Judging by its name, you may not guess that Marriage is a skate shop. And that's exactly what owner Ronnie Campone wanted. "I knew that I wanted it to be something that if you read it on the side of the store, you wouldn't think it was a skateboard shop," Ronnie, 48, says. "It had to be something to make people be like, what is this? Marriage? What the hell is that?" Thought it may seem quirky, the name is actually a great fit. "I mean, skateboarding has almost been a marriage for me," Ronnie says. "I've loved it. I always will love it. Sometimes I want to get the hell away from it. It's like a marriage and it's the longest commitment I've ever had to anything in my life." Ronnie has been skateboarding since he was 11, and now, with @marriage_skateshop, he's created a space for a new generation of young skaters. "I feel like it's starting to be what I would hope it would be," Ronnie says. "A spot for the kids to hang out after school, where people in the skateboard world can pop in and say, 'what's up?'There's a couch, there's a TV. Kids come in every day after school. They sit, talk and watch videos. It’s perfect. I wanted a full skate shop vibe, and that's what it is." On the cusp of his 45th birthday, Ronnie realized he had spent his whole life working for other people and he was ready to work for himself. After spotting a storefront he liked in Echo Park — and walking distance from his home — Ronnie got the application process underway. With the shop's opening party set for April 1 of this year, he had a deadline to work toward. "It was stressful for a minute, but then I had so much support and so many people who came in a pinch to help," Ronnie says. "That was great." With the help of his community, Ronnie was able to open the shop on time. Though Ronnie has fulfilled his dream of working for himself, the flip side means there is less time for his first love: skateboarding. "Skating has definitely taken a beating," he says. "I get out on Mondays because that's when the shop is closed." (1/2) 📸 by: @michelson_ari