TODAY IS THE DAY.

Today is probably the biggest day to celebrate in the shops history.

On November 1st 2002 the phones rang for the first time here at 74 Main st. in Danielson Ct. I was excited and scared out of my mind. We had a 6 ft case split half and half with BMX and Skate parts. A rack with 6 decks on it, I can still remember most of the graphics. I had 6 borrowed Schwinn complete bicycles from my buddy Darryl who owned a motorcycle shop a few towns over. It was mostly banners and posters on the walls.

The BMX brands were Standard and S&M, and the Kink Freebird frame (Ryan Shers' Frame, now runs Subrosa) was the hot deal around here. Shadow just started, no one even knew what it was... UGP and Little Devil were the tees everyone wanted to wear.

As for skate stuff, I was new to it. I had never gripped a board. Had my local friends Mike Kuchy and Aaron Brais help me through the first skate order. Aaron was the first guy who worked the shop with me, the first one that had a key and actually treated this place like it was his own, Aaron is a police officer in Willi now, Mike is a copper in Hartford. Both of them are an integral part of this place played out.

After that first Christmas the shop had already grown, we had to get a separate skate case, make one wall for boards and skate stuff and the other for bmx parts, we got out first batch of complete bikes right before x-mas, Like 5 bikes or something, more than i could handle at the time.... The borrowed stuff was gone,and the orders came in with fresh stuff one after another...

The shop riders were locals Mike, Aaron and Matt Burns, These guys were here everyday, we would close up and ride together on the speed bump or sesh the bank to curb in the commuter lot almost every night. Niel Bissonette, Matt Barcus, John Buckler and a few other regulars I had known from the Willi YMCA park were soon put on the team. Then I met a kid at Shrewsbury MSC skatepark, weird, had makeup on or something, we kind of became instant friends. He came here everyday from Webster Ma. As I was looking back on ten years of pictures it is hard pressed to find any in the first five years that don't have Eric Hennessey in them. A bigger shop opened up a few towns over and they hooked him up so he went onward from here, We had a bunch of good times, and still do.

The shops guys have changed over the years, Aaron and Mike are cops, Have houses and Mike has a kid, Buckler is doing well with wife and kid, Barcus is still out killing it on his BMX, Matt Burns managed a bike shop for years and is hoping to start his own some time, Mark and Jordan are both growing up, working alot and skating their free time away, Eric Hennessey is out traveling across the country riding with FBM and just living the BMX life. The current shop guys are always around, Frank is an OG, Nick has been here since he was gangster, Little Chris is as tall as I am, I always pick on Dan like I am surprised when he shows up but reality is that kid is one reliable mother fucker. These guys all Bleed this place like I do. The thing is, they come and they go and the one thing that will never change is they are always going to be my best friends.

I have done countless events, gone across the country 8 times with the shop guys, we have had some damn good times here just being here. This place has always been about this town, this area, and these people. I seriously do everything I can and almost always a bunch of shit I shouldn't do to take care of these kids and this scene. But really the scene takes care of me too, So fast forward to now...

The shop is now 4 times the original size, I have over 50 bikes in stock (still making the same bad decisions ten years later) I am probly the only BMXer who doesn't skate that knows about what wheels flatspot easy, what boards turn into wet noodles after a week and which grip tape sucks, I also have gripped thousands of boards, I'm good at it. This place is stacked floor to ceiling it is just crazy, The shop looks like what I pictured my dream place would be back in 2002....

I could give a shit about birthdays, everyone in my family and friend group are beating down the doors to try and do something nice for me in Dec. and i can give a shit less cause I have no control over being born, but this place, THIS STORE, the fucking Daily Grind, I built this place, This place is mine and for ten years it has been everything I could ever ask for. I'll probly be the only one to say it.... But,

Happy TEN YEARS Daily Grind. BEST TEN EVER!!!!