Maximum Hesh

This is an amazing skate shop!
I stopped skating like 15 years ago but I’ve been feeling the itch to get back into the game lately. I popped in to scope out the place and see what Max Hesh had to offer. This young dude (Evan) helped get me setup with a board and all the fixings. This kid was super knowledgeable about the different products and super passionate about skating. Even though I speed-​wobbled and busted my ass going down a hill on Lowell St. on day 1 of my new skating life I’m still super happy with the experience! I’ll be back soon to buy all of the Toy Machine socks they sell… (The socks that this place carries are amazing btw)
Support your local businesses. Buy local skateboards!

I hadn’t been in with my son awhile and he was thrilled with the wide selection of new boards. Hard to pick just one. The staff was super helpful and patient explained pros and cons of each product. Lots of accessories too; I even got a pair of sunglasses that look great. The parking was easy near the shop which makes it easy.

Rad shop, with a great selection of core products as well as local skater owned brands. Down to earth staff, and no «cool guy» vibe outs. Not only does Max Hesh have what you need, but they continue to push the scene.

Spoke to the owner over the phone who was super friendly & also very helpful. I came in the next day & Zack helped me. He is so awesome! He really knew what he was talking about & set me up with the perfect setup. I’m totally stoked. I will be coming back to setup a couple more boards in the near future…
Very cool spot

What a super shop this is! I have been in many in the northeast and I am really impressed by the owner, staff and merchandise available at this place. Also, as a parent, I would be comfortable with my son or daughter going there. If they don’t have what you need, they can get it. Stop in. No matter your age. You will be surprised at the awesome treatment you get!
Karyl Ross

Max hesh is one of the best Skate shops I’ve had the pleasure of shopping at. The owner is a total skate rat and will nerd out on all skating aspects with you, from who did the first hardflip in what video and what song was playing in the background, to the specs of the deck you’re looking at down to the wheelbase, shape, and woodshop.
The board selection is my favorite part of Max hesh. Todd orders boards of all different sizes and shapes, and has a huuuuge selection of local and regional northeast companies, guaranteeing you will always be hyped on your deck.
Go here and crush the gnar!

Using my girl’s account. This is the best skateboard shop in Boston, and one of the best I have been to, period. The selection is awesome, and centered around tons of boards in all shapes and styles. A huge amount of square tail and cruiser style in addition to plenty of rad local companies. The owner Todd is super cool and really knows his stuff. He’ll get you into exactly what you want and need even if you didn’t know it was out there. I just moved out here from LA and am stoked I have such a sick local shop to call my own.

Todd, the owner, was super polite and informative. He also helped me find what I was looking for in no time.

This was a bad experience. First thing was the owner making a rude comment right from the start, then I received incorrect information about the set up I was looking for. He was speaking with me for about 2 minutes, and then when someone else walked in that he knew, he abruptly stopped ‘helping’ me. I went in looking to purchase a few things and hopefully find a local shop that I could shop at for life, and he completely lost me as a customer.
I did get a good laugh at how absurd this experience was, so for that he gets one star.

I have a 9 year old grandson who was ready for a top-​notch, personalized skate board this Xmas. After calling a few places, I chose this one because the owner would be the person to work with us and he seemed very knowledgeable on the phone. Although the store doesn’t look like much on the outside, we were warmly greeted and treated so well. The owner worked with my grandson with such respect, I was amazed. He knows his stuff and we both learned a lot. He assembled the board while we waited and off we went with one happy little boy. The next day we went to the Lynch Skate Board Park and my grand was thrilled. It was a great experience. I would recommend this shop to all.

