There are plenty of things to dream about when you hit your drool-stained pillow every night, but if we know skateboarders (and we think we do) odds are you’re dreaming of one of three things: Boobs, death defying car chases, or running your own skate shop with your friends.

We haven’t really heard from the Stockholm scene in a while, so we hit EVA with a bunch of questions ranging from Ville’s metal riser to what it’s like running their shop and whether they would steal candy from a baby to keep the doors open. Enjoy!

Be honest, is this just a shell hardware company so you can make clothing?
Per(P): It’s a shell hardware company so we can make silly t-shirts, throw parties, and go on trips. We do have bolts and riser pads now though [laughs].

Jugga(J): We’re a family regardless of what the product or the outcome will be. That’s the recipe for success (no jinx).

Ville Wester is going to have his own riser pad for the company. How’d that happen?
J: Ville and I got drunk one night and he told me, “If you make me a metal riser pad I’ll ride for Eva.” Those pads took about 18 months…18 months! You can make two babies in that time. But now we are finally here thanks to Moritz Alte who helped us produce them.

P: This is the whole idea. We can send a box of bolts or risers to someone we’re stoked on and be like; where’s the footy? Loopholes and hacks are very necessary to be able to get shit done these days.

Why did Ville want a metal riser… Is there something special about metal compared to plastic or wood?
P: This was Ville’s actual answer regarding why he wanted a metal riser: “Because I like metal.”

Why did they take so long to produce?
J: Pinning down someone that works with such small quantities for a pretty advanced process was hard. We even had a friend at Ikea trying to help us out with three different vendors… Sourcing always takes time and you have to trust the process.

Ville has a very specific style. Did he have any effect on the style in Stockholm at large?
J: I’m sure Ville inspired a lot of skaters out here. Who wouldn’t wanna look like a baggy, black metal Norse god with that perfect smile [laughs]! Shout out to Sebbe Dianoff though, he’s the most stylish person here.

You mentioned bringing fun back into skate products. Do you think the market is stale?
P: The market isn’t stale but perhaps we have lost the ability to love products as much as before? I used to buy products and just look at them instead of using them. Maybe I’m just getting old but I have a hard time imagining the kids these days building altars with pieces of wax and broken risers.

“I used to buy products and just look at them instead of using them.”

Who are some of your inspirations?
P: Shorty’s obviously. I love a brand in a brand. When I was a kid everyone had Doh Doh, Black Magic, and Panther gear. I always thought those were different brands and was really impressed when I figured out the illusion.

Fourstar seemed to have the perfect group dynamic in Super Champion Funzone. That movie really captured the vibe I’m after in a company/team. Other than that, I’m inspired by every workplace that figured out how to keep everyone happy. It could be anything from your local pizza place to a tech startup.

Will anything ever be as cool as Shorty’s?
P: I doubt it. Maybe if [Steve] Olson started riding for Eva we’d have a chance, considering how unique our team already is. The world during the Shorty’s glory days was a way better place to make cool things happen. Today those things are very problematic [laughs]. I’ve been thinking about getting a brand muse like Rosa but we’d get canceled in a minute. Maybe we’ll just get a bolt mascot suit.

“We are committed and ready to put some energy back into the city.”

What went into the decision to open a flagship store in Stockholm?
P: The next step was always to get a real space where we could showcase our products and vibe. Design has been important for us since day one and I think sometimes that gets lost when you’re an online brand. Also, we really needed a meetup spot for the team and the homies.

J: It’s probably our worst idea ever in these times but we were in a stage when it felt like something needed to happen in Stockholm. To make the brand come to life and show the locals that we are committed and ready to put some energy back into the city.

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Why does it feel like Malmö is the skate capital of Sweden?
J: Stockholm ran Swedish skateboarding, from the late 80’s all the way to 2010. BAM, G-Spot, System – 1, Core, Oneoff, WESC, Warehouse, Lewis Marnell, Ali Boulala, Fryshuset, The magazines, the distributions. Everything happened here.

P: Malmö is a working-class city and has mobilization in its blood. I think the people and the skaters over there have a huge advantage with a city that actually listens to them. It’s also a smaller city so it’s easier to work together as a group and get a piece of the budget.

