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out of her garage. We took out a one page black and white ad in the popular magazine of the time with super low prices. He wanted to unload his dead inventory, and we would keep a cut of the sales. I was in school, so when I got home, I helped my mom pack boxes. My mom was newly divorced, so we were making a little bit of extra income. My mom, sister, and I had no idea what we were doing, but we were having fun. As it got busier, some friends who rode were hired on to help. Time passed and passed, and now, me and my family are packing and shipping all day long. I do know what I’m doing now, and I’m definitely still having tons of fun.

Have you always lived in Austin?
Tina: My young life was spent in Virginia and Missouri. I moved to Texas when I was 12.

How can you explain Austin has attracted BMX riders for a LONG time?
Tina: Austin has changed quite a bit, but overall, you can still ride your bike just about anywhere in this town. There are several trails spots, street is great, food is awesome, and people aren’t uptight. And, we don’t really have harsh winters, so you can ride all year long.

Can you sum up what BMX companies are based in or around Austin at the moment?
Tina: Right now, we are lucky to have Terrible One, Mutiny Bikes, Liquor Bikes, and the design offices for Odyssey and Sunday, and Full Factory Distribution.

How long has Empire been around now?
Tina: We turned 7 this past April.

How many people work at Empire?
Tina: Five at the moment.

What do you think of the BMX scene these days?
Tina: I can see that BMX is growing for us here in Austin. There are lots of fresh young faces coming in to the scene all the time, and that’s great to see. The scene is always changing with whatever brand, rider, or type of riding is most popular at the moment, but seeing kids having fun riding BMX is what it’s all about.

Do you see more girls getting into riding BMX?
Tina: Not as many as we’d like to see, but there are some new faces that pop in from time to time. There is an awesome group of regulars that I adore, and they do they’re best to get more ladies involved.

What do you think needs to be done to help girls get into BMX?
Tina: I think it would have to take a real effort from everyone in the industry to expose the sport to girls. I’d like to see the boys be more supportive instead of vibing them, but oh well. Boys will be boys.

What bike do you have?
Tina: I have a baby blue 24” S&M Challenger. Mad Dog!

Where can people find out more about Empire?
Tina: We don’t do a lot of print advertising anymore, so peeps will have to just go to our web site – www.empirebmx.com – to get the scoop. We have a twitter account and you can see some fun stuff on our Vimeo page too. We are moving next year to a much bigger building, so we are looking forward to hosting a variety of events, BMX and non-BMX. I just want everyone to know that we are trying to enjoy life as much as we can because life is short. Come on our journey with us!