Miami, FL – November 27, 2017 – Christian de la Iglesia, Ami James, and Mark Gamez have been working hard all year long on a new venture and are proud to finally announce the grand opening of their second location of Division Wynwood. Division Wynwood is a collective space of F1rst Surf Shop that combines surfing, skateboarding, and Love Hate tattoo shop. Mark Gamez and Christian de la Iglesia are long time business partners of F1rst Surf Shop, as they opened their first location in South Beach in 2008. Ami James is a tattoo artist, owner of Love Hate Tattoos, and known for his TV personality on the hit show Miami Ink. The trio collaborated together to bring the best the surf, skate, and tattoo culture under one roof. Division Wynwood is located on 5th Avenue and 26th Street in Wynwood, the 5,000 square-foot space is home to hand-picked brands, including Outerknown, Banks Journal, VISSLA, Matuse, Inc., Richer Poorer, Stance, The Critical Slide Society, Levi’s Skateboarding, Roark, Deus Ex Machina, Straye Footwear and Cu4tro Footwear, along with all the top brands from surfing and skateboarding hard goods. Along with their surf, skate, and tattoo shop they will also be launching a 1,200 square-foot bar and special events space in Spring 2018. World Red Eye caught up with the business partners to get a closer look to see what the new collective space has to offer Miami.

WRE: How did you guys meet? How long have you known each other?

MG: I’ve known Ami for probably thirty years now. Wow, saying that makes me feel so old! Ami and I used to skate at Bakery Centre (only old Miami natives are going to remember that one) and see punk shows at Cameo Theatre. I met Chris probably about over fifteen years ago through surfing and mutual friends while he was working at Quiksilver. We’ve been business partners for 10 years.

CI: I met Mark in the early 2000’s when I was running the Quiksilver stores in Miami Beach and he was launching The Shack Surf Shop with a couple of friends. After a few years of friendship and the opportunity popped up, I approached Mark in the summer of 2008 about having a surf shop again in South Beach (he was just closing up on a concept store that was ahead of its time and The Shack had been disbanded as a surf shop a few years prior). So we decided to scrape some pennies together and started F1RST Surf Shop. For the next nine years, we went through the economy tanking. We decided to move to a better location on the beach set up right on the main surf break at South Pointe and gave the beach shop a small remodel to give the shop a refreshed look and new energy. Throughout the years working together we countlessly fight, but I love him like a brother. I met Ami James in the mid to late 90’s at what was the spot for all the artists to work at, Lou’s Tattoos. I had a couple of buddies that were working there (only way I was able to be cool enough to hang around) and so being a young buck that was just coming into appreciating and understanding tattoos, I would hang around in the shadows to soak in the culture and energy. I would say that I became better friends with Ami in the last five years when we would get into some serious and epic conversations about the world and today’s societal challenges, as well as started surfing together.

WRE: How did the idea for Division come about?

MG: One part necessity. Two parts traffic and a dash of frustration. Ami, Christian and I own shops on South Beach and that’s our home base. We love our stores and we love South Beach. But truth be told, accessibility has been a big issue for us down at South Pointe. South Beach is not easy to get to anymore if you live in the Greater Miami area. I grew up in the South Miami area and I’m married to Maile Gamez, which means I’m related to about eighty percent of Miami. The number one response I get from customers, friends, and relatives is the accessibility issue. Most Miami natives don’t want to deal with the hassle of MacArthur Causeway and then circling the neighborhood for hours and parking five blocks away in ninety degrees just to frequent our store. You need to make a genuine determined effort to get to my shop or there needs to be waves and that’s not good. Luckily, we’ve always had the support of the South Beach locals to keep us moving forward direction. Asides from accessibility, we are also very aware that retail brick-and-mortar shops are disappearing by the day, the only way for a business like ours to not only survive, but to also thrive, is to unite with like-minded businesses. Surf and skate culture mix pretty well with the tattoo culture and that was the birth of Division. Both have always been part of a counter-culture but have also seen growth and acceptance amongst the mainstream. We had been conceptualizing the idea for the better part of a year and a half and had been on the hunt for the right space. Chris started poking his head around and found this little honey hole on the other side of 5th ave and brought it to our attention. We all immediately knew this was it.

CI: I had tossed around the retail and tattoo concept to Ami about a year and a half ago. It’s nothing new, but I felt like it could be done better and after seeing the attraction to the brands we were getting from our community at the surf shop and what that mix of people were like, it highlighted that just maybe we could do something that brought the cultures of surfing, skating, and tattooing together under one roof. I mentioned the concept to Mark down the road and so we kind of figured if something or somewhere came up that would give us the opportunity, we would take a good hard look at it.

WRE: Why Wynwood for the newest Divsion location? 

