement you would find a symphony of
saws and drills—the home of Subsonic Skate-
boards. The building breathes with the excite-
ment of longboarders inside. When it rains,
sweat drips down the windows.
Duplex:RipCity&Subsonic
Words by Marcus Lund
Photos by Jon Huey

3. In the age of ultra-sleek, uber-modern
skateshops, Rip City’s décor seems simple.
The walls are lined with slotted corkboard.
The single television plays only skate
videos. There are no slim, backlit vendor
signs to give the interior that spaceship
feel, and there is no thumping bass to
be heard from the outside. Rip City
doesn’t rely on these high-fashion retail
tactics because this isn’t a place where
the people behind the counter work to
coerce customers into buying things. It’s
a place for skaters. A place at the center of
Portland’s downhill scene and that of the
greater Northwest.
On most days, Rip City’s owner, JP
Rowan, can be found behind the counter.
The store bustles with customers and
vendors. Customers’ and employees’
boards are strewn about. Everyone seems
to know one another. New customers
never feel alienated. Spend ten minutes
in the shop and you’ll feel at home, like
you’ve known these guys for years. Being
inside Rip City makes you feel like one
of the gang. Some of these skaters are big
named riders; others are just beginning,
and JP hangs out with all of them.
JP moved to Portland from Virginia in
2006 for the skateparks. That same year,
he found employment at the Mountain
Shop, a local ski and snowboard
equipment retailer. Since the day he
arrived in Portland, he was focused
on the community. He immediately
began setting up contacts and working
to maintain his lifestyle. He convinced
the management at The Mountain Shop
to let him set up a “Board Room” in the
store, allowing JP to get an idea of what
running a shop would entail. The Board
RIGHT:
Portland local Derrick pulls
off a blunt to fakie in the
Gnarble.
ABOVE:
JP takes a break from his
work on PDXdownhill.com
to interact with the skaters
in his shop.
PREVIOUS:
RipCity’s Head of Oper-
ations, JP Rowan, sits
outside his shop.
10 LONGBOARDING MAGAZINE SUMMER 2011
Upstairs:

4. Room at the Mountain Shop was a good
start for JP, but he wanted to do more for
Portland’s downhill scene.
Portland’s downhill community
had neither a clubhouse nor a place to
congregate online. So in 2008, JP got
together with Casey Morrow and Billy
Meiners to create PDXDownhill.com.
The Internet forum quickly became the
easiest way for the community to grow
together. Riders set up skate races, shared
favorite skate spots, and formed strong
friendships. PDX Downhill has now
grown into more than an Internet forum.
It hosts information that has become
vital to the longboarders of Portland.
There are city ordinance laws posted so
that all skaters can know their rights. The
website also has the most comprehensive
downhill event calendar in the region.
PDX Downhill is a way for newcomers
in the scene to get a foot in the door and
meet fellow skaters. And for those who
have been skating since day one, it is a
resource for staying on top of events and
rider news. The organization also hosts a
multitude of events in the Northwest.
With the success of PDX Downhill,
JP gained enough community support
to open his own shop. But even with
the strong support and the financial
backing of the Mountain Shop, Rip City
was not an instant success. Because of
the rapid growth of the downhill scene
in the Northwest, the competition for
the longboard market was fierce, and the
power of other shops was underestimated.
Many companies were reluctant to open
accounts with Rip City for fear that other
localshopswoulddropthem.Mostbrands
took a leap of faith and stocked with Rip
City despite these fears, and so far it has
been without consequence. But to some,
there is still a schism in the community
between those who stock with Rip City
Skate and those who do not. JP doesn’t let
this bother him. He remains focused on
the community. He needs the shop to do
well, so that it can stay afloat, but he puts
back into the sport as much as possible.
Early this year, JP bought the PDX
Downhill bus (www. Sk8bus.com.) There
are two beds, a dozen seats, and enough
storage room for boards and bags. JP
does the repairs on the bus and recently
worked tirelessly to ensure it could
receive an RV rating in order to allow
for certain luxuries including the ability
to legally drink alcohol on the bus. The
PDX Downhill bus makes it possible for
anyone to make it to events, but it also
affords opportunities for the community
to travel as one. Team riders and amateurs
ride together.
JP’s efforts to support the community
stem from his personal philosophy: “How
you decide to spend your money will
most likely be the greatest influence you
have on the world in your lifetime.” As
skaters, we grew up in skate shops, often
SUMMER 2011 LONGBOARDING MAGAZINE 11

5. raised by the employees, our idols. This
connection is not lost on JP. He relishes
the idea of instilling social responsibility
into the young skaters who frequent his
shop. The shop’s mission is to encourage
everyone to skate every kind of terrain.
Their motto: “Skate Everything.” We skate
hills and parks that are near us, so it’s
importanttospendourmoneyinasimilar
fashion: locally. If we send our money too
far away, we’ll be stuck skating big box-
store parking lots, riding pavement that’s
neglected and dilapidated, and locked
out of parking structures. Nobody wants
that. He provides his fellow skaters with
couches and magazines to give them a
place to congregate and feel at home. He
builtGnarble,anindoorrampthatanyone
can skate and a crucial opportunity in
the always-rainy Northwest, but also an
opportunity for longboarders to skate
something different. JP also gives local
riders a voice, which enables them to
interact with the community.
The community flocks to the shop—
engulfs it at times—and JP has every
right to act like a rock star, but he doesn’t.
He works at the shop. He skates at
competitions. He is truly a participating a
member of the community that supports
him. The relationship is symbiotic. Rip
City needs skaters and skaters need Rip
City. The shop is a staple within the
scene, a resource without which many
longboarders would be lost.
12 LONGBOARDING MAGAZINE SUMMER 2011

