By far the BEST place EVER. Went in to put my tongue ring back in because my piercing I guess my piercing started to close up. They were SUPER nice and said that this happens all the time... What is funny is that I have had my piercing for like a year and a half. But they still did it =]
Review Source:I took my grandson here to get his ears pierced. Meanwhile, I wandered around and had a fantastic time!! I LOVE this store!! It's not just for skateboards or piercings.Great incense, holders, oils, cards, plus the skateboards and jewelry. And the staff...they are WONDERFUL!!! Helpful and knowledgeable and fun. Not once did they give that attitude of "we're cool and you're not" that we senior citizens encounter sometimes.
Thank you, Orbits!!!!!
My review is based solely on my piercing experience. I had my navel pierced twice. First time it was ripped out (ew I know) second time it got infected (they told me to use bactine for cleaning). Third time is a charm so I came here. The guy who did my piercing was very knowledgeable and nice. Did a great job and had no problems... until... I changed my jewelry and apparently didn't screw the ball on all the way. My piercing came out without me knowing and I didn't realize it until the next day. I couldn't get the jewelry back in on my own. I came back to Orbit a week later when I had time and this time a woman was helping me out. She said my piercing didn't close all the way so she was able to get the scar tissue out and the jewelry in. And she didn't even charge me! I left her a tip and was on my way. Oh and everyone that worked there was really nice. Thanks Orbit!
Review Source:I am a nervous mother of a 16 year old son who loves to be pierced. I talked to Miley over the phone and she made me feel at ease. Her professionalism was phenomenal! I remember my first piercing about 12 years ago at Orbit. They were good to me and made me feel at ease. I give this place 5 stars, no doubt!!
Review Source:NEVER BUY A HOOKAH HERE
NEVER EVER
The first hookah I ever owned was from here, it rusted in like 4 months.
All of the hookahs here are OVERPRICED and LOW QUALITY. All of them are made in china. If you want a nice hookah google khalil mamoon hookahs.
HOW EVER
They do have a good selection for your tobacco needs and coal needs.
Friendly staff too to guide you if you are new.
But when I got my first hookah they charged me 3 dollars just for INSTALLATION of an extra hose port (wtf)
Then I come to find out you literally just screw it on.....
Also, one time one of my eye brow piercings broke, came here to buy a new one since I remembered they have lots of piercing stuff, and the lady there hooked it up with a nice new piece for my eyebrow and she also put it back in for free! I was so happy.
she was very friendly.
in conclusion......
Helpful folks, lots of good products, just stay away from the hookahs.
This skate shop is cool. They have old and new style skateboards. the clothes are great, all you need for skate and rock. Some punk. the kids that work there are good folks and now there stuff. They work in the life style they live.
shop here if you sk8 in san leandro, hayward castro valley, san lorenzo, east oakland.
This is one of my son's go-to spots when he breaks a board. Â Mainly cause it's so close to home. Â If you skate then you know you can't go a day without a board. There's been a couple of times he's broken his board at the local skate park during an awesome sesh, but is only put off his game for 30 - 60 minutes tops because of Orbit. Â The park and this skate shop are located about a mile from each other.
The peeps that work here are all really friendly. Â They can put a board together for you in a jiffy! Many times when the owner has helped us we have left there with something extra. Â We've been given T-shirts, a hoodie, stickers, grip tape and lighters for the adults. The skate section of the shop is a bit small, but still has plenty of variety. They have boards, wheels, bearings, shirts and shoes. A small video section and stickers. The prices are decent.
If you've got a skater in your family, support this local shop.
They also do piercing here and there's a smoke shop behind the curtained area.
I came in here for the first  time today and it was a great experience!
Everyone is very helpful, they answered all my questions and the place looked clean and very well put together. The prices are very reasonable and they have a lot of items to choose from.
Will definitely come back if I ever decide on another piercing.
