Olaf Growald
It was something like serendipity when Coyt Caffey and Bobby Wilson met while working at a skate shop in Arlington, bonding over not just boards and flip tricks but a coincidental fact: They both share the same birthday — July 14.
And what’s more, when the two decided to open a skate shop of their own on West Magnolia Avenue, its grand opening just happened to coincide with that particular date.
“This wasn’t planned, but we signed the lease for this place in June,” Wilson says. “By the time we finished building everything in here, we wanted to open up on a weekend — like on a Saturday, have our grand opening party. The next Saturday happened to be our birthday, so we opened the shop … So, us and the shop, we all share the same birthday.”
Now, about eight years into friendship and three years into being business partners, the two admit they’re not exempt from butting heads once in a while, but it’s all only made the shop better. Caffey and Wilson take pride in their shop’s intentional efforts to connect with the community.