Holding down Queen East for all your skateboard needs is Hammer, one of a handful of independent skateboard shops in Toronto that are worthy of your hard-earned dollar. With a strong team of young skaters and many hardcore locals backing it, plus a long history in the skate scene from founder Dave Buchanan, this shop proves there's more to the Beaches neighborhood than dogs and baby strollers. And with the new Ashbridges Bay skatepark getting poured just blocks away while you read this, you may be visiting Hammer sooner than you think.

We checked in with Dave, who opened Hammer in 2004, to see how the park is coming along and what's been happening in the shop since the big Push.ca Payout victory.

Hammer supports a pretty sweet team. How does one get on the team? What are you guys looking for?
We have a big team, so we aren't looking anymore. There are just tons of skaters in this area, and consequently lots of rippers. So it just kind of falls in place with people constantly coming into the shop.

Hammer won the Push.ca Payout contest. How did that all go down?
Well, Arget showed up and destroyed it, I guess. The other team riders didn't make it out for whatever reason, so Arget had to be the one-man demo.

Dan Arget has been ripping for Hammer for a while now. Any good stories about him?
Dan can rip anything. He is just so gung-ho to skate. The only thing you need to know is to set his watch/phone ahead an hour when he's not looking, then he will be on time for everything. I do like the story of him demoing at Muskoka Woods. They frown on any evil-type t-shirts, so Arget went shirtless and there wasn't much they could do about his evil ink.

Who else has been getting tricks done lately on the team?
Mike Mains is still recovering from a series of ankle and knee problems. Pretty serious stuff...  Rob Carley has been in Australia growing a Duncombe mullet. He'll come back with some new tricks for sure. Everyone else is doing whatever they do.... Nolan Waller and Zack Fergusson are out there constantly tearing it up. Every couple of days someone tells me something rad they saw from Zack. It's a joke that someone like him hasn't been hooked up yet. Only 13 years old! [He] rips everything.

Nolan Waller, FS 180. Arkan Zakharov photo.

Zack Fergusson. Scott McLellan photo.

The new Ashbridges Park will be just down the street from Hammer. What's going on with progress right now as far as you've seen? Wasn't it supposed to be done ages ago?
They are pouring lots of concrete. The park looks good so far. The ground there is unstable, so it took way too long to get it going.

Ashbridges Park, August 13th, 2009. Under construction.

There are some shots on the shop website with some skateboarding heavy's visiting the shop. What are some big names that have rolled through? Any good stories?
Nothing much as far as stories go... I'm pretty out of touch with the skate partying scene. The Blind guys have been by many times and they are so nice. It's obvious that Bill Weiss has his shit together with that team. But most of the Girl guys have been here, and that's royalty. Bod Boyle, for the old timers...Haslam has been here. Tom Penny was cool.

When was the last time Koston was in your shop?

Tom Penny doesn't actually work at Hammer.

Shop decks: Do you guys offer them? What is Hammer's stance on this touchy subject?  
We had them once, a couple of years ago, mainly for the team to have something consistent and cheaper to ride. But I don't get that whole thing, myself. I have never bought a shop deck or mini-logo deck in my life, and I would never ride one. I love supporting the brands and the pros that I like. I'm corny like that. I love board graphics.

What are the best ways for a shop to support the local skateboarding scene? What does Hammer do?
I don't do anything. I'm just here to sell quality stuff at a good price, with good service and support. We are here, and people know that. I'm not really part of the skate community. I don't know... Wax a curb, maybe?

What are your thoughts on chain store skate shops? Are they supporting skating or just cashing in?
That's all people have in some smaller cities, I guess. It's for that first-time buyer. I don't care about them at all. Everyone knows they're lame. People who ride or demo for them are the lamest.

On-line skate shops. Comments?
You can't touch the product, and it's complicated to return it or warranty it. And you get no product knowledge from staff. It's a trade-off that usually isn't worth it, unless your local shop doesn't stock what you need.

Is the rider-owned, single location shop a dying breed?
No, I don't think so. Shops come and go. There have never been very many indie shops at any time.

The Museum section on the Hammer website is amazing; there's so much history packed in some of those shots. Where did all that footage come from?
It's just whatever we had lying around over the years. That's just some of my stuff. People have 10 times more Cow Ramp shots than I have.

Old Rodent Skate Shop ad, with photos of the Cow Ramp.

Marc Ricciardelli, stalefish. Torontosaurus Park. Anthony Vitale photo.

What do you do to shoplifters?
We've really only ever had one, that I know of, and I followed him down the street and made him give back the belt buckle he took. The sight-lines in the shop make it hard to steal. But don't take that as a challenge, please.

What brand best represents Hammer?
Toy Machine is a favourite, but it doesn't sell much.

www.hammertoronto.com

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Related:
Push.ca Payout (video)
Tattoos, Metal and Skateboarding With Dan Arget
DC Nationals: Toronto Results (Nolan Waller)