I’ve been skating for 30 years. I worked at a skate shop for 6 years. I’ve been around the block. Several times. No question, if you are looking for anything skate related, this is the shop you want to check out. No bullshit. No attitude. Just full-​on stoke. The place is skater owned and operated (don’t you DARE go hit some lame-​ass chain mall store like Zumies!), and stocks both smaller local brands, and larger national/​international brands that are all on point. Moreover, the place has a huge variety. If you are looking for a 10″ wide old-​school deck, or the modern «popsicle» shape, you will find it here. Seriously, just stop reading, go hit Max Hesh, and then go have fun in the streets on your skateboard.

Great place, I had the good luck of walking in after work one day and meeting Todd (owner). He was extremely helpful. I picked out a deck and all the gear for a complete set, which he then built on the spot in 10 minutes. Prices matched stuff I had researched online beforehand.
Can’t miss this shop if you are interested, check it out.

Todd is one of the nicest dudes I’ve ever met. I haven’t skated in about ten years and wanted to get a board to start again. I emailed him from work asking about the approximate cost of a complete setup. He emailed me back within an hour with an estimate. I stopped by the shop after work and let him know I was looking for a board for mostly street skating. He gave me lots of information on all the brands he carried, as well as his suggestions and personal preference. His enthusiasm and knowledge, while never coming off as pushy, is really a benchmark that any retailer should strive for. The board I ended up with is great, (It seems like they only carry quality products) and I haven’t lost too many steps in my decade hiatus! I’m usually the kind of person who will buy shit online from amazon to save a couple bucks here and there, but if I ever need anything skateboarding related I will make sure I come here.

Edit: Bumped up from two stars to three stars.
The owner responded to me and sincerely apologized and assured me that he does in fact have longboards in stock, and that he longboards himself.
I can’t really rate anything higher than three stars since someone on staff for some reason either misunderstood what I was asking for or misrepresented their selection (see long review below), but Todd’s genuine and professional response really assured me that he cares about his customers, and he’s just as welcoming to newcomers as the guys I met at Thuro.
I can’t really ignore my previous experience either since I had to leave the store empty handed for no reason apparently… for most people that would be enough to not come back. BUT if you check out other reviews, and if you could read the response I got, you’d realize Todd is pretty dedicated and passionate about everyone having fun and feeling welcome to skateboarding, which is great! My whole complaint was someone acting snobby and dismissive, and Todd just countered all of that with his openness.
If I’m in this neck of the woods again and need something I’ll give this place another try and update my review again.
Original Review for context:
So I had a bit of an awkward experience a few months back, but since overall this shop has such solid reviews from other people, I actually didn’t bother posting anything and dismissed my experience as something not really worth mentioning, given the fact he simply didn’t sell what I was looking for. However, since then I’ve met a few people who have had other similar experiences so I’ve reconsidered posting a review, based on customer service alone.
I’m not sure if there’s only one person who works at this shop, but the day I went (plenty of time before close mind you — not this should be a good excuse to provide lack luster service) there was a guy hanging outside the shop who gave me the once over before letting me pass through and following me in. I was just getting off my office job and I had my badge still on, so I don’t know if it was the fact that I was wearing a cardigan or because I’m a woman that he felt the need to do the judgey «are you lost?» check but whatever, I let it roll off my shoulder. It’s all subjective, right?
He follows me in and asks if I’m looking for anything in particular. I wanted to try longboarding, and after researching local shops in the area, I had found a few reviews saying Maximum Hesh did in fact have longboards. When I brought this up he was immediately very dismissive asking why I wanted to longboard when «no one longboards in Boston» and that no store in the Boston area sells longboards. I’m very aware that longboarding seems to be the trendy thing now, and maybe he’s wary of people jumping on some west coast bandwagon when his focus is skateboards.
I’m trying to give this guy benefit of doubt — I can see how it would be annoying if a bunch of hipsters came into your store that you’re sincerely dedicated to and asked for a trendy product that you’re forced to sell just to appease the demand, when meanwhile your proprietary focus and passion is a different branch of the sport. Maybe you feel jaded and think everyone who wants to longboard is a poser.
Either way, his indignant reaction to my questions made me feel like I went to a taco food truck and asked for paella.
I’m not sure why this place is reviewed to have longboards when he so adamantly does not sell them, maybe he had sold them until recently?
That was my personal experience, which I decided to just dismiss as typical low-​end customer service (people tend to forget that anyone who walks through the door is a potential customer, with friends who are potential customers — regardless if they find what they’re looking for in the same visit). If he doesn’t sell something anymore (or maybe he never did and the people who are posting about longboards here really just bought cruisers), why should I post a negative review and complain about something he has the right to not sell?
Then I heard from other acquaintances who have bought skateboards here, that this is not an unusual experience. If you don’t have the same interests as the seller here, he comes off as condescending rather than helpful.
After I left Maximum Hesh (where two longboarders passed me on the way to the train station) I went to Thuro in Brookline and found what I was looking for and bought a $ 400 board, partly because of limited competition that would have cheaper longboards, but mainly because I felt welcome and received amicable and professional feedback, so I happily gave them my service for one of their best boards.
I seem to be in the minority with this type of experience, so quite possibly if you’re a street skater and this store has something you need, you’ll have a much more pleasant interaction. If you longboard, don’t waste your time hiking up to Davis.

