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Northeast Ohio is full of creative people following their dreams while trying to make a living. From jewelry crafted out of broken street glass to sound equipment engineered for rock stars, see what people are "making" in the community.

Making It: Shredding Stigmas Around Skateboarding With Broken Boards

MAKER: Sabrina Abrego, owner

BUSINESS: BrokenNBored Concepts

FAMILY AFFAIR: Sabrina Abrego learned woodworking and revitalizing broken skateboards from her stepfather, whom she collaborates with.

"I grew up skating. My mom skates, my brother skates, my stepdad skates. So it just kinda fit," she said.

In 2016, she began BrokeNBored Concepts after a failed attempt to bring a skate park to an abandoned lot in Canton. Local residents fought the initiative. Abrego hopes to change the narrative that all skaters are punks through her art.

NO TWO ARE ALIKE: Abrego bonds broken skateboards together before carving them into items as diverse as engagement rings and urns. It's the multicolored ply of the boards that gives her work a unique look. 

"It's borderline impossible for us to recreate a product, because we'd have to have the exact same colors and exact same patterns in a different skateboard somewhere," Abrego said. "So it's difficult to make duplicates."

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE: Abrego sees a bright future for the company as orders keep pouring in.

"Long-term goals would be to not work a day and just run the business 100%. We are looking into getting more employees just so that we can keep up with our orders," she said.

jeff.haynes@ideastream.org | 216-916-6276