Thank you John and Sal! Oh and the girl who helped me, I'm sorry don't remember your name =[
So I was recommended to this place by two of my best friends who got piercings done here. I've always wanted to get one ever since I was 11 and I waited 'till I was 18 to get it legally done so I did and I wasn't disappointed. The guy who attended me was Chris and made me relax during the procedure. Everything is sterilized. Once he was done piercing my belly button he gave me instructions on how to take care of my pierced navel. When he pierced my belly button it did hurt a little but it was tolerable. Feels like a pinch lol. They have a cool store too! Bongs are in the backside lol
Review Source:I love this place! I've never actually gotten a piercing from here until today. I got my dermal piercing done by a girl name Kristen (I hope I spelled her name right..). She was very nice and answered the questions that I asked. Told me every step she was going to do (cleaning the area w/alcohol, and etc.) and she was fast! I'm planning on getting another dermal done later. I highly recommend this place. The atmosphere as well as the staff was very friendly.
Review Source:First of all, their prices are decent for both piercings and jewelry, and I'm always impressed by the selection they have.
I bought a new captive bead ring and had them put it in my ear. No joke, it took an entire hour. They kept dropping the bead on the floor and then couldn't find it. When they finally did, they just picked it up off the ground and tried to put it in my ear. I had to ask them to change their gloves and clean the ball. The piercer tried and tried but couldn't get the ball in so she called the manager.
This was a smallish ring being put in a fully healed piercing but all the tugging was making it very tender. They didnt have the right size pliers so they were trying to use giant ones to close the ring so they could get the ball to pop in correctly. The manager used them incorrectly, slipped, hit the side of my head and made me bleed. He was like "oh my bad" then wiped the blood off the side of my head and kept going. I walked out an hour after going in with a cut on my head, sore throbbing ear, and a huge resentment towards this place. I wasnt offered any discounts or my money back for them hurting me and taking an hour to change an earring. No apologies either.
And by the way, their piercing table cover is ripped on top and you can see the padding inside. Theres no way you can sanitize that, it's not clean. And them not changing their gloves or cleaning jewelry that was on the dirty floor is unacceptable.
Some tips:
- they are money hungry and WILL haggle with you over prices
- don't go in the back (where they sell bongs and porn) and say the word "bong" or "weed" or anything. Bongs are "water pipes" and they will insist you call them that. All the other paraphernalia is known by other names too. What, orbit sell a crack pipe? Never!
I just happened to drive by this store and decided to stop in and check it out. Every person working was smiling and authentically happy. I was welcomed walking through the door and then left alone to shop around at my leisure. No hi pressure sales. It was great. About half way through the store, another happy employee asked  if I was looking for anything. I explained what I was looking for and the guy showed me their selection of products which was extensive. I really felt like the most important person in the store, especially since they were so crowded. Their line of skateboards is awsome & staff is very knowledgable.
I would highly recommend this store to anyone looking for skateboard equipment, piercing jewelry, and cloths.
Being in retail sales, I know good customer service, & these people went above and beyond what I expected.
Orbits is pretty hilarious, it's a skate shop / head shop / piercing store. And the manager dude said they used to do tattoos as well but some city ordinance made them stop..
I went here to buy a 13yr old birffday gifts cuz I like to buy clothes from actual skate shops rather than online / chain stores. You know, the whole support your local skateboarder thing.
Anywayz Orbit's has some good deals and a nice selection of actual skate equipment but their clothing selection is a little thin.
If they had more skateboard oriented t-shirts and hoodies I would give them 5 stars cuz the people working here were pretty freaken cool. If I was 13 or 14yrs old I'd be kicking it here when I wasn't skating for sure.
Old school customer service!
I'm new to skateboarding so i bought a used skateboard on craigslist and brought it here to see if they would help me see if I had a good functioning board. I was kinda scared to ask at first but they were so helpful and gave me the impression that it was no big deal at all that they would check out my used skateboard and even fix it up to spec. for FREE! i had another board which had a busted deck and they replaced that for $5! They even cleaned the bearings, adjusted the wheels and I was told that i got a great deal on my boards (remember, i'm a newbie). He explained what to look for in the decks, how i actually had some good parts on the board, and that i had great bearings (bones?) that to save that when i'm ready to replace the other board. All in all, I never got the vibe that I was asking stupid questions (I thought i was) but he explained basics of maintaining a skateboard very thoroughly.
