Orbit Skate and Boutique has remained an East Bay staple since its opening in 1995. The local neighborhood shop allows families and customers to assemble a skateboard, get a piercing, and purchase apparel in a single visit.
Rich Aboud founded Orbit in 1995, and Sal Saad took over as owner in 2001. Saad, who moved to the Bay Area from New York in 1998, originally worked for a wholesale business in Redwood City, with Orbit being one of his accounts. Over three years, Saad built a strong relationship with Orbit’s owner. In 2001, Saad wanted to transition out of wholesale, while Orbit’s previous owner was also planning to move on. With the timing perfectly aligned, Saad took over Orbit in December of that year and has owned the store since.
Saad continues to operate the store with the same retail-driven mindset he developed in childhood. He grew up working in his father’s supermarket in Brooklyn, beginning as a cashier at 10 years old, cutting meat at 16, and managing the store with his father at 17. Saad describes himself as passionate about retail, and says the customer shapes his every decision.
“The customer is everything. What is a shop without the customers? The customer is the boss,” Saad said.
From store hours to inventory decisions, Saad’s philosophy shapes every aspect of how he operates Orbit. He emphasized that he is constantly learning from customer needs.
“I’m still learning of course. I’m a student of the industry,” Saad added.
Saad is always finding ways to give back to his community and connect with the youth. In 2004, he introduced a grade point average (GPA) incentive program to motivate students. Inspired by the incentives to push his own children, Saad runs the GPA program every year from June 15 to July 15, inviting students from kindergarten through college to bring their year-end report cards.
If a student has a GPA of 3.0 or higher, they can receive a free prize, with each item gradually increasing based on GPA performance. A 3.5 rewards a free hat, a 3.9 earns a free set of trucks, while a 4.0 rewards a new skateboard deck.
Saad said school administrators and parents frequently express their appreciation and gratitude for the initiative, noting that students pushed themselves harder in school to get the free merchandise.
One example that left an impression on Saad was Amber Mason, a student and frequent Orbit visitor. Saad promised Mason new shoes if she raised each of her grades by half a letter. The following semester, she successfully raised her grades and continued improving until she became a straight-A student. Saad said Mason’s mother still expresses her gratitude for the encouragement.
Longtime customers have also become part of the Orbit team. Alex, one of the shop’s head piercers, began visiting Orbit at age nine with their mother. After years as a customer, Alex was hired at 19 and has worked at the store for seven years.
Orbit is expanding to a new location in Castro Valley along Castro Valley Boulevard, within walking distance of Adobe Skate Park. The new store is expected to open in May, offering similar features as the San Leandro location including skate merchandise, boutique apparel, and piercing services.
Saad plans to use Adobe Skate Park not only as an extension of his store, but also as a place to foster a greater sense of community in Castro Valley through skate lessons and monthly barbecues. Through its community efforts, Orbit Skate and Boutique continues to demonstrate its commitment to the East Bay.
