{"id":2022,"date":"2016-03-01T18:50:02","date_gmt":"2016-03-01T18:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/arts-culture\/justin-larose\/"},"modified":"2016-03-01T18:50:02","modified_gmt":"2016-03-01T18:50:02","slug":"justin-larose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/art\/justin-larose","title":{"rendered":"Long Beach Craftsman Gives Used and Broken Skateboards a Second Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-47035\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/DSC_0308.JPG\" alt=\"DSC 0308\" width=\"640\" height=\"428\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Photos by Asia Morris.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Justin LaRose gives used and broken skateboards a second life by transforming the damaged decks into tools (and sometimes furniture) out of a tiny garage-turned workspace behind his Long Beach apartment.<\/p>\n<p>Recycling used skateboards is not a new endeavor in the world of upcycling, from phone cases to shelves to tabletops, while artists like <a href=\"http:\/\/haroshi.com\/artworks\/\">Haroshi<\/a> have made a name for themselves working with the already-processed materials to create unique and elaborate sculptures. LaRose recycles the used boards into tools to be used again, and again and again. His purpose is focused equally on the objects&#8217; utility as it is on aesthetics and well, it\u2019s very inherently Long Beach.<\/p>\n<p>LaRose moved to this seaside city 13 years ago on a whim, seeking new streets on which to skate and discover. He grew up skateboarding in Massachusetts, starting at the young age of 10, and flew the coop once he decided he &#8220;just wanted to go wherever was next.\u201d He landed a barista gig at Portfolio Coffeehouse, starting his Long Beach life surrounded by its skate scene and coffee connoisseurs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-version=\"6\">\n<div style=\"padding: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;\"><a style=\"color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BCBOTyHFary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pictured here are all of the tampers I currently have available. The top is one side and below is the other side of the same tamper. So nuts they&#8217;re made from recycled skateboards that were ripping around LA. Check out the etsy shop, link in bio. #wood #woodworking #woodporn #woodturning #skateboard #madefromskateboards #recycledskateboards #upcycle #barista #coffee #coffeeshop #espresso #espressomachine #craft #handmade #etsy #previouslyskated<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\">A photo posted by Justin LaRose (@epiclyajustin) on Feb 20, 2016 at 11:03am PST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\" defer=\"defer\" async=\"\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The stripes in his pieces come from the thin slices of wood, also called veneers, that are pressed together to make the deck of the skateboard. Oftentimes the veneers are dyed a certain color for aesthetic reasons, another inspiration for LaRose. The art and design involved in producing the boards before they\u2019re used, while the entire process of making a board is a fascination for this particular woodworker. After he obtains the used boards, LaRose laminates the recycled pieces into a block, set to be worked down into smaller pieces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirst it was a tree, then it was a skateboard,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd all the processes that go from tree to skateboard are nuts. It went through a mill, it went all over the world and then it got to a place, somebody made it into a board and then somebody skated it. Somebody skated the hell out of it so hard that it broke. And then I got it and from there the process begins again of it being transformed into a new thing. And I just think that\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The craftsman, who has worked a number of odd jobs, including refinishing antique furniture, making cabinets and constructing trade show displays for a sports company, knew a bit about the practice, but had to learn everything else on the fly. LaRose\u2019s motivation to start JL Crafted began a few years ago when his mother passed away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a couple years ago at this point, but it got me really sad and thinking about things because she was a single mom that raised me and it was seriously\u2014she was my spine and that\u2019s how I had the confidence to move out here,\u201d he said. \u201cShe would always inspire me to do things, or if I had like a hunch to do something she would be like, \u2018Do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So he made a pendant for his wife and an espresso tamper next, and that was that. \u00a0\u201cYou know, it wasn\u2019t until I found this that I was able to break out of the mold of being handed blueprints by everybody else\u2014to build things for everybody else,&#8221; said LaRose.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-47036\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/DSC_0323.JPG\" alt=\"DSC 0323\" width=\"640\" height=\"428\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It only takes one used deck to make four or five of LaRose\u2019s espresso tampers, depending on the deck\u2019s size. That\u2019s five baristas holding in their hand what may seem like just a uniquely-made tool, but, to the blas\u00e9 beholder, contains a helluva lot more history than they could probably imagine. LaRose would like you to consider that the tampers, knife handles and cutting boards he painstakingly fashions were once \u201cskating bowls and doing flip tricks down stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo be able to take what was considered trash and meant for a landfill and transform it into new items is super motivating and crazy to me, and I&#8217;m psyched to be able to put this out there,\u201d said LaRose.<\/p>\n<p>When asked if he\u2019s always been a crafty individual, he said no, but admitted that skating eventually develops in the participant a certain way of thinking, saying, \u201cIt kind of teaches you how to look at things a little bit different. A curb becomes a great time, all of a sudden. Or even just like the stretch of a parking lot can be a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>LaRose works by commission and sells his pieces online through Etsy, using his business name JL Crafted. He currently works as a roaster and makes time for the woodwork whenever he can. Ideally, the local would love to open up a storefront and workshop in Long Beach, but for now it\u2019s all about growing the business and maintaining his presence online, where he\u2019s received nothing but support and encouragement from a quickly growing community of admirers.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-47037\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/DSC_0319.JPG\" alt=\"DSC 0319\" width=\"640\" height=\"428\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHonestly, I\u2019ve never really known what I wanted to do,\u201d said LaRose. \u201cI just liked skating and I had a billion jobs that did this and that[&#8230;], I dropped out of college, all sorts of stuff. I just really got fuckin\u2019 stoked on this once I found it. It was just a spark that ignited the Hindenberg. It just went up and I\u2019m just trying to freakin\u2019 ride this flamin\u2019 freakin\u2019 beast through the sky.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Follow LaRose and his journey via Instagram <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/epiclyajustin\/\">@epiclyajustin<\/a>\u00a0and check out his latest pieces for purchase on Etsy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.etsy.com\/shop\/CraftedbyJL?ref=l2-shopheader-name\">here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cYou know, it wasn\u2019t until I found this that I was able to break out of the mold of being handed blueprints by everybody else\u2014to build things for everybody else,&#8221; said LaRose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":67393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[256],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-2022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","tag-skateboarding","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2022"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=2022"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}