I'm so glad I made the trip out here and I would definitely come back here for my skating needs. Did I mention they tuned up my board for free? ORBIT ROCKS!
Poor customer service or Racism?
Wow, It's been sometime since I've experienced racism in a retail setting on this level. 'Dateline' tv show couldn't set the stage more perfect than what I experienced at Orbit.
As I'm walking into the store with my 4yr old daughter, a White dude is getting out his car with his daughter (a few years older than my daughter). We enter the store followed by white father, daughter pair I'll refer to as (WFD).
  I walk straight to the front counter and wait for a Rep. after a few minutes of waiting I look around the store. A young white girl finally comes out the back and ask the WFD in a rather pleasant way "Can I help you?".
  Now a good sales rep would ask "Who's Next?" then get to "How can I help you?" But I don't trip I just stand close and wait for them to finish.
  Once finished, the WFD move along and I'm left standing 5 feet away, the white sales rep doesn't even acknowledge that I'm there and begins to walk away (Word, you don't see me?, I'm a big black dude standing 5 feet from you!). Huh?! Where's the great, pleasant service you just gave the WFD?
   Before she gets too far, I stop her and ask my merchandise question and she refers me to the manager (Tall white dude), that's standing behind the register talking to another customer. The customer hands the manager a small stack of cash then walks away. I wait for the manager to finish counting the cash before I just roll up on him (Again, big black dude)
 I walk over to the Manager and notice another small stack of cash just out of arms reach on the counter next to the manager. The manager see's me and steps away a few feet  from the OPENED register and place his hand on top of the cash laying on the counter as if I'm coming up to the counter to swipe the money and run.
  The move on the cash the manager made was so awkward, I couldn't help to laugh out loud, like "Seriously?" I asked my question and before walking out, as if to save face he gives my daughter a small pack of candy, which just ended up coming off as a creepy kid stalker.
Father U.C. King THIS PLACE!
I like orbit a lot. The owner, I forget his name, is a sweetheart and always helpful. I come get my nose rings there bc I like the variety and I like that I don't have to drive to Berkeley for a place like this. I believe they do piercing and tatoos here too. They sell novelty tees as well as eyewear, enssence, and of course skate stuff.. not sure how late their open but glad there always open everytime I go!!
Review Source:My 16 y/o son was in need of a 'tune up' for his longboard/cruiser board (as it had to be disassembled to be shipped across the country) as well as needing some new wheels. While my son is quite proficient on his board, he is less skilled at interacting with people. A few other skate shops that we've been to had a 'why are you bothering me' approach to customer service, so my son was a little weary about asking questions. Not the case with Orbit. The gentleman behind the counter (I apologize that I didn't catch his name) was completely focused on my son, listening to what he needed and wanted to do and suggesting product that might be suitable for what he was looking for. He replaced the wheels and explained to my son how to best take care of them going forward.
It was a very good experience and one in which my son felt empowered and wasn't afraid or embarrassed to ask questions (how do you get better unless you ask questions). Price was reasonable for what we had done. The rest of the skateboard decks, trucks, wheels, etc seemed a little on the high side, but similar to what we've experienced with other shops. We will definitely return for additional skateboarding needs.
Hot chick helped me w/my snake bites during my last visit. I give her five stars. She had a bit of a hard time getting my ring on, it was already irritated as it was, I like a little pain so it was no big. Been coming here for years, gotten a few things pierced. Lot's of cool shit and graphic tee's. I normally go for the jewelry, after my last visit wouldn't mind going back for some eye candy. I'm a sucker for hot chicks causing me pain.
Review Source:If you're going to get a piercing, Orbit is reasonably priced AND Shayna is awesome! The owner is sooo friendly, too!
They have a huge selection of skateboards (& access.), pipes, bongs, clothing, knick knacks, jewelry, etc. The only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is because the merchandise is slightly overpriced.
They have convenient parking in the back and despite the location, the shop isn't at all ghetto or run down.
