Patrick Henry High School grads Hue Devine and Ian Pesta did more than art in their ceramics class this year: they started a business.
Pesta, Devine, and friend Max McKibbin came up with the idea to start a fingerboard business to showcase their creativity.
They named the company Neighborhood.
“Things like this are very important right now, with everything we do these days being so soulless,” said co-founder Pesta.
Devine and Pesta love being creative. Pesta said that in his free time, he loves playing guitar and skateboarding. Devine, who also skateboards, just took up gardening and also plays the drums.
The headquarters of Neighborhood is located in a small, one-room shed in Pesta’s San Carlos backyard. The room consists of a gray couch and a worktable where Devine and Pesta hand-make their signature fingerboards. The walls are decorated with their art. Nearby shelves are stacked with supplies and tools.
Fingerboards are basically a scaled-down version of a skateboard, or “tech-decks” as they are often called.
Most are mass-produced and can be bought online, but Devine said that the key difference between basic fingerboards and theirs is the handmade wood design and foam griptape. This allows the fingers to get a better grip on the board, allowing for bigger and better tricks.
Fingerboard production is like a puzzle: each design needs to be cut out piece by piece and put together with precision.
Pesta said they use split ply for the finger boards, which are basically small pieces of wood. “We cut it, glue it, and sand the edges before putting a clear coat on,” Pesta said.
“Drilling the holes [for the wheels] is what takes it from a piece of wood into a fingerboard,” Devine added.
When asked why they chose to start a fingerboard business, Pesta and Devine said they wanted to do something different, but also something they had experience in.
“It was a way to use the skills we already have,” Devine said.
Devine and Pesta said it isn’t about the money. “We want to show people what we can do,” Pesta said.
Pesta and Devine say their work is not only cooler but better than most of what you can find online.
But handcrafting each board takes time and can put a strain on production. Devine and Pesta said they do not plan to mass-produce their fingerboards to make sure the boards stay unique and the quality doesn’t suffer. They hope that the approach will allow them to become well-known in the niche world of fingerboarding.
“We want to showcase what we can do in our community,” Pesta said.
Devine and Pesta said YouTuber David Jones had a big impact on their fingerboard careers.
“He was the fingerboard pioneer,” Devine said.
Devine and Pesta said Jones’ channel is what introduced them to the split-ply style of fingerboarding that they currently use.
Pesta and Devine said their dads have always been huge supporters of their business endeavors.
“Our dads met in high school, so we have always known each other,” Devine said.
Right now, Devine and Pesta sell their fingerboards to their close friends and people they know, but are looking to branch out. The boards sell anywhere from $20 to $50, depending on the board’s model and specs.
“The complex boards can take over an hour to graph alone,” Devine said.
Fingerboards aren’t the only product that Neighborhood is looking to sell. Pesta and Devine design their own shirts and hoodies. The duo is working on launching an online store to sell their craft on. Currently, customers have to order through their Instagram account.
In the end, however, Pesta says Neighborhood is all about one thing.
“It’s about expressing ourselves.”