6. ABOVE: RipCity team rider Alicia Fillback shreds the Switchbacks.
She’s the only girl on the team but rips just as hard as all the guys.
LEFT: JP distributes schwag at the base of the Portland Switch-
backs, where many shop-sponsored outlaws have been held.
SUMMER 2011 LONGBOARDING MAGAZINE 13

7. In order to get to the Subsonic
Skateboards workshop, one must
navigate through a maze of boxes and
back-stock rooms until they eventually
find themselves at the top of a long,
descending staircase. From the floor
below, the screams of jigsaws, drills and
belt sanders can be heard. As you descend
the stairs, the air thickens with a layer
of dust. It clings to your legs, arms, and
face until you are completely submerged.
You can feel it sticking in your lungs.
Shop lights cast shadows near every tool.
Skeletons of longboard decks in various
stages of completion surround the shop.
Subsonic’s owner, Scott Moore,
always works. Most days, he is in the
shop for close to ten hours, filling the
influx of orders and perfecting his newest
creations. Spend ten minutes watching
him and you can feel his artistry. It comes
as no surprise that Scott holds a Master
of Fine Arts in Sculpture. Shortly after
completing school, Scott dove into the
art world, but he soon grew disillusioned
with the professional art scene. He
had to get out. He began skating in the
late ’90s, focusing primarily on slalom
racing. When it came time for him to
Downstairs:
Scott is involved in every step
of the creation of his boards.
He frequently collaborates with
local riders to make boards that
people want to ride.

8. buy a deck, he saw no other option but to
build his own. Now, years later, a master
woodsman and downhill rider with a
blossoming business, it seems as if Scott
were destined to make skateboards.
Subsonic boards are “hand-built to
order,” each carefully crafted with the
rider in mind. Scott works one-on-one
with team riders, developing boards
that fit their style. Customers will often
email Scott, asking him to add a kick tail
or shorten a nose. He loves this level of
communication, and because his goal is
to create the ultimate tool for each rider,
he encourages it. Unlike most web-based
businesses, Subsonic is not faceless.
At any given time, Scott has multiple
interns working under him. He trains
them, and shares his personal philosophy
of skateboard making. He closely oversees
their first project, a personal deck, after
which they are free to design and make
discount boards for themselves or prepare
a board for the shop, an opportunity to
gain knowledge and a little cash. Anyone
in the community can approach Scott
with the hopes of working for him. He
enjoys helping and collaborating with
other skaters.
Only four shops in the US and Canada
carry Subsonic decks. Scott would like to
see Subsonic boards in more shops, but it’s
tough enough filling the number of orders
SUMMER 2011 LONGBOARDING MAGAZINE 15

10. he currently receives. He wants to keep the company small,
but eventually would like to see a third-party workshop
produce a simple model for him, thus allowing him to
focus on individual orders while still maintaining a shop
presence. Because of the attention to detail each board
receives, orders take three to four weeks to fill. But, as
riders will testify, it is well worth the wait. Subsonic boards
aren’t like many factory boards, because Scott doesn’t take
the factory approach to producing his product. He works
on a more personal level. When you pick up a Subsonic
board, you can feel its handcrafted quality. Scott’s artistry
shines in the boards’ fluid curves and sharp, precise edges.
Scott stains the raw wood on each board, and blends colors
by adding a sanding sealer on top of that. The stains come
out deep and rich in color, providing Subsonic boards with
their signature stains. Subsonic skateboards are a top pick
for many professional longboarders, especially those in
the LDP (Long Distance Pumping) scene. Of the top four
finishers of the 2011 Silver Comet LDP race, three rode
the Subsonic Pulse. This may have not been what Scott
had in mind when he began building decks for friends
and family out of his garage, but the upward motion of
Subsonic Skateboards seems exponential, growing from a
garage and into a basement and out into the world.
ABOVE:
Intern Nate King applies
a layer of clear coat over
Scott’s signature stains.
LEFT:
Scott hand-saws a blank
intooneofhismanyunique
shapes.
SUMMER 2011 LONGBOARDING MAGAZINE 17

11. Scott ventures out of the basement often. Like JP, he is at
events,eitherasasponsor,acompetitororasupporter.Scott
and JP go to these events and support the community that
begot them. They drink beers, bomb hills, and laugh with
team riders. They are truly part of the gang. While much
of the longboard scene uses the Internet to purchase goods
and reach their community (Rip City Skate and Subsonic
included), it is nice to see two longboarders who remain
focused on personal connections and skating. It is all a way
of life for them, a form of existence. After the event is over,
theyreturntotheconcretebuildingthathousesbothoftheir
businesses for more work. The building may seem like just
another shop to an outsider, but the unassuming building
in Northeast Portland means a lot to the longboarding
community. It’s our clubhouse. It’s our home. [ss]
Scott and JP stand
and admire one of
Subsonics’ latest
graphics drawn by
RipCity Rider Alicia
Fillback.