Great little shop! I first started coming here in high school, buying some smoke supplies and to get pierced. Haven't been there in a while so I don't know if its the same people, but the fellow who used to run it was super nice and gave me discounts on my piercings for being a good customer.
Awesome.
I came to Orbit to get a piercing with a friend , it was both of our first time at orbit, we noticed the really chill enviorment and friendly staff right away ! our piercer (Shayna) was great and knowledgeable . i had a problem with my piercing a few days later and i went back to orbit and they helped me out !great customer service , recommend this place, will be coming back again :)
Review Source:I have been a long time, faithful customer of Orbit. Â Started going there about 10 years ago to pick up some over 18 products behind the velvet curtain. Â But then, as my youngest son grew up, and we lived in the neighborhood, we started going to Orbit for for everything from skate products to piercings, which we have had about 15 done there now. Â I love the Staff; everyone is great to work with there. They also reward you for being a loyal customer, with little extras and discounts.
Review Source:I've been to this place several times now and I really like it! They have a ton of unique stuff that I like and can't find elsewhere, like gothic rings and Nordic and Celtic style jewelry, tons of cool fairy stickers, spiked wristbands, and a lot of great belly button rings. The piercers there are good, this is where I got my belly button pierced by the guy who owns the place, he made it well centered! Friendly, cool workers.
Review Source:This is a really cool little store. Besides the obvious skateboarding supplies, they have a ton of random eclectic things scattered throughout. The employees are usually friendly, and the environment is nice. Definitely an interesting shop with really neat stuff.
In the back of the store through a curtain is the smoke shop/adult section. This area has a plethora of cool smoking accessories/hookahs/pipes, and just about anything smoking related. I usually go back there for hookah supplies. I almost always get my shisha from Orbit. They don't have the greatest selection but its definitely the best thing you're going to find locally as far as shisha tobacco is concerned. On a random note: I remember trying to go back there when I was a kid and they always asked for ID so best of luck to you under 18ers trying to buy anything from the back room.
My only gripe with this store is the pricing. Just about everything is over-priced. I guess I can understand why, seeing as how this store is the only one of its kind in the area. Don't expect to get anything cheap here.
Regardless, this store is very cool, the employees are down to earth, and the selection of random, hard to find stuff makes this place a good experience every time!
They have a pretty wide selection of body jewelry. Â My husbands been coming here for years. Â The first time he took me here they boss dude was really nice. Â Before we left he told us we could get some drinks on him. He didnt have to do that but he did so I got some Orbit Water! hehe anyways the hubby needed some new plugs so we bought some and the chick was nice to go ahead and gage him and put them in without charging us for it. Â Theres tons of little gidgets and gadgets, tshirts stickers, and skateboarding stuff for your pleasure.
Review Source:this place is amazing. Sal & Ahmed the owners are always greeting everyone with a smile and give GREAT deals. excellent customer service. i've brought several friends in there with me while i bought my needles and ink and all of them walk out saying how cool that place is. they have so much stuff! i highly reccomend anyone who skates or likes the style to stop by and check it out. I know i'll be back!
Review Source:Orbit Skates and Boutique is always a great place to pick up different gifts for friends. Â At first I went in to buy insense and sage, but then I was intrigued by their constant positive change in items. Â Its always great stuff.
This past saturday I got 2 piercings from Shayna. Â She did a beautiful job. Â It only hurt for a few seconds. Â I've been getting wonderful compliments on them. Â I highly recommend Shayna to everyone.
I live right down the street, but have only had a chance to stop by twice so far. Both times were great, though.
I originally stopped in to get a new complete skateboard after my last was stolen out of my truck. Bummer. Still, they were really helpful and hooked me up with one of the Orbit decks and some generic trucks and wheels. Rides great.
I just stopped in today to have my septum ring removed, now that it's devoid of any and all meaning it might have originally held (a conclusion I came upon when my friend's 13 year old niece had it done). They did it free of charge, super quickly. Couldn't have been easier.
With that said, there is a ton of stuff in here, but I mainly just plan on coming for the skate stuff. They seem to cater to the long-haired, all over print t-skirt-wearing, hip, young skaters that apparently rule the streets these days, but I imagine that's the only way they could stay in business. Besides, they still carry stuff for us shredders that don't really listen to E-40 and worship Ryan Sheckler (i.e. Anti-Hero).
