New shop caters to boarders on snow, water and asphalt

Nestled in the charming and quaint village of Lake Mohawk Plaza, comprised mostly of the restaurants that keep Sparta’s residents fed and entertained, with a spattering of useful and convenient shops snuggled in between, lies a new diamond in the rough called, The Boarding House. This three-week-old shop stands alone with the type of apparel, equipment and attitude it takes to succeed in the surf, skateboard and snowboard industry. The shop is formerly the Drue Chryst Art Gallery, located at 14 Winona Parkway. The visitor is now greeted with enthusiasm by the capital letters, SKATE on the sidewalk beside the front door, left behind from a ‘missed spot’ with the power washer. “We run a fine line between grunge and proper in here. We have a bit of an edge for the skaters, but also want to cater to the town people,” said Marc Centrelli, who owns and runs the shop with his sons, Daniel and Michael. “Some shoppers have appreciated our clean look and commented on how they don’t worry about drugs being done in the back.” The atmosphere of the shop may be one of order and cleanliness but the element of adrenaline-rushing excitement still resonates between the waves of the pumping, high energy music that fills the shop. Just being surrounded by the equipment and being in the atmosphere of this shop, the visitor is teased with the exploding ‘high’ one can potentially receive from catching the perfect wave, or rounding out the dynamic turn on the ski slope with the right balance of speed and control. This is exactly this same indescribable euphoria that drew Centrelli to fulfilling his dream of opening the shop in the first place. Centrelli used to spend a lot of time hanging out with his sons in his friend’s surf shop in Bayhead. “There’s a vibe in there, something you share with others who know how cool it is. We’d hang out there for hours,” said Centrelli. “I don’t enjoy my other career, but continue doing it for now. Hopefully that will change and I can do this full time. What better job is there, than hanging out with your kids?” The idea for the shop resulted from the interest in sport Centrelli shares with his sons. About 10 years ago, Centrelli’s son, Daniel showed interest in learning to surf, so Centrelli figured he’d try it out too. He recalls their first outing with amazing detail and emotion. They hit the beach with Centrelli’s in-laws, who were experienced enough to show them the ropes. “It was early evening, the sun was setting, a gorgeous night. I stood up on my first try. We surfed until the close of dusk and only the full moon lit the waters. I get chills just talking about it. By day’s end, both Daniel and I were surfing the waters with ease and have never stopped,” said Centrelli. “Daniel is really good.” Centrelli looked for almost two years in search of the perfect location for his first retail venture and has finally found it in the center of town. He is adamant about not selling any merchandise from a sport he doesn’t participate in, himself. “We are no shop at the mall. I want to be able to recommend something with honesty,” said Centrelli. They carry top names like Nitro and M4 snowboards, Girl, Chocolate and ZooYork skateboards, and sunglasses by Hooven. Their clothing line is currently more skater influenced, but he plans to sell surf clothing in the spring. Centrelli is already giving back to his community as a business-owner. He sponsors Sparta High School sophomore, Tim Warrington with all the skateboarding supplies he needs and in return, he rides for The Boarding House in his competitions. In addition, when the warmer weather approaches, they want to offer free skateboarding clinics on the weekends in the joint parking lot he shares with Krogh’s Restaurant. He has all the portable ramps and experience needed. To contact The Boarding House, call 973-729-SKATE (729-7528).