Hi, this is Noah here. I know, It has been a minute since we published a Maker’s Insight on this place. But always keep in mind, we are trying to deliver stories in their best quality as possible. Each and every article is the medium of sharing the experience and lessons of immeasurable dedication and effort of a person contributing to this community. Therefore, it is crucial for this platform to portray and deliver the highest quality literature not only for the purpose of storytelling and entertainment for the readers, but to respect the work of those in the article.

As always, we brought another “unique” story to share with you all. This time, the story is in the title itself. Without a doubt, this person is one of the most influential fingerboard maker in the fingerboard community. She is from Eugene, Oregon USA. We had the pleasure of inviting @uniquedecks Founder Mallory Curtis to listen to her story behind her philosophy towards fingerboarding, creative process, representation through fingerboarding, and more.

Here is the story and insight of Mallory behind Unique.

(NY) Please introduce yourself to our readers!

(MC) I’m Mallory Curtis from Eugene, Oregon USA and I own Unique Decks since 2011 and The Fingerboard Factory since 2024. I also ride for Flatface!

(NY) Where did the name ‘Unique’ originate from?

(MC) Unique originated as one of a kind boards that I sold on FFI and FBHQ back in the forum days. I needed a brand name so that people knew what to call my boards instead of saying “Mallory homemade board” on the setup threads.

(NY) When and why did you start making fingerboards?

(MC) I started making fingerboards because I was always very into the DIY side of fingerboarding. It started with cardboard ramps with my tech decks, to making wood ramps in the shop with my dad, index card fingerboard decks (shoutout Savannah Simpson’s Youtube tutorial), and bondo molds for wood fingerboards (shoutout Brandon Jones). I became obsessed with making a board that was as good as the professional brands, but with my own aesthetic and feeling. It has been a constant evolution refining what it means to be unique. The brand has grown up with me over the last 13 years.

(NY) Where do you get the inspiration for your art (for example, the ‘Ninja Turtle’ graphic or ‘Love Equation’)?

(MC) A lot of my graphics have to do with the inspiration I have behind making fingerboards in the first place. “The Love Equation” is all about taking raw materials, putting a little love into them, and creating something unique feeling. Another one of my favorites is “who will I be today?” All about being uniquely yourself.

When I first started fingerboarding, my Youtube channel was called “littleturtle2008” and I was obsessed with turtles. I try to show little hints of my love for turtles in my boards. Even the mold names are named after stages of the turtle life cycle (hatchling, nesting, and juvie (short for juvenile)). Just a little fun bringing it back to my childhood.

(NY) Please take us through the journey of creating a new collection (from coming up with an idea to the day of the launch).

(MC) My creativity is very process oriented. I love refining my workflow and experimenting with new techniques.

To give an example, I am working on a pride board for pride month in June. I think through what can visually represent a concept or idea. As a lesbian, a pair of scissors is a kind of tongue in cheek way of referencing being a lesbian. I thought it would make for a funny graphic without being crude or unwelcoming. I am also working on a new graphic technique called wood block printing, a traditional Japanese relief printing technique where you hand carve your image in a block of wood. You can make multiple blocks to have multiple layers of color. I thought this would be the perfect application for this idea of pride. Pride in craft and pride in who we are.

I am now refining the blocks and registration to do a full run of hand printed wood block graphics. After the boards are done, I take some good photos with my camera and put them up on the site! Hopefully people like what I have made. I still get nervous when it comes to releasing anything new. My creative process is similar, no matter the technique. To me, it is the techniques that allow me to explore. Like learning how to make split plies with different techniques and then learning how those changes effect patterns, so I can see what happens if I change one variable. It’s a constant evolution of trying new variables.

(NY) What does Unique and fingerboarding in general mean to you in life?

(MC) Fingerboarding feels like my whole life. It is my job, my passion, my community, and still my favorite hobby. Unique is my creative outlet and my opportunity to make things that I think should exist. The Fingerboard Factory is where I can scale my knowledge and help other brands grow. I currently have two apprentices learning under me. Trying to teach them all the techniques. It’s amazing how much fingerboarding has grown over the years, and how much we can still improve.

(NY) I see often that you also host in-person fingerboard events. What can you tell us about that?

(MC) I host several events per year in Oregon! Mostly hosted by skate shops and skateparks.  I try to create a welcoming environment where anyone from core fingerboarders to beginners and their family feel welcome. I find people are much more likely to remain an active fingerboarder if they have local friends they can meet up with. I hope the days of fingerboarding alone in our rooms are over. It’s a chance to get together and appreciate how amazing everyone is. I also have a whole collection of parks that I have built for everyone to enjoy, and I’m always working on something new. I don’t want it to ever get stale.

(NY) Apart from your company Unique, who are you as a person? What other interests do you have other than fingerboarding?

(MC) I love sports (especially women’s football and basketball), gardening, reading, riding bikes, and hanging out with my dog.

(NY) Lastly, is there anything you would like to add for the readers?

(MC) Just wanna say thanks for the support over the years. I feel like you have all watched me grow up. It means everything. Everyone who has ordered, left a nice comment, come to an event, been my friend.

Thank you.

• Mallory Curtis

  Instagram: @uniquedecks