AJ: I wanted to expand into a new area. A place where art was the draw and there was potential for us to give back to Miami by contributing some business to a neighborhood that has so much going for it. The inspiration in this area as an artist is huge right now! That’s why we had to choose Wynwood.

CI: How could we not? Wynwood is full of life from all mediums of business and crafts, that for me inspires growth. Back in the day, I think it was a Thursday, there were only two commercial mix use areas to travel to in our immediate area for retail/F&B and that was South Beach and Coconut Grove. We now have Brickell, downtown Miami, Wynwood, Midtown, The Design District, Buena Vista area and soon to see so many more small micro communities pop up with their own take on that commercial mix. Wynwood for us holds the torch for what we want to do. Part gritty, part laid back, and all cool.

WRE: How do you see the surf and skate culture intermix with the tattoo culture?

AJ: I have been skating and surfing since I was a kid, it is cool how these two cultures have merged. Tattoo art and street art have morphed into what is cutting edge in so many ways. Skaters brought connection to this art by bringing attention to the streets with cameras and magazines. The tattoo culture went through a very similar influx throughout the past ten years, so I see this now as a parallel that makes sense.

CI: A lot of today’s survival as a mom and pop business is being able to adapt and quickly adjust. Food halls and micro mixed use commercial areas are popping up and the idea behind them is to create an area where people can find a lot under one roof. Clothing and tattooing are similar in that they both represent who you are or how you want the world to identify you. Surfing, skating, and tattooing have always been viewed as counterculture in the mainstream (maybe not as much these days) and so they have always attracted some of the same people that either identify with the grouping or appreciate the artistry in the practice. Division Wynwood was a chance to fuse them all together where they flowed into each other seamlessly in an environment that makes you want to drop your keys off at the front counter and get into the talks of the day.

WRE: Division is on 5th Ave in Wynwood, is this avenue the next frontier for Wynwood? Do you think other businesses will follow? How would you like to see the Ave grow?

MG: I was particularly attracted to our street, 26th Street, more than the Avenue itself. It’s pretty wide open with a bunch of small retail shops on the south side of the street with ample parking. There is already a yoga studio that is open at the end of our street, Wynwood Brewing Company is a block away and Style Mafia is just down the street on 5th Avenue. Hopefully, more like-minded businesses will realize this side of Wynwood is just as enticing as NW 2nd Ave. Potentially better due to in-and-out accessibility.

CI: A few key features of 5th Ave attracted us. Physical features like a wider avenue then the others with a partition in the middle with lots of trees (more trees than any of the other avenues) that somehow creates a more complete feel. It’s already been designated the garment district and there is only one other famous 5th Ave in the world, it seemed natural to have a retail concept store there and we wanted to be one of the first to set up camp. Our street in particular has some awesome smaller eclectic commercial spots that set it up great for other shops to come in, as well as restaurants, and bar spaces. We would love the party to grow and fairly certain that by this time next year, we will.

WRE: This is the second location for F1rst Surf Shop. How is the Wynwood store different from the South Beach store?

MG: Our Wynwood location is definitely a man cave and geared more towards both the fashion side of things, as well as skateboarding. Sad to say that with the exception of Andrew Skateshop downtown, there are no more “core” skate shops left in Miami and I wish that wasn’t the case. Someone needs to hold the torch for skateboarding and offer at the very least a place where you can get grip tape or set up a board. Opening a skate shop is not an easy task in this day and age. It’s a high risk venture and we plan to only work with brands that intend to support shops like us, such as Straye Footwear and Prime Distribution. On a side note Miami needs a real skatepark! Additionally, the Wynwood location is carrying different brands such as, Straye Footwear, Prime Skateboards, Cu4tro Footwear, and a few others that I’d rather not reveal until they’re in-house and on our shelf.

CD: Being so close to the beach at our original shop we found challenges in product mixing. The companies we work with have such great complete lines covering cold weather to warm weather but no one wants to try on a long sleeve button down when you’re en route to lay on the beach or being all sweaty coming from the beach. So we went with the hot hands and kept it simple with beach gear for men and women (we boast the largest selection of men’s board shorts in Miami), as well as being a full fledge surf shop with boards, surf accessories, and board rentals (paddle and surf). The Wynwood location offers us the opportunity to get into more fashion forward items from companies that you won’t get anywhere else locally than from us. We also try not to over buy or reorder, keeping the integrity of the clothing front and center and limiting the amount of over exposure of any one item. No one really likes being out and about and seeing five other people wearing the same thing, which happens plenty when you shop big box brands. Until further notice, the Wynwood space is a men’s shop, where as the beach has men’s and women’s clothing.

I’m very aware that retail brick-and-mortar shops are disappearing by the day, the only way for a business like ours to not only survive, but to also thrive, is to unite with like-minded businesses. Surf and skate culture mix pretty well with the tattoo culture and that was the birth of Division.

