| Are you LEGNDARY? An Interview with AJ Ballard |
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What is the concept of LEGNDARY and how did you come up with it? LEGNDARY is not your average skate shop. We have blended euro fashions with active lifestyle brands, making LEGNDARY the first hybrid skate shop. How did you decide on the location? I sat down with my business partners, Donnie Burton and Cameron Griffin, and we talked about the name and what it means to them. Then I addressed the area and what it had VS what it needed. After walking around and seeing guys and girls on boards, we decided a skate shop will do…but not just any skate shop…it had to be LEGNDARY!!! So we looked at what other shops had and based our buying on what they didn't have. What makes LEGNDARY different from other boutiques? No other skate shop does or has custom sneakers and has an in-house artist that can make your wildest idea a reality…his name is LOCKSMITH a well-known sneaker artist who has done work for the likes of Usher to NFL, NBA, and even MLB clientele. We also have a 1/4 pipe inside of our store, and the only skate shop with two levels. What type of shopping experience do you want your customers to have? We want our customers to feel legendary…we want you to walt and feel as if you have entered a different world…that's why we made the whole store and art piece. Our staff is phenomenal and well trained by our retail specialist and fashion consultant, Jason P. Locust, who is also a musician and producer. Our staff is collectively made of artists, musicians, and skateboarders. What are the typical brands that you carry? We carry a select group of clothiers that deal with special shops and exclusive boutiques only…SLVDR, Huffer, 9grand, Ampal Creative, are a few of the brands that we carry. We also have a skate line from London called Fenchurch, a very hot line. We are the first in the US to land the account. Now that's LEGNDARY!!! Who is the ideal LEGNDARY customer? The customers that we target are your artists, musicians, and of course, your skateboarders…but we also attract a lot that admire the art and the culture of skateboarding…we get a lot of guys that work in the office environment and they used to skate when they were younger, and they appreciate that we have items they can integrate into their existing wardrobe. Do you have any upcoming events or promos you would like to let people know of? We have a grand opening party that we are planning to throw towards the end of February. We are also releasing a mixture called "LEGNDS NEVER DIE" which will be produced and organized by Jason Locust. The disc will feature Cleveland's best singers, lyricists, and even poets. That will drop in March. Follow us on Twitter for updates. You can also find us on Facebook. LEGNDARY is at 1828 Coventry in Cleveland Heights 216.932.7777 http://www.areyoulegndary.com/
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