call to arms

There's a tiny company in a dirty industrial park in Salt Lake City, Utah. Very tiny. There's only three employees. And yet, somehow, you can find them competing with companies like http://www.backcountry.com/ and others with multitudes of employees. If you haven't figured out by now that I'm talking about the company I work for, something's wrong....

I find it maybe a bit too easy to boast about Remember Delaware because I'm the newcomer... I still see the company from the outside in rather than the opposite. I even have a hard time referring to the company as "us" when talking to my bosses.

Anyway, back to the subject. We're a small militia of three people, but somehow we've grown to compete with some of the best. And I'd like to think we've got followers (look here and here). Things are going pretty good considering we're in the gray space between seasons... But I personally think a change is in order... We need more people supporting us, more people throwing our name around. I mean, there are plenty of "household words" that you hear all the time, that it'd be hard to argue if they're any more deserving than we are (Susan Boyle, American Idol, Heidi Montag, Jennifer Aniston, Iraq, Afghanistan, Obama, etc). So this is what we're gonna do....

This is a call to arms!

The people of Utah, and of The World must know of our existence!

We ask that our friends, family, and followers begin spreading the word like they spread butter on their morning toast. Just as the butter we will melt into the cracks and crevices of society and become coveted by the common man.

We will dominate the world of Ski and Snowboard.

But remember! We cannot do this without your support and help! Do anything and everything you can to help us rise to the top!

Thankyou,

Andy

This Jacket is Cold... But Louder Than Anything

The Skull Candy Full Metal Jacket is a tiny earbud that packs a punch that'll slap your earbuds back to Africa. It's got outstanding frequency separation, crystal clear mids and highs, and enough bass to fuel a hip hop concert. If only these things existed back in the day of Run DMC!

I just bought these for myself and I love em. I play the drums, and I play them loud. So when I want to play along with the music on my iPod, I need some good headphones. I've got the SkullCandy Hesh, which are great, but they're not the best in this situation. Instead, I go with ear-plugging earbuds like the Full Metal Jackt, the Smokin Buds, and the Riot.

Not only do they sound great, but they look amazing! There's a bunch of different color choices. If you've got a bunch of extra green, go ahead and buy FMJ's for every outfit you own!

And for all you rich guys (and gals) with iPhones, they've got an in-line microphone! Killer sound and the capability to stay attached to your phone constantly!

Electric!

I worked as an electrician for 7 months. It wasn't all that great, but I learned a lot about electricity and getting zapped at 4 in the morning during an all night shift. I was a technician, and so are these sunglasses. The Electric Technician is a great pair of sunglasses. They're not very expensive, and they're not gigantic so you won't drown in them.

Electric is a great company. From looking at their shades to looking at their company, you can tell they're going far. And coincidentally, they sponsor a member of the Nitro Circus! Jolene Van Vugt! This girl is shocking. Attractive, athletic, and as hardcore as they come. Don't believe me? Go watch Nitro Circus!

So they're not as big of a company as Smith, but they're still quality... If they weren't, we wouldn't sell em. nuff said.

that one company!

Ok, class, today we're going to be talking about sunglasses again! This time we'll be talking about a company called Von Zipper. They're a top contender in the world of optics.

In my research, I took the same approach today as I did for yesterday's second blog. I went to us.vonzipper.com and went directly to their team page. Naturally, the first thing that caught my eye was the pavement team. This means skate, bmx, etc.

Literally, the first two people I noticed were Mike Vallely and Rick Thorne. Mike Vallely's a hardcore streetskater that looks like a 25 year old Santa. He'll rock you if you cross him wrong. Rick Thorne is kinda like Rodney Mullen, but on a BMX. He's a living BMX legend. A forefather, an originator, a pioneer.

So what do these things say about VonZipper?

They're legendary, pioneering, originating, hardcore. They're so many amazing things. They have so many great qualities. Unfortunately they aren't Santa Clause, but you get the picture.