Mark Gamez

WRE: The F1rst Surf Shop South Beach location has a huge local following. Will your clientele follow you to Wynwood?

MG: No, I can’t exactly say the clientele will follow to Wynwood. South Beachers are South Beachers. They live and die on the beach and I can say this from a first hand experience. It takes a ton of effort to “cross the bridge”. I’ve lived on South Beach for over fifteen years and have barely left for the last eight to ten years. I’m just starting to explore the area a whopping three miles away and it’s exciting. Bu, living on the beach is pretty convenient. So do I expect our South Beach clientele to come out to Wynwood? I hope they do, but we built this shop for the greater Miami area.

CI: I think the clientele from the South Beach location will follow to Wynwood. The grand opening party was a success and given the response after people saw the space is any indicator, then yes. Mark and I are characters in our own right and couldn’t be more different from each other; friends and people come to the shop to embrace and share in those differences. Aside from the fact that we both grew up on all these streets and have networked since elementary school, we are fortunate to have not a following but, a core community that supports our progress, growth, and shenanigans.

WRE: What inspired the design for Division Wynwood?

MG: The space itself is pretty ambitious. It’s almost 4,000 square feet. The layout already dictated the way the space was going to work. Its rectangular and has a 70/30 split wall. The surf shop would take the front since the tattoo artists need some privacy to work in peace. The backend where our event space is has three entry/exit points so we can host private and after hours events and seal off the front during event hours should we choose to. We needed the space to be built for speed, as well as pleasing to the eye. I designed a modular shelving system with the help of Craig Hamlin and Chris that can install and break down in a day’s time. Apparel changes seasonally so you need to be able to re-merchandise a wall without having to do a complete remodel of your store. We learned that the hard way through experience. The additional patio space is 3,000 square foot which we plan to activate for Art Basel and other special events.

CI: Our focus at the beach shop has always been to let the product speak for itself. We built the shop with natural elements that would hopefully create a warm feeling when entering and give a neutral background for the product to be curated on. Our “look” for Division Wynwood location was wood and concrete and this space gave us plenty of concrete so we tweaked out the wood so that it was subconsciously similar to our other store. There is also the fact that what we had originally set out for the store to look one way and it ended up being completely different due to buildout changes and inspiration challenges along the way. I don’t know what the original concept would have ended up as, but I do know that what we got is exactly what we wanted.

WRE: Division Wywnood has really cool furniture and custom shelving in the store. Where did you get these unique pieces? 

MG: When Chris and I built out our South Beach location, we did it with Craig Hamlin of Deft Union. Craig is incredibly talented and resourceful and showed us the ropes when we remodeled our South Beach location. We wanted to hire Deft Union in full for this buildout, but unfortunately Hurricane Irma showed up and did a number on all of our schedules forcing Chris and I to put on our big boy pants and become overnight carpenters. Everything you see in our shop was designed and built by Chris and I, with help and direction from Craig and Deft Union. I usually come up with an idea, swing it by Chris who would then implement function by way of retail. From there Craig would fine tune the idea and show us how to bring it to life.

CI: We have gotten to this point in our lives with the support of our community, friends, and family. When building Division Wynwood, we had great instruction and direction from our friends at Deft Union who helped us bring our design to life, and local surf buddies that have either killer furniture companies or import exotic woods from the other side of the world. This space, as well as our original spot on the beach, is the culmination of community coming together to see our concept flourish.

WRE: Ami it looks like you got the old team back together for Love Hate location in Division Wynwood. What will be new or different in the Wynwood location? What can your fans expect?

 AJ: Opening the new Love Hate location in Division Wynwood with the original crew felt right. They’re traveling here and offering us great availability to get things going. I am thankful to them for this, and glad to have the team here. I am also excited for new artists to come in and make this shop something new and fresh. The biggest difference to this shop and our others is that we have had the opportunity to do appointments only and feature what these high caliber artists are so good at.

WRE: Ami will you and Chris Nuñez personally be working out of this location?

 AJ: Yes, Nunez will be working at the shop. It’s great to have this dynamic.

WRE: We hear you are filming a new show. Can viewers expect the Wynwood location to be seen on the show? 

 AJ: There is an exciting project happening. I can’t talk about the details yet, but we can say there will be more info out in March and we are hoping it helps bring the two worlds of art closer together once the project is released the public.

The biggest difference to this shop and our others is that we have had the opportunity to do appointments only and feature what these high caliber artists are so good at.

Ami James

Wynwood is full of life from all mediums of business and crafts, that for me inspires growth.

Christian de la Iglesia

Division Grand Opening

Division owners Mark Gamez, Christian de la Iglesias, and Ami James celebrated the grand opening of Division Wynwood with over 300 guests in attendance. Complimentary beverages were provided by Veza Sur Brewing Co., SOTO Sake, and Sailor Jerry.