Besides, the girls working there are cute. Stop by if you're looking for a new rock.
I keep coming back to Orbit for various and sundry things iike piercings. I have to say that I don't appreciate arguing the merits of needles v. guns with my piercer, but I finally convinced them that personally for ear piercings my track record is zero infections with guns and one nasty infection with the needle. I had to let the hole close up and re-pierce with the gun and then I had no problem.
Review Source:I had such a terrible experience here and if it were up to me I'd shut the place down and turn it the available space into a parking lot. Eugh.. HORRIBLE!
Rather than driving out to Berkeley (which is where I normally go for all of my piercing needs) I decided to try Orbit Skates and Boutique out after a girlfriend of mine told me that she got her naval done there it she loved it. Considering I lived a whole 5 minutes away I figured, "Heck.. why not..how bad could it be?" I'd later be hitting my head into the wall after making that statement aloud.
I pierced my naval and decided to get an industrial done since I had always wanted one. The naval was just like getting my ear pierced.. nothing painful or out of the ordinary. When I got my industrial done I just knew as soon as she screwed on the bottom ball that something wasn't right. Â The lady had bent my ear in such away to make the bar bit that it began to "cauliflower" within minutes. She swore it would go away and to put an ice pack on it when I got home. Hours later my ear began to turn purple and the pain throbbed like crazy.
I endured the pain for another 2-3 days until I just couldn't take it anymore. I went back to Orbit and insisted on seeing someone else. A new person who was in charge of piercing that day took a look and instantly advised me to take it out. He said, "she didn't do it right. wow.. I'm surprised you kept it in that long!" I spoke to the manager and demanded a refund but he said that he couldn't do a thing about it and sometimes piercings turn out like you want it to and sometimes it doesn't.
After arguing with him for a solid 10 minutes I stormed out with no resolution.
DON'T THROW YOUR MONEY AWAY HERE! VERY UNPROFESSIONAL AND UN EXPERIENCED PEOPLE WILL SPOIL YOUR DAY AND POSSIBLY YOUR BODY!
if you lose the hookahs, porn, zippo lighters, gothic medieval statues, the Osiris D3s and the other bullshit, you might have a skateshop..... Â
now to the review of the skateshop
overall this place sucks. they only have hardgoods. the skate softgoods are over 10 years old. for god sakes they still have the D3!!! theyre very inconsistent with there board selection. one day they might have some banging brands, the next time they might have all bland skate brands like Plan B, Zero. the dude who works the skate section is pretty cool. he reminds me of the comedian bobcat just cause of the looks.
i remember one time the City team came to hold a demo for the store, i remember thinking like wtf are they going to skate flatground? they ended up skating a box and a rail. but it was kind of weak cause jimmy coa didnt show up. and you know Atlas had a City demo too but at the shoreview park that totally shitted on Orbits demo
. you know, if you live outside of san leandro its a real drag getting there. you either have to get on the 80 and san leandro is like the dead epicenter of traffic, and parking for it is the smaller than the size of a basketball half-court. its fucking retarded, the drive aint even with coming to this place thinking of the price of the gas these days.
theres been so many cases where i had to buy a board i didnt really like, or wasnt my size here. that should never happen
This is a cool little store, almost like a mom and pop feel, but some Berkeley funky and old school, new school thrown in. I buy stuff all the time (3 teens). Shoes, boards, ect, ect. So when you buy, at least when I buy ( $100-$200) I get a free soda and tee-shirt. Yeah I know woopdee doo, but just read it again. I get, not those spend all the money like it grows on trees and rains from the sky kids, me. I get the free stuff. Okay, its hokey, but I'm goin' back and I'm gonna spend more and get my free soda and shirt so there!
