Lodi local Aaron Sass’s lifelong love of skating led him to launch his own business handmaking custom longboards—an art, a hobby, and a business all wrapped into one. Since, Aaron has managed to establish a brand with a loyal following and is eager to share his love of longboards with Lodi and beyond. “Skateboarding is very nostalgic for me,” Aaron says. “I love what it stands for: individualism, creativity, personal expression, and it is just part of our American culture.”
Searching for a new hobby during last summer’s COVID lockdown, Aaron dusted off some hand-me-down woodworking tools, headed to the hardware store, and built his first board. “And it was horrible,” he recalls. “Well, what could I do now? Build another, fixing the mistakes I made on the previous one. Slowly, failure after failure, things started to turn around.”
When they did, he started posting his work on social media and quickly realized that the interest in having a handmade board is that they are each one-of-a-kind. Customers wanted to pick their own wood, help design the pattern, and see the board come to life from beginning to end.
So, Aaron built his business—Pipe Dream Sk8 Co.—around this idea. For his customers, working with Aaron ensures not only that they cruise away on a longboard with a smooth ride, but also one that is truly a unique piece of art.
“I use different hardwoods like maple, walnut, and purpleheart. These woods are very durable and can withstand a good amount of pressure,” Aaron explains. But the choice of materials is also an aesthetic one: Aaron doesn’t use stains or paint on his boards. Instead, he creates patterns with the varying shades of natural purples, yellows, oranges, allowing the wood’s beauty to shine through in the final product.
Over the last year, Aaron has made more than 75 custom longboard and has no intention of slowing. Both the local business community and skating community have welcomed him with open arms and he is eager to see what’s in store for Pipe Dream Sk8 Co.
Get your hands on one:
Pipe Dream Sk8 Co.
(209) 329-6223
@pipedreamsk8co