Day Jobs – Skip Marcotte: Turnco – Skate[Slate] Magazine

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Last Spring, I interviewed my friend Skip Marcotte who is behind the company Turnco for a Day Jobs feature in Skate[Slate] Magazine Issue 23. Skip started Turnco as a way to reshape, repaint, and reshred skateboards, similar to the reduce, reuse, recycle model. He would reshape boards into short wheelbase cruisers and then repaint them. That his led him to many artistic projects, from custom helmet paint jobs to making the graphics for Kyle Wester’s Pro Model, the Rayne Vandal. Check out our new video featuring Turnco on Skate[Slate].TV here.

Film/Photos/Interview: Jon Huey

Video Edit: Alex Mof

I think I first met Skip at a slalom event in Salem and then saw him at some downhill events and we easily became friends. It turns out he has been skating almost more years than I am alive. And he has always been about the turning. That is why the name Turnco makes sense.

He’s been doing art for a little over half his life, and having the access to old skate gear gave him the inspiration to start Turnco over ten years ago. He was reshaping boards for himself and eventually started making more and sharing them. He started trying to get get the most used and broken boards that he can get his hands on, but it didn’t stop there. He even saw all the waste in packaging and it inspired him to reuse.

Almost 100% of the packaging is done from reused and repurposed materials. The Grip City wheels that we did last summer reused packaging from Gullwing and Independent trucks. We shrink-wrapped the plastic around the wheels, painted scraps of grip tape and printed labels on scrap paper.

He works on some stuff here and there at Rip City Skate in Portland, if you’re in town you should stop by. Many of his products are sold at Rip City.

Turnco products can also be found on etsy.com and believe it or not, right now you can purchase a framed grip tape quote from a board that Billy Bones once rode. You can also reach Turnco on Facebook and you should follow Turnco on Instagram to see his work regularly.

Most of these photos are at Rip City Skate. The last few are at his home shop.

If you missed Skate [Slate] Magazine Issue 23, download it now on your mobile device here: http://bit.ly/1UkRdmV

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