• Bustin Longboards NYC

  340 Grand St., nr. Havemeyer St., Williamsburg; 718-218-7626

  While most teenage skaters flock to the bases of bridges to display their latest Dogtown tricks, the average longboard skater is out calmly surfing the city. The bigger, softer wheels on these supersize boards are better suited to pushing over longer distances, making them a decent subway alternative for middle- and high-schoolers. And with less focus on performance-anxiety-inducing stunts, longboarding is less intimidating for young riders. The subgenre’s all-ages headquarters is Bustin, which opened in Williamsburg in the fall of 2009, after growing as a successful business online. Inside, the front wall is covered in a gallery of screen-printed decks from floor to ceiling, while the adjacent “wall of wheels” has a Pantone-like display of more than 300 wheels set on bearings. The shop can custom-build a board for as little as $180, providing decks, trucks, wheels, and bearings that sync up with age and skill level.

From the 2011 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine