YoYoNation was a yo-yo store based in the USA. The store no longer exists, however the discussion board was preserved as an archive form (no new comments) from 2012-2017. It was once the most popular yo-yo forum on the web, with hundreds of active users. It was reactivated (new posts allowed) in 2017 and is now fully operational.
YoYoNation.com's Past[]
YoYoNation was founded in Manhattan, New York on May 29th, 2005. After a rushed development job, Pat Cuartero and Weber Hsu, both former employees of financial firm Merrill-Lynch, launched YoYoNation.com version 0.9 Beta on August 3rd, 2005, opening their "doors" to yo-yo players and enthusiasts across the globe. In March of 2007, Amy Lee and Tim Kress-Spatz joined the YoYoNation team. Kentaro Kimura was then added to offer Japanese phone-support for Japanese yo-yoers. A european branch, YoYoNation.Co.Uk, was also opened.
Features of the YoYonation website[]
YoYoNation was a new way to shop for yo-yos in the yo-yo community. Creators Pat Cuartero and Weber Hsu created a site that offers the following:
- A forum, where yo-yoers and enthusiasts can connect and exchange ideas, cultures, and opinions on just about anything, and especially yo-yo-related topics.
- Images of yo-yos, yo-yo parts, and yo-yo accessories.
- Detailed explanations, along with product specifications of all yo-yos, yo-yo parts, and yo-yo accessories.
- A review and rating system of all yo-yo products, allowing the general yo-yo community to discuss particular yo-yos, enabling others to make wise choices about the yo-yo they purchase.
- A yo-yo comparison feature, furthering the capability of an "educated" yo-yoer. This system allowed users to select a number of yo-yos for comparison, and they would be presented with a photo lineup of various angle photos, as well as all of the products' specifications so that any yo-yoer can determine the yoyo that's right for her/him.
Fall and Rise Under New Ownership[]
On September 1st, 2011, it was announced that YoYoNation employees had found that over ten thousand dollars worth of merchandise had been stolen from them over the course of the past summer. This merchandise was gradually being sold on various forums by members using the names 'tombstone' and 'jensen hartford.'[1] YoYoNation attempted to combat this huge loss and in May of 2012 made a post saying that they were briefly closing to restock the store.[2] The store then floundered for a short time until it was ultimately shut down amidst server downtime.
At some point during this time, Pat Cuartero moved to the Philippines, with intentions of starting YoYoNation.Asia. Then, apparently in the midst of a mid life crisis, he neglected to start the Asian branch, and instead became the CEO of Groupon Philippines. His abandonment of YoYoNation has been denounced by many.
On September 27th, 2012 Chris Allen, owner of YoYoSkills, announced that he had become the new owner of YoYoNation in the place of Weber Hsu. With this came the news that the store was closed for good, but that the forum would remain open and act as an online yo-yo museum.[3]
Contact Information[]
Former address[]
YoYoNation Inc.
40 Water St.
Floor 3
New York, NY 10004
Contact[]
- Phone: 1-877-YOYONATION (877-969-6628) or 646-649-4841
- E-mail: info@yoyonation.com
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ Sottle. "Attention please, read if you've traded with Tombstone or jensen hartford," YoYoNation. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- ↑ Allen, Chris. "YoYonation will RISE AGAIN," YoYoSkills. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- ↑ Allen, Chris. "Saving the 'Nation'," YoYoSkills. Retrieved October 26, 2012.