00:00Hi, I'm Meg Stalter.
00:01We're at Marriage Skate Shop.
00:03Come on in.
00:03Don't be shy.
00:04Seriously, get in here.
00:18My amazing stylist and close friend who feels like family,
00:21Kat and her amazing husband, Ronnie,
00:24own this beautiful shop in LA, one of my favorite places
00:26in the world.
00:30They have adoption days here.
00:32I lost a dog that I had for 17 years.
00:34It was really sad.
00:35And when I wanted to adopt a dog, Kat definitely
00:38helped me open my heart to adopting another animal.
00:41I feel like we've all been coming together
00:44to celebrate places in LA.
00:46And even though it's really sad what we've lost,
00:49to rebuild together and to celebrate these special places
00:53is more important now than ever.
00:56I am Kat Topaldos.
00:58I'm Ronnie Campone.
01:01A community should have a skate shop.
01:03My 45th birthday was coming up.
01:05I wouldn't call it a midlife crisis, but I definitely,
01:08I wanted something that was mine.
01:10I, you know, I've worked my whole life since I was 12, 13 years old.
01:13I've had a million jobs and I just didn't want to work for somebody else.
01:17So I wanted to see what it was like to do it for yourself.
01:19At the time, there was a really cool skate shop in LA that was just closing their doors.
01:23It kind of made sense that the community needed one in this neighborhood.
01:27And it just, I don't know, we just kind of went for it.
01:30It was a little bit kismet.
01:33We're both New Yorkers.
01:35I was like begging Ronnie to move out to LA, you know, you see the palm trees, the sunshine.
01:41I just loved the archetype of California, which did include kind of, I don't know,
01:46it sounds pretty corny, but like pursuing dreams.
01:48And I think when you leave a place and enter somewhere new, there is that possibility.
01:52Between the dog adoptions, whether it's, you know, somebody that has a new clothing line.
01:57Art shows.
01:57Art shows, you know, to have a place for people to come and do that feels really good.
02:02You know, it's, it's another way of giving back to people that are trying to do what they
02:06want to do.
02:06Yeah.
02:07The same way we're doing what we want to do.
02:09This is just such an important space to the city because they do so many cool rescue events.
02:16And as well, it's important to skaters because it's a one stop shop.
02:20I actually would like to maybe come in one day and get one for, just hang on the wall.
02:25And maybe my girlfriend could use it to skate, but I shouldn't be on wheels.
02:30It looks like if an incredible artist created a skate shop, because that's what happened.
02:37These are the shop boards that we've done since we've been open.
02:40I'd say probably that one's my favorite, not because I love my dogs, but just because
02:44it looks really good.
02:45Nati, who's an incredible local artist and also incredible tattoo artist and major dog
02:49lover.
02:50Drew has this beautiful picture too.
02:51This is our board wall where other brands come.
02:55They, you know, I buy their skateboards, the ones, you know, I handpick pretty much what
02:58I want in the shop.
03:00These here are all the shop boards that I've been doing probably for the last two months.
03:05I've just been buying them blank and painting them myself, screen printing numerous graphics
03:10on there.
03:10Also, my sister did all the branding.
03:12So that too, it's like we keep it like a family affair and we're always trying to work with
03:15people that we love and support.
03:17But yeah, my sister helped conceive of the graphic.
03:20Claire Topalda, she's very, very talented too.
03:22I'm just momajuring everybody right now.
03:24Yeah, plugs.
03:25Big plugs.
03:27L.A. is probably the first place I have a home.
03:30I won't be giving my address out, but I will be saying that I live somewhere in California.
03:36I love L.A.
03:36It's beautiful.
03:37I think people give L.A. a hard time because they're jealous.
03:40The biggest misconception about L.A. is that everybody is fake because it's not everybody.
03:47There's some really amazing people here.
03:49And there are some fake people and freaks.
03:52If I was walking down the street and I didn't know about marriage and I walked in, I would
03:55think, I'm about to start skateboarding.
03:57I'm about to start getting into skateboarding.
04:02I see my hats out there all the time.
04:04I saw a guy wearing a pair of shorts one day when I was getting coffee.
04:08I see it on set all the time.
04:09Yeah, a lot of people will send me pictures of people on set wearing a marriage hat.
04:14We've worked really hard.
04:15I've put a lot of sleepless nights into trying to create something and bring something
04:20to people that is special.
04:22And, you know, I feel like it is working.
04:27I think part of what we're doing, especially as we grow, is really put a focus on animal
04:32welfare and advocating for animals, especially in Los Angeles.
04:35There's a massive crisis here, so just trying to support our local shelters.
04:40Advocacy is very sexy and you can do that and find out more in the shop.
04:44Well, thank you for checking out Marriage Skate Shop.
04:48I gotta go and you guys gotta go.
04:50I'm taking these with me.
04:52Seriously, you gotta get out.
04:54They're closed.
04:55But they're usually open such amazing hours, so check them out on your own time.
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