Review Source:I've been in this skate/accessory/jewelry/clothing/smoke shop quite a bit the past few months. Â It has everything. Â A super large invetory of skateboards and parts from blanks and trucks to long-boards and rails. Â The jewelry selection is pretty large and almost guaranteed to find what you'll need for any piercing. Â Plenty of clothes line the racks from Independent Clothing to Ed Hardy, with a large smokers section to boot. On top of it all the owner and employees are super friendly and always looking for a friendly chat. Â Prices are pretty good for the selection and quality.
Review Source:Like many people, I spent quite a bit of my childhood practically raised by my grandma. Â I don't have any siblings other than I half-brother who I wasn't raised with, and she unfortunately wasn't all that encouraging of me playing with neighborhood kids and I was never allowed to have friends over to her house with me after school. Â Sad to say more often than not I sat around with my grandma watching afternoon soaps, Phil Donahue and Oprah, the evening news, and 70s/80s stuff like Dynasty and Cannon, when I was a little older it was all about Walker Texas Ranger (my grammy loved her some Chuck Norris!).
When it came time for me to go to high school, I had just moved to Oakland the summer before 9th grade and would be going to a junior high school, then subsequently Oakland High School. Â My grandma kinda wigged out about the location and who I'd being hanging out with, etc., so I guess she thought she'd get me to stay inside more by buying me a TV. Â Nothing fancy, but it was a decent 19"er.
Years later I still have no life, but have graduated from the TV screen to the computer screen (and wonder of wonders I actually went out and made some friends, too)... I have seen the glory of the mighty Craig and worship daily at the temple of the List. Â Under the guise of doing busywork at my job I am stealthily perusing the Barter section, and I come across a posting for hookas. Â Hmm, I'd been a cig smoker for years but had never tried a hookah, and I was wondering what I had that would be worth trading for a hookah, and it dawned on me that I had a TV that I never used. Â I emailed hookah guy and he asked me what color I'd like, came over and we made our exchange, and I was the proud owner of a dark purple, gunmetal, and black hookah.
Fast forward another couple years and said hookah's collecting dust. Â The bowl I originally got with the hookah never really fit quite right and it didn't smoke that well. Â On a recommendation from my partner I went and checked out Orbit, and was pleasantly surprised they actually had a few options for bowls that would fit my hookah. Â I was even more pleasantly surprised to learn recently that they carry lemonwood charcoal, which I've come to find is a much better alternative to those little round cakes. Â They've also got all kinds of different flavored tobaccos, and some naturally-flavored additive-free stuff that I haven't seen elsewhere. Â I like Orbit. Â It doesn't have that overpriced smokeshop feel to it, it's clean and organized and the people that work there are genuinely friendly and helpful. Â The owner's a great guy that remembers the names of his regulars. Â And well, it's down the street from Thrift Town ;-)
In an effort to smoke processed cigarettes less, I've been able to cut back by only smoking from the hookah at the end of the day instead of cigs periodically through the day. Â It's quite a relaxing little ritual of sorts, and I don't feel nasty or guilty like I do when I'm puffing a cancer stick. Â Now I've got a functioning hookah with a properly fitting bowl, and some really nice apple-flavored tobacco. Â I can go turn into a caterpillar!
And uh, my grandma still doesn't know I traded that TV for a hookah.
Hey Orbit and staff.. GREAT job on the customer service.. Nice to know it still exists..
I went to Orbit the fist time 6/18/2007 for a skate board for my son. It was really amazing to see the selection of over 150 decks available to choose from. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about the product. My son who has been skating for years spent about 45 minutes asking all types of questions and not once did they make us feel like it was too much. They took their time and responded to all his questions and even treated me to a free drink from the cool while I was waiting patiently. Not once was I pressured into buying or even feel like I had to spend a dollar. My son finally decided on a boards with all the accessories. The staff was great and even gave my son a Orbit T-Shirt.. HIGH QUALITY I must say.
The shop has everything for everybody. I got lost in all the goodies that were there. They literally had EVERYTHING. It was like a toy store for kids of all ages. Everything from clothing to skate equipment.. Even a Chess board that was hand made from pewter with a really HIGH price tag. Definitely a collectible for those members of your high school chess club ;-) My favorite though was their selection of fine gift items in these tall showcases, everything from crystal to Faberge eggs..
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