The products from VZ are unique, but clasic at the same time.

For example: The Skitch

These are a classic rendition of an aviator. The only difference is, the skitch is made by VonZipper, so they've got some attitude (kinda like Mike Vallely).

So you can't hang with the new age flair of Smith? You'd rather stay away from Anon and their wall-flower act? Well, be a pioneer. Pull up your Zipper and stun a few folks.

Anonymous.... maybe

Anon sunglasses are pretty dope... Every time I see their logo I get this feeling that they're greatly under-rated. So we're gonna take a deeper look into this mystery. I think to really see what this company is like, We have to take a look at their team of professional athletes, the people that are hired to give the company a good image.

Keir Dillon is a god in the world of snow. He has always been on top of his (and everyone else's) game. He has accumulated two bronze medals at the winter x games, took back to back gold at the World Superpipe championships in 04/05, and has secured second and third place at the U.S. Open. Dillon is a member of the Frends Crew, which is a group of riders who turned their initial friendship into a formal alliance in 2007 to move the sport away from its recent competitive and business focus and return the sport to its grassroots beginnings.

So we've got a pro snowboarder who's 30 years old... Almost a dinosaur in the sport. He's started a team of athletes that have dedicated themselves to having fun on the slopes, rather than trying to win. I personally think that says tons about what kind of company Anon must be. So now we'll look at an Anon product, The Shotgun.

This is a killer pair of sunglasses. (no pun intended). Wearing these, you'll look amazing and still be able to see after a long sunny day. Who doesn't love their retinas?

Or what about the associate, allnighter, fletch, fairfax, or hombre? Any way you spin it, you've got amazing shades from an amazing company. All that's missing is a chicken burrito, a few happy midgets, and The Aquabats.

Pants?!?!

YOUR PANTS!

So I've only worked here for a few weeks, and I was under the impression that we didn't have any pants, at least no jeans or normal pants. I walk into the warehouse and i see masses of winter clothing, but not much summer clothing. We've already talked about boardshorts, shirts, and sunglasses, so now we'll talk about jeans.
I just bought the DC Renegade tshirt last week, and I can honestly say I love it. I wore it for three days (it's clean, don't worry). But I think it would've been cooler if I had been wearing some DC jeans. Most people would go for the Rinse Straight. These are right in between tight and baggy for those that want a fitted look without resorting to wearing their sister's pants.

But I think I'm more interested in the slim... I'm not sure why. But isn't it great to know you've got a choice?

We've also got a few other fits and styles, but these are what caught my eye. I guess it's nice to know that I have a great place to go to when I need new pants. Especially DC pants. I mean, I've always loved jeans, and now that I have great people like Rob Dyrdek running around in DC's softgoods and makin them look disgustingly awesome, why wouldn't I want to wear them?

I guess I'm a sucker for looking cool.

More DC than you can handle!

I asked Taron what I should write about today and he suggested something having to do with spring or summer. That's kinda vague, but I just so happened to have seen our gigantic stock of t-shirts in the corner of my eye. So I took a picture with my phone, which hardly does any justice for the huge mass of product.

But even still, you can see that there's multitudes of DC shirts.

DC has done a wonderful job of bringing us designs and styles that successfully draw people's attention while remaining simple and blunt.

It's called the Star. The design comes on their shirts, longsleeve and short, hats, hoodies, coats, and more. But for something so simple, it's extremely powerful. Everybody know's that symbol. I mean, it's even hard for me to write more about it. It's that simple.

As you can see, there are plenty of different colors of the same design to meet your personal style.

And if you're still lost, maybe you should go to our store and look for more options!

The DC Universe

Ok, so the title of this blog is a bit misleading, at least for some of you. I'm NOT blogging about The Green Lantern or Superman. So maybe it's not "The" DC Universe, but we'll be talking about one of them.
DC is one of the biggest, most successful skate companies I've heard of. Vans is pretty big, and so are companies like Element, Volcom, and many others. But there's just something about DC...
They cater to skaters, surfers, BMX, snowboarders, motocross riders, musicians, absolutely everyone!