Went to this shop after being ignored out the door at the first shop I went to. From the moment I walked through the door of this shop Todd engaged me and gave me the run down of his selection.
If this guy had shit for selection and quality I would have still bought whatever he had. His passion and knowledge of his craft is inspiring. Best part is that he carries good quality products and he stands by them. He won’t let you leave if you’re not confident in your build. He won’t even let you pay for that matter.
I discussed what I was looking for and he made sure to provide unpretentious and educated suggestions based on my needs. I wanted a cruiser board and he hooked it up. Even when I went against his recommendation on wheel size he gladly made what I wanted work. He kept the price within the quoted range and worked with me to keep costs down. It’s not that I was being cheap, he just does fair and honest business.
I took the board for a ride today and it was Nirvana. Go here first! I’d be shocked if you had any regrets. Todd’s good people. Added bonus, prices are more than reasonable!
Thanks,
Brotha (slothboard cruiser dude)

This shop is where I go when I need trucks, decks, everything. The staff is friendly and on top of that they have a really talented team of riders! This place is legit, with real gear!

This is a really legit skateboard shop, not a clothing store that happens to sell skateboards. It’s not a commercial shop with some clueless teen behind the counter. The owner is extremely knowledgeable and took the time to teach me all about what to look for in a skateboard.
The store only carries high quality stuff and more importantly can explain what distinguishes different types and brands of gear. I got a full new setup, and I’ve never felt so comfortable on a board in my life. I realized that I’ve been shopping in the dark and skating on crap in the past.
Combined with the great prices (you don’t overpay on anything), there is no reason to bother with other stores. After walking in here, you won’t ever see the inside of a Zumiez again.

Bought my first board here! The owner is very helpful and knows his stuff well. Highly recommend this shop

My inexplicably athletic (where did this come from? not me!) fourth grade daughter wanted a skateboard, and so we stopped in. Todd was super-​nice and helped us put together a reasonably-​priced starter setup, and included an after-​hours training session the next week — filled with patience and encouragement. Highly recommended!

Holy f*ck, this place is awesome. Todd is awesome, extremely knowledgeable and great at explaining without being overwhelming/​elite/​whatever. I feel awesome about getting started.
If you care about this kind of thing: The store has quality gear, clean/​well-​organized with room to try boards out, great location. More importantly I feel like as I learn more or if I have questions I could pop in again in the future, and they’d be helpful because they genuinely love skateboarding, talking shop about skateboarding, and like getting people into it. Besides getting the right board for me and some chill encouragement, I learned some about why people modify skateboards they ways they do, some etiquette, what to look out for re: wear and tear (water damage=squeaky bearings, etc)… Really, *really* glad I came here instead of buying something online.