Hopps
As we enter the penultimate summer month, the New York skateboarding scene strives to make the most
New York-based skateboard and apparel company HOPPS, run by pro skater Jahmal Williams, introduces
New York-based skateboard and apparel company HOPPS, run by pro skater Jahmal Williams, present
Hopps
Jahmal Williams grew up skating all his life on the east coast and has been a professional skateboarder since the “The Golden Years” of the early 90’s. Currently residing in New York City, Jahmal started HOPPS Skateboards in April of 2007. Skating by himself in South Beach on a typical blazing hot Miami day, Jahmal reminisces about the time he got his first complete:
"The year was 1988. My big sister and I were on the way to Beacon Hill Skate Shop. We were a few blocks away from the shop, walking through the Boston Common, when I began to hear the roaring sounds of skateboard wheels and the occasional clicks and clacks of the decks smacking the ground. We walked along the path, and suddenly the kids came into view. Some of the kids were hopping up and down in one place on their boards, while others rolled toward the benches and then hopped onto edge of the bench and then hopped off while trying to keep the boards under their feet. I was in complete awe! They seemed to be in another world, separate from everyone else. And I wanted in that world. … So many years later, I found myself still in that world and still just as much in love with skateboarding as when I was fourteen years old. Naming the brand HOPPS seemed appropriate, and it reminded me of the innocence of what I experienced and felt on that day in Boston."
Inspired by his peers who represent a D.I.Y. mentality (including Alyasha Owerka-Moore, Rodney Smith, Andy Howell, Mike Vallely, Ed Templeton, Natas and Mark Gonzales) and a desire to create a quality skate brand that is a true voice of the streets, Jahmal runs HOPPS all by himself, from graphic design to pro-rider. The current collection consists of t-shirts, 5-panel caps, skate decks and wheels. Available now at select shops including Supreme (NY), DQM (NY), and Concepts (Boston).
