Nowadays, starting a business is not the easiest task, due to economic issues. Because of this, many businesses are established solely for income and tax exemptions. Sabreen Abdullah, a 20-year-old junior at UB has a passion for skating and has taken her hobby a step further by starting a business.
She and a group of six people have come together and made “Defiance”. They sell diverse tee-shirts with their own original designs.
“As a skater, certain places you’re not allowed to skate, so we’re going to go there and skate,” Abdullah said. “We’re basically defying rules. We defy rules and gravity.”
As of now, their business is small but they are trying to promote themselves. Their goal is to become well-known so that they can open their own skate shop.
The group has a passion for skating. Abdullah explained the process she and the group had to go through in order to get their name copyrighted. They got their own license, so that in Westchester, NY, no one can open a skate shop with their name.
“In the beginning, we had to take money out of our pockets,” Abdullah said.
“Our hometown has a lot of skaters, and there aren’t any skate shops near,” Abdullah said, when asked what inspired her.
Many people do not know anything about skating. By promoting her business, more students can familiarize themselves with skateboarding.
“Skateboarding is about individuality,” she said.
One of the group’s popular shirts reads: “I got 99 problems but my ollies aint 1.” Anyone who does not know what an Ollie is would question the shirt’s meaning. From seeing this product, one would learn that an Ollie is the most basic technique of skateboarding. Not only is Abdullah promoting her merchandise, she and the group are also indirectly informing people about skating.
Abdullah practices her techniques either in her residential hall or down by Sea Side Park. There is a small skate park near, but consists of ramps and Abdullah stated that she isn’t a huge fan of them. She is currently assisting a friend and said that because of this, she is improving her skills and hopes to be in a competition some time soon.