This is a continuation of a chat that took place with Kerry Getz during our Summer X Games coverage.

EXPN: So what town are you from?
Kerry: Leighton, Pennsylvania.

Have you lived in Philly for a while?
About 2 years.

So what got you thinking about opening up a shop?
Well there wasn't any shop in the city that I felt comfortable going in. So I really wanted something that was close to me. My friend had some money put away to start the shop and I had money from skating so it was like, lets do this. We found a good location and it went from there and it's lookin' great.

Kerry behind the counter at Nocturnal.

That's funny what you just said, that you had money from skateboarding. There was a time in skateboarding when no one would ever say that sentence, when that sentence wouldn't even exist in the skateboarder's vocabulary.
Now it's a huge part, people are just making tons of money skateboarding.

I personally think that the whole ESPN thing has affected the idea of making money in skateboarding.
It has a lot to do with it because a lot of people outside the skateboard world see that skateboarding is a good thing and want to be a part of it, and now everybody wants a piece of it. Even like soda companies you know?

Yeah like Jones Soda. It's interesting to see skateboarding blowing up again.
I just hope it gets bigger, we're just like football players. We probably even take more of a beating than football players.

You definitely slam harder.
Oh yeah, we don't have any pads on either, so. We're definitely gettin' beat up every day, I think we should be signing million dollar contracts too. Because there's a lot of skaters out there that dedicate their whole time and heart into skating.

Do you ever see it becoming something as serious as football, where people are telling you how to act and stuff.
It may. Like when you sign a contract with a clothing company you gotta be wearing their clothing at all times.

Being a shop owner are you learning stuff?
Well, I mean a little bit. But I'm not really in here that much because when we opened the shop we agreed that, well I pretty much came out and said I don't want to be working here. You know I want to be doing my skating and living my goal. I've got so much going on with skating and traveling that when I'm at home it's like vacation. I just want to be chillin' and going skating with my friends, going filming for the videos and stuff so I got too much going on to be in here and be a business man. You know I work every once and a while and just help out here and there when people are needed. Or when I'm in the shop just hookin up a board and there's a lot of people in I'll help out you know.

Getz and Berra (on the phone) in front of the shop.

Do you ever really find yourself even working? Or is it just hanging out and just saying hi to people?
Well like today, today it was real busy. I was in there runnin up and down getting shoes, hooking up boards - all that stuff.

It's pretty funny; I didn't even expect you to be here.
Yeah that's funny.

Any last thoughts?
ESPN needs to do more of those street contests, that's all. Talk to the cities and get the permits and stuff.

What do you think could improve these big massive events that they do?
What I don't like about them is you gotta wear helmets.

Why?
They're just uncomfortable man. They make you sweat; it feels like you got extra weight on your head, I don't know I don't wear it. I haven't worn it for like 15 years. I understand it's on TV, that's just my opinion. We're at a different level than most kids, so kids gotta understand that. These are professionals and they've been doing it for so long they should be allowed to not wear helmets. And I always give shout outs to kids who wear them, especially when they're learning.

Is it weird at all having the kids that you don't know at all come up and be like, "Ahhh Kerry how ya doin!?"
No it's a great feeling, I love it.

Stop by the shop and you too can peep the latest vids with KG.

Do you ever skate FDR?
I don't ever go there man, I ride small wheels and tight trucks. I go there every once in a while it's just getting' too gnarly. It's pretty burly and I don't skate there enough to be able to flow around so I feel like I don't even belong there.

So where do you skate around here?
I just skate the city man. City Hall, go there and run from the cops all day then go to Love Park every once in a while at night like after 6:30. There's like tons of spots like Temple, Penn, everywhere we can possibly go where there won't be any cops.

So you get chased by the cops?
All day. Every day.

What's up with this big damn crackdown on skateboarding in this city?
It's just bullshit.

Has any cop ever caught you?
Well he chased me down the street and pushed me off my board.

Did he grab you?
He like pushed me, literally pushed me into a car and everything. Then just cursed at me and drove away.

What! Did you get his badge number?
No man, he was huge.

So how much is a ticket?
$25 - $300.

Any last words, ummm - again?
Free Love Park.

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