Have you made your way to Les Faux Bourgeois, Heartbreaker Salon or Savio Volpe at the corner of Kingsway & Fraser? If you have, did you catch Mike Jackson’s shop tucked next to Savio Volpe?
It’s a small shop with a retail component in the front and more space at the back for the custom work he does. Thus, the name Studiotique, studio in the back – boutique in the front. We recently started working with Mike and in doing so learned that this is one cool guy who has weathered many incarnations to stay in small business for 30 years. This is quite an accomplishment.
It all began in 1988. Mike was attending the University of Western Ontario, and launched Grubwear Clothing Co. He hit the streets to create and sell streetwear and action sports clothing from the back of his Honda Civic. Soon after, he drove West with his dog Memphis and a U-Haul to open Thriller, his first retail venture. Mike wanted to create bold graphic t-shirts and has a passion for sports, beach lifestyle, surf, skateboard and snowboarding. He was driven to bring these passions together with a cutting-edge design and unique merchandise. Grubwear with his now infamous TRI-G logo was born and has led him around the world with one of his passions, snowboarding. This in turn led him to launch Jackson Snowboards in 1991. The business grew and evolved, Mike had distributors in 11 countries from Germany to Japan. In 1996, he opened Thriller Shop in Kitsilano which became the head office for all his brands, Grubwear, Boris Brothers and Jackson Snowboards. After 3 stores, 15 employees, Mike has scaled things back at his store at Kingsway & Fraser and focuses on his brands that he sells from his storefront as well as his online shop and doing custom work.
Now in 2018, things have come full circle for Mike. To celebrate his 30 years in business, on August 1, 2018 Mike launched a KickStarter Campaign to create 30 special edition Jackson snowboards. He is working with Rob Dow, the creator of WIRED Snowboards in Vancouver who has 25 years of experience in design and production. Mike launched his Kickstarter campaign with the aim of raising $5,000. He reached that mark within 24 hour. If you wish to check out the Kickstarter Campaign to see what reward packages are still available, visit Mike’s Kickstarter.
It takes a lot to stay in business for 30 years. Hats off to Mike who has reinvented himself many times over. Madonna comes to mind when we think of all his incarnations over the years. He may not like that we said that, but that’s how we see it. If you wish to check some of his cool designs, stop by his shop located at 617 Kingsway or check out his online store at Grubwear. You will see East Van merchandise figures prominently. If you are looking to have some custom t-shirts, jerseys, bags what have you for your sports team or for your business, Mike’s your man.
We raise a beer to Mike for 30 years in business! Cheers.
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