The chain wallet.

story!

In the early 90’s I like alot of skateboarders (although there were very few of us) was obsessed with my favourite skateboarder, Matt Hensley.  While the 80’s was filled with larger than life type pros, he epitomized that misfit skaterat that many of us were, and so we could really relate to him.

I wanted to be him so bad and piece by piece I formed the complete Hensley outfit.  First cargo shorts, then the chukka boots and the last major piece was the chain wallet.  In my little crew of skaters I could sense that everyone wanted one, but it was who would be the first to blink and suffer the potential ridicule of blatantly biting someone’s kit.  It was a bit risky from the general public point of view too, up until this point, no one wore these wallets unless you were a biker.  And man…I was the furthest thing from a biker.

I’m not sure what finally pushed me over the edge, it could have been a freshly shaven head, a one foot tailgrab maybe, but there I was in the middle of the Rock Shop, I can still smell the incense….no….that’s just the lingering Beckwoman’s post.

The Rock Shop is huge, there’s showcases all over, I’ve always loved it because you didn’t have a sales person intimidating you, if you needed some space, you had it.  In this case, I was about to make the most important fashion accessory purchase of my life, and I needed time to get my shit together.  A couple of deep breaths and I pushed towards the front counter where all the chain wallets were.

Now if I was selling a chain wallet to someone who had no business wearing one, I would make that kid suffer….I might even shop-block that kid….nope…not at the Rock Shop, and I’m forever grateful.  That sweet East Indian lady pulled out pretty much every one in the showcase for me.  Almost geisha-like, she made small talk to find the one which was best for me.  I was a nervous mess.  She sensed this, and got out from behind the counter and with those gentle fingers of hers, helped me put it on….

SNAP….a tender moment.

She almost had me in a biker jacket when a couple ‘ladies of the night’ stumbled in.  I knew it was time to leave, so I paid for the wallet and off I went.

The chain wallet trend turned out to be huge in skateboarding.  It kicked around for a solid couple years, hip hop and being a jerk pushed it to the wayside  though in around ‘93, and it has yet to return.  Yet for me, the memories of that nice lady at the Rockshop  will live forever.