On Board - Geared up for skate shop
The Patriot Ledger, MA
May 18, 2007
Aerosmith drummer teams up with Technical owner to open Newbury Street store
Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer won’t be promoting a new recording at his next big launch party. Instead, he’ll be celebrating the opening of a skateboard and clothing boutique in the heart of Boston’s fashion district.
Kramer has teamed up with John Nichols, the owner of the Technical skate shop on Route 53 in Norwell, to open another Technical store on Newbury Street in the Back Bay.
"The thing that I first picked up about him was his passion about the (skateboarding) culture," said Kramer, a Marshfield resident. "I know, from my own experience, that somebody I feel that kind of passion from doing something they love to do is going to be successful."
The second Technical store is slated to open on June 30 in a 1,000-square-foot, first-floor space between Exeter and Fairfield streets. Kramer and Nichols hope to appeal to hard-core skaters as well as casual fans of the culture and clothing.
"It’s not going to be the type of store where you feel intimidated to walk into it," said Nichols, who grew up in Norwell and still lives there. "If you’re too involved in a subculture, you can’t see those who would like to be involved. The skate shops and surf shops that I had growing up had been so involved in their own subculture that they didn’t see the outside people who would like to be involved."
Fans of the Technical shop in Norwell will notice some differences. The Boston shop will have a much heavier emphasis on clothing, including a wider range of artist-inspired "streetwear," and it will have a more upscale ambience.
Kramer is still quite busy with his music career: The band, which has been together since the early 1970s, will soon embark on another European tour.
He has also followed his passion for cars by becoming a co-owner of the Corvette Mike New England dealership in Plymouth.
Kramer was inspired by the love of skateboarding that he saw in his son Jesse and Nichols, his son’s friend, -- to pursue his latest venture.
Kramer has played an active role as a partner in the Boston store, bouncing promotional ideas off Nichols, picking out inventory and helping Nichols and his father, Charles, search for the right location.
"It was something I could learn about quickly," Kramer said. "I wear the clothes myself. It was an easy fit. It wasn’t really something that I was stretching to do. Now, I’m learning more about retailing and what is involved to put a store together and all the work that goes behind it."
No date has been set for a grand-opening party, although Kramer and Nichols say they expect it will happen sometime in July. Kramer said he will regularly visit the store when he’s in Massachusetts.
"We tour ...but it’s a lot less than we used to," Kramer said. "I’m home a lot more. I’ll spend more time with my store in Plymouth. I’ll spend more time with my store in Boston."
Kramer said he’s a 50/50 partner in the Boston shop with Nichols.
"John and I will make decisions together," Kramer said. "He’ll most likely be the one to carry them out."
Nichols, meanwhile, will hire a manager to run his Norwell shop as he takes over management full-time in Boston. He said he has already hired three people to work in the Boston store and expects to hire a couple more.
Nichols’ first business venture was Vjolt Enterprises, a clothing-design firm that he started when he was a junior at Stonehill College in 1997. He still runs Vjolt out of his house, but spends most of his time with Technical.
Nichols opened the Technical store in Norwell seven years ago, and worked hard to make it a part of the community. His mother, Patricia, played a crucial role in volunteering and getting to know the kids who hung out at the shop before she died last year. Nichols continues to sponsor skateboarders who skate at local parks and offers after-school classes at schools in Norwell and Hingham.
"I didn’t want to come into the business with an air of ‘I have all the answers,’ " Nichols said. "It was really a sense of getting the community involved and letting the area dictate the vibe of the store."
May 18, 2007
Aerosmith drummer teams up with Technical owner to open Newbury Street store
Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer won’t be promoting a new recording at his next big launch party. Instead, he’ll be celebrating the opening of a skateboard and clothing boutique in the heart of Boston’s fashion district.
Kramer has teamed up with John Nichols, the owner of the Technical skate shop on Route 53 in Norwell, to open another Technical store on Newbury Street in the Back Bay.
"The thing that I first picked up about him was his passion about the (skateboarding) culture," said Kramer, a Marshfield resident. "I know, from my own experience, that somebody I feel that kind of passion from doing something they love to do is going to be successful."
The second Technical store is slated to open on June 30 in a 1,000-square-foot, first-floor space between Exeter and Fairfield streets. Kramer and Nichols hope to appeal to hard-core skaters as well as casual fans of the culture and clothing.
"It’s not going to be the type of store where you feel intimidated to walk into it," said Nichols, who grew up in Norwell and still lives there. "If you’re too involved in a subculture, you can’t see those who would like to be involved. The skate shops and surf shops that I had growing up had been so involved in their own subculture that they didn’t see the outside people who would like to be involved."
Fans of the Technical shop in Norwell will notice some differences. The Boston shop will have a much heavier emphasis on clothing, including a wider range of artist-inspired "streetwear," and it will have a more upscale ambience.
Kramer is still quite busy with his music career: The band, which has been together since the early 1970s, will soon embark on another European tour.
He has also followed his passion for cars by becoming a co-owner of the Corvette Mike New England dealership in Plymouth.
Kramer was inspired by the love of skateboarding that he saw in his son Jesse and Nichols, his son’s friend, -- to pursue his latest venture.
Kramer has played an active role as a partner in the Boston store, bouncing promotional ideas off Nichols, picking out inventory and helping Nichols and his father, Charles, search for the right location.
"It was something I could learn about quickly," Kramer said. "I wear the clothes myself. It was an easy fit. It wasn’t really something that I was stretching to do. Now, I’m learning more about retailing and what is involved to put a store together and all the work that goes behind it."
No date has been set for a grand-opening party, although Kramer and Nichols say they expect it will happen sometime in July. Kramer said he will regularly visit the store when he’s in Massachusetts.
"We tour ...but it’s a lot less than we used to," Kramer said. "I’m home a lot more. I’ll spend more time with my store in Plymouth. I’ll spend more time with my store in Boston."
Kramer said he’s a 50/50 partner in the Boston shop with Nichols.
"John and I will make decisions together," Kramer said. "He’ll most likely be the one to carry them out."
Nichols, meanwhile, will hire a manager to run his Norwell shop as he takes over management full-time in Boston. He said he has already hired three people to work in the Boston store and expects to hire a couple more.
Nichols’ first business venture was Vjolt Enterprises, a clothing-design firm that he started when he was a junior at Stonehill College in 1997. He still runs Vjolt out of his house, but spends most of his time with Technical.
Nichols opened the Technical store in Norwell seven years ago, and worked hard to make it a part of the community. His mother, Patricia, played a crucial role in volunteering and getting to know the kids who hung out at the shop before she died last year. Nichols continues to sponsor skateboarders who skate at local parks and offers after-school classes at schools in Norwell and Hingham.
"I didn’t want to come into the business with an air of ‘I have all the answers,’ " Nichols said. "It was really a sense of getting the community involved and letting the area dictate the vibe of the store."
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