Learn how this new skate shop + vintage clothing store is bringing life to Woodlawn

While we know that the skating industry is booming around Birmingham, you might be looking for somewhere to get your new gear and threads. Look no further than The Wood—a vintage skate shop and clothing store.

The Wood—a vintage skate shop and clothing store. Find out how it’s serving the community and bringing life (and skating) to Woodlawn.

As a joint venture by Jason Agan (creator of All Hands Skateboards) and business partner plus lead of the clothing side, Cameron Williams.

How The Wood started

Jason Agan, the creator of All Hands Skateboards, and Cameron Williams, the founder of Ill Status Vintage, founded The Wood to get involved with the Woodlawn community and have a physical shopping space to sell their vintage products and skateboards. Supporting local is something that they’re passionate about, and this place is evidence of this.

Before The Wood, Agan and Williams owned separate businesses and sought out community pop-up shops such as the Vintage Market at Mom’s Basement to sell their products. Now that they are collectively The Wood, they host their own events such as “Scratch Sessions” which occurs every Monday from 6-8 PM.

If you don’t know what a scratch session is, it’s an open turnable scratch session open to all forms of hip hop. It’s also a way for them to connect to the Woodlawn community Sounds like we’ll have to swing by one Monday night.

Both Agan and Williams are excited about selling products in The Wood such as vintage shirts, branded hats, and some sweet kicks to match. Check them out for all of your skateboarding needs or elevate your wardrobe with these vintage threads.

Here are all the details.

• Location: 5530 1st Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35212
• Contact: Call | Instagram
• Hours: Monday-Saturday | 11AM-6PM

The history of the building

This shop previously existed as the late Dan Sartain’s former barber shop, and was a barber shop for 104 years before The Wood. Formerly called the Hippodrome, local musician, Dan Sartain, took the opportunity to purchase the place when the former owner passed away. As a long-standing customer at Hippodrome, he thought of no better opportunity.

With barber Bud Genry, they created a one-chair barber shop called Genry’s to carry on the legacy of the Hippodrome they all knew and loved. When Sartain retired, he kept the shop under his name until his passing in March 2021.

As this begins a new chapter for 5520 First Ave, Agan and partners are thrilled to bring a new vibe and even more smiles into this old barbershop.

Explore Woodlawn

With efforts from REV Bham to bring Woodlawn Street Market to the area and month-long pop-up shops such as Woodlawn Marketplace, revitalization is becoming real in Woodlawn. With more opportunities for business development and overall growth, good things are definitely in the works.

Agan’s mission is to bring his love of skateboarding to the Woodlawn community. The Wood is a great step in the right direction to gain that community involvement.

 “I’ve recently started a mission to get a skate park at Willow Wood Community Center, and it’s called Skate Woodlawn. We are going to work with community to get local kids involved in skateboarding as an alternative to team sports and a way to keep kids focused on exercise and the well-being of the neighborhood.”

Jason Agan, Co-Founder, The Wood

We can’t wait to watch Woodlawn thrive as more initiatives take place.

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