Ed Fuentes

Skaters waiting to make purchases line up to exit.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Skateboarders converged at The Berrics with a cult-like fever on Sunday as they waited to hike up the ramp to an upper deck parking lot where shirts, boards and other supplies were being sold.

The line to make actual purchases was almost as long as the line to get in, leaving no doubt that members of the underground subculture were willing to brave the heat with the same nonplussed attitude they take to checking a scrape after an unsuccessful trick.

The Berrics combines the names of founders Eric Koston and Steve Berra, two professional skaters who opened their headquarters in the Arts District. Along with selling and marketing skateboard goods, they use their warehouse as a studio to combine skating with other media, including the highly trafficked "Battle at the Berrics."

“That’s hot,” said 10-year-old Tony Lasser of Diamond Bar as he eyed a tall stack of designer skate footwear pointed out to him by his mother, Katy.

“He and his friends were whispering about it for weeks,” said the mom, armed with an iced coffee from nearby Urth Caffé. “It was so secretive until they needed a ride. It’s ok. When I skated in drained pools with my brother, we felt like we had our own world.”