Yesterday was our appearance at Last Licks Armonk with skateboard legend (and video game king) Tony Hawk. Before heading over the store Hawk came up to our office for a private signing. The skateboard decks have become one of our bestsellers (with good reason- the things are sick!) so this was a great opportunity for us to get more of each style signed. Not only did we re-up on some of those classic designs but we were also able to acquire some of Tony's newest designs (there is one green one with a japanimation font on it..very strong!) The decks are probably the most difficult thing to get signed. It takes a while for them to dry so, like photos, they need to be scattered as to allow time for the signature to dry. The problem is that they are an awkward size and take up a lot more space than a photo. It was crazy but we got through it and they all came out unbelievable. Aside from the decks Tony also signed helmets and photos. In the past we have done black helmets and have now added a red one (which Tony is now using) to our Tony Hawk collection. After the private signing was done we went right over to Last Licks Armonk where there was a big line of excited fans awaiting Tony's arrival. Unfortunately Armonk is the one Last Licks store that does not have an awning. It was pouring rain so the customers were soaked by the time they got in. We did our best to move the line along so that no one was stuck in the rain for too long and Tony went out of his way for each and every one of the fans. It's pretty cool that Hawk's fan base are mostly kids. He loves interacting with them and talking about boarding and his video games. He definitely ranks up there as one of the most down-to-earth celebrities I have ever encountered (we spent a little bit of time talking about South Park...how many times have you heard me say that on the blog?)
Anyway, aside from the rain it was an awesome and gratifying day.
We have a ridiculous number of signings going on in the next five days (not to mention the start of Phil Lesh's ten run at the Nokia Theater...had to throw that in there as I will be at most of those shows) We are conducting signings with Robinson Cano, Martin St. Louis, Tony LaRussa, Lou Holtz and Gary Carter (just to name a few). Also next Sunday we have an appearance with Rangers superstar Jaromir Jagr. I am about to start holding some new contests here that will give you guys an opportunity to win tickets to upcoming public signings so make sure to check back daily. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!