For the kids at home with aspirations to open and run a store one day, give me a huge highlight in the process and a huge lowlight?
P: Ask yourself WHY and find a good answer. If you don’t have a mission it’s going to be tough to show up every day. Understand time and what a process is. Find something to do in between the customers and this will be the perfect distraction from real life. If you don’t like talking to people this is not for you.

J: I always say GO FOR IT! – but do your homework, get connected with the scene and figure it out together. Be ready to dedicate all your time, it’s a bumpy road. Pop-up events might be a good start to see if you get traction, that way you won’t have the costs of a 365 business and location. You will never be able to imagine what learnings and experiences you will get from it, both good and bad.

What role do you think skate shops play in the skate scene in 2024?
J: In 2009 we had 27 skate shops across Sweden but today there are like only 6-7 left and that’s pretty scary when you think about it. Everyone has the opinion that shops are important. But we also want to live by our opinion so we decided to make it happen. It’s hard but we want to lead by example with having an Eva space. For what it’s worth..

P: Hopefully, newcomers can teach the next generation that a shop experience can be so much more than just spending your money. It’s a place where you can find new inspiration, meet new friends, and be a part of something. Or just bother the clerk [laughs].

“In 2009 we had 27 skate shops across Sweden but today there are like only 6-7 left”

Would you steal candy from a baby in order to make rent?
P: No baby should eat candy. So yes.

J: Steal the baby, leave the candy!

What’s the perfect song to open the shop to?
P: The vintage store next to us plays “Never ending story” 20 times every fucking day and it goes straight through the walls. It’s torture. Whatever stops that song from entering my ears is the perfect song. Lately a lot of Archers Of Loaf.

Eva was originally a board brand. What was the biggest challenge with that?
P: Being patient, keeping it real, and creating something genuine. I get the impression that a lot of other players are “cheating” by doing quantity over quality, battling their own beliefs almost to befriend the social media algorithm. I really never felt comfortable manipulating the image of our brand to get people’s attention.

J: I think everyone knows this: It’s expensive. Board sales are not great over here, it’s hard to compete with other big platforms and there’s post Covid overstock everywhere. It’s difficult to keep up with the pace of expectations. Production is a nightmare and there are so many things that can go wrong on the way… Keeping momentum is one of the biggest challenges.

You brought up skaters being poached from your board brand. This might be a wrong guess as to who you’re talking about, but if it’s about losing Gabbe Viking to SciFi, were you more excited or bummed when this happened?
P: Poached is a strong word but there were definitely some conversations with our team riders that should’ve included us as well. When the Sci-Fi thing happened we were already planning the hardware brand so it didn’t feel like a total loss. Gabbe was very transparent and we knew he’d be down with Eva no matter where he went. We’re all very happy for him and he deserves to see the world and the world deserves to see him skate. He’s one of the best ones out there for sure.

J: In Sweden, the grass always seems greener. We would never stand in the way of anyone. Eva started with this crew and we want to continue making stuff together and create this platform. To keep it family style we pivoted. If a 7 ply Canadian maple is standing in the way, we’ll figure out a way forward.

P: 2026 is the year of double board sponsor!

Why do you think more European products don’t cross over into the American market?
J: There are so many markets to cross over towards, but we like to keep this organic. To enter the US we’d probably have to make EVA ENERGI DRYCK [laughs]!

P: I think us European brands have to figure out our own shit first before trying out the American dream.

Why are all Swedish skaters so good at skating mini ramps?
P: Perhaps it has something to do with the Swedish mentality. Maybe we identify more with smaller ramps and have more love for that sort of skating? Vert ramps always looked like a thing from the past to me.

J: These long-ass winters and indoor skating gets you pretty good at it. Sweden has only been popular for skating for a short time so the mentality of skating everything is embedded in the culture.

What’s next for EVA Hardware?
P: Make more fun pro-ducts and take on more pro-jects! Then we need to figure out how to save skateboarding. Jugga, can we do it?

Interview by: Ben Komins
Photos courtesy of: Chris Shonting
Share this with an hellraiser on Facebook
Daydream about your own shop on Instagram and Twitter