Some examples:
Nate Adams : Motocross
Travis Pastrana : Motocross, Rallycar
Travis Barker : Blink182, Transplants, Aquabats, Boxcar Racer
Rob Dyrdek : Skateboarding, Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory (Mtv)
Iikka Backstrom : Snowboarding
Corey Bohan : BMX

And that's not even all of the people we know about!

DC's gotten into the minds and closets of everyone in the world. They've got shoes, shirts, pants, shorts, hoodies, hats, socks, flipflops, jackets, winter pants and coats, snowboard boots.... just about everything you can imagine! I wouldn't be surprised if they started marketing energy drinks. (Note to DC, if you read this and get any ideas, i want a lifetime supply of your energy drinks, and a few pairs of shoes!)

Today we're gonna focus on the summer season. When I think of summer, I think of sun, watersports, skateboarding or longboarding, sunglasses, and of course, hot girls! So we've got the sun... That's a given. We can take care of the watersports no matter where you live (turn on the sprinklers, bro!). If you've been reading my blogs you know where you can get an awesome longboard and some stunna shades. So we're missing two things: Girls and, something I haven't mentioned yet, shorts!

I'm not really sure where to find the girls unfortunately (if you've got any tips, let me know), but I know where to find some awesome shorts!

DC's Dubbed boardshorts are perfect for a killer summer. They're functional as boardshorts so you can surf, swim, or run through your neighbor's sprinklers, and they're also comfortable enough to wear around the house or the neighborhood. And for you oldschool junkies, you can feel comfortable repping your age with these shorts because they're entirely covered with old audiotapes! (you see, before we had ipods and cd's we had these things called tapes. they sounded like crap and you couldn't skip from track to track, so you actually had to listen to a whole song. tapes were also fun when broken apart cause you could string the actual tape acrossed streets and canyons and they made awesome messes!)

Anywho, all I'm sayin is, the Dubbed short by DC is a pretty darn good choice for a new addition to your summer style. And from a company like DC, if you don't like the Dubbed, you've got countless other options to choose from. Believe me, I've got the DC product catalogue next to me... It's four huge books, absolutely full to the brim, of mindblowing products!

Longboard Addicts Anonymous

Hello, my name is Andy, and I'm.... addicted to longboarding.
(Hi, Andy!)
It's been nine years since my first experience with a longboard... I started with one of the best boards I've ever seen: The FlexDex Wingnut Pro Model. It was a 180 cm. pintail. Completely unbreakable. You could jump as high as possible and come down on the middle of the board and nothing would happen. It was beautiful. Not to mention fast! I had her built up with Swiss Bones bearings. I named her The Widowmaker. Everyone that had ever ridden her (but me) had gotten speed wobbles and walked away bleeding.
I took a short break from The Widowmaker with a Sector9 Bamboo Waimea. I thoroughly enjoyed the Sector, but noticed cracks forming in it's beautiful bamboo. That deck now hangs on my bedroom wall to showcase the beautiful art on the underside of the wonderful bamboo.
I went back to my Widowmaker for a short time before winter hit, and then she got stolen. It's been a hard time, full of withdrawls and temptations, since I lost that board. But now I've found a new object of my affection. As soon as I have enough cash to restart my habit I'll be back in the game with a wonderful product from Arbor Longboards:

The Arbor Pin Koa

Oh! I'm drooling just thinking about it! Look at that amazing artwork! And the woodgrain finish on top of the deck is beautiful!

"Koa's dense grain adds structure, which improves return, while providing a unique pattern on each skate and true heritage. Koa wood was used by the Hawaiians to build the 1st surfboards 1,000 years ago." (taken from http://www.arborsports.com/ product description)

To have a quality board made from a product that was originally used to make surfboards is like having car tires on your car that were originally used on a race winning Nascar stock car. It's amazing.

