In a quiet San Leandro neighborhood, Orbit Skate Shop and Boutique sticks out like a sore
thumb—in a good way. The curved storefront features a galactic mural that invites customers into the hippie-skate hybrid world that Orbit has cultivated since it opened in 1995.
Inside, a wall of brightly patterned skate decks serves as a background for the rest of the shop, bookended on the other side with a neon red and purple sign that reads, “piercing studio.”
Not only can folks get their skate trucks installed; they can also get their ears pierced. Jason Puerto, recent graduate of Fremont High School in Oakland, got his pierced at Orbit last summer so he could follow in his sister’s footsteps. She calls Orbit a rite of passage for kids in Oakland.
According to Keanu Walters, who currently works at the skate shop and has been a customer since he was seven years old, the store has become sort of generational. Parents who would come when they were younger now bring their own kids. It was also the location of videos filmed for Braille Skateboarding, a company founded by San Francisco professional skateboarder Aaron Kyro.
“People really love their Orbit,” says Walters.
Recently, Orbit has been getting an influx of visitors who aren’t from the Bay Area at all. Kids started coming from out of state when the GPA program that Orbit runs began making its rounds on social media.
Puerto also participated in their Annual GPA program, in which students are honored with varying rewards for getting good grades: 3.0 means a free fun pack; 3.6 gets a T-shirt; and at 4.0, students are welcome to grab a deck, free of charge. Puerto’s kit included stickers and a skate video CD. There are no strings attached—all students have to do is bring in their end of the year report card until the program ends in mid-July.
General manager Sal Saad started the program in 2002 after seeing positive reinforcement work for his kids at home and wanting to do something to give back to the community.
“Till this day, parents, teachers, deans, principals, call and thank us,” he says.
Saad recalls one student who he saw go from a C to a B minus to a B right in front of his eyes, all because she loved the store and just had to get a free hat. Saad has even seen kids come in from overseas who heard about Orbit’s program and made it a destination on their trip.
Orbit is staunchly Bay Area, mixing decorative elements inspired by Telegraph Avenue, and Haight–Ashbury, to create a unique environment where customers can love a kick-flick the same amount they love burning incense, all while having shelves upon shelves of jewelry from which to choose for their next piercing.
Walters says the store is slow on a Wednesday afternoon, but the groups of teenagers who continue to flow in beg to differ.
Kayla Barriga, 17, came to get her nose pierced because she thought it was time to “customize her character.” She’s from Hayward and says that all of her friends got their piercings at Orbit.
A man in a tie-dye shirt, hat and multiple earth-toned necklaces stands at the center of the store overlooking the jewelry. He’s a return customer and local celebrity Oopz Allberryz. Orbit is his spot, he says, because of the quality of their piercings and the mix of vibes they curate.
“If you’re into skate culture, if you’re into punk rock culture, hippie culture, they got it all here,” he says.
Orbit Skate & Boutique, 15206 E 14th St., San Leandro, 510.317.9907. orbitskates.com. Orbit is set to open a second location in Castro Valley in September.
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