Not only do you get a sturdy board made from high quality wood, but you get a unique grip system on your deck: "Recycled Glass - Crushed recycled glass is used in our clear re-grip to replace highly processed grip tapes - allows the natural grain to remain visible, while providing better performance than the silica bead-based alternatives." (also from http://www.arborsports.com/ product description)

I'm super stoked for the rain to stop so I can go out and enjoy the weather and the feel of an amazing board under my feet. It's been too long since my last session. I miss the feel of my wheels lightly vibrating over the pavement and the sound of them as i take steep carves back and forth on the street. Oh boy.... I need this!

So, fellow addicts, please stay strong. Keep your guard up, and only go for the best! Arbor makes some amazing products, and I know you can find something to curb your temptations at http://www.rememberdelaware.com/

BOOM!

Throwback

There seems to be a new trend floating around, one that I really don't know how to react to. Mainly cause I'm not sure if I should treat it like just another fad, or if I should fall in line and follow suit. I know you've seen what Im talking about. You've heard talk of dance clubs doing 80's night once a week, you've seen the brightly colored sunglasses, and the super bright colored hightop style skate shoes and throwback Nikes.


At first glance it looks like just another obnoxious style the kids are bringing back to get attention. And it would make sense cause 90% of the kids out there wearing these clothes were born in 1990 or later. Another 5% are like me, born during the 80's. I lived through that scene but I can't honestly remember any of it. By the time I was 5 (about the time my memory kicks in) it was already the 90's and styles were starting to change.


If you take some time to really look into this fashion statement, it really seems to be coming back with a vengance....

Skate shops are selling bright colors, surf and swim companies are mass producing old-school tank tops and shorter board shorts, most of which are either neon colored or made to look faded, like maybe you pulled them out of your 35 year old brother's storage. It's kindof a weird trip for me. It reminds me of my older brother, who actually remembers the 80's.

And then there's also the subject of music (as many of you know, this is a big deal for me). Bands like Family Force Five, Forever the Sickest Kids, and Cobra Starship are taking today's popular "emo" style music and throwing it back, mixing it with classic 80's dance club synthesizers and vocals. It's actually quite catchy. You really can't help but sing along and/or tap your feet.

So, like I asked before, is this just another cry for attention? Or should I fall for it?

Well, I'll be honest... I fell for it. Not only do I love Cobra Starship and Forever the Sickest Kids, but I bought pair of black/purple/neon green Osiris Hightops.

Now, should I be proud of all that stuff? I'm not sure.... But I am sure of this. I am very, very proud of my Smith Chemist sunglasses.

I mean, look at them! They're beautiful! The Chemist looks like the old RayBan's you see on Blues Brothers movies or old detective shows. But they're smaller, smoother, and made by Smith. I'm not trying to say that RayBan isn't completely awesome, but really? What 18 year old kid is gonna go looking for real RayBan's to take to 80's night? I know I wouldn't.

Not only do you get the Smith name to add to your rep, but if you're really feeling crazy you can get em with neon yellow and black frames! (hint: probably a good addition to any wardrobe full of Neff products)

Now here's a good tip for you guys.... If you buy the Chemist with the Platinum lense, you get a killer pair of sunglasses with mirrored lenses. What does this mean? It means that hot girl walking towards you in the mall can't see your eyeballs. So you can point your head to the sign five feet to her left, but really be staring right at her. BOOM! Automatic spy glasses! How cool is that?!

Either way you mix it, this throwback isn't just an obnoxious fad. It's a combination for coolness. You get the quality you've come to expect from Smith, good lenses, and an upgraded version of classic style. Now it's up to you to decide if they match your radical purple windbreaker, stellar acid wash jeans, and dirty, dirty mullet. Party on, dudes!