I worked at CCS from 98-99 and 2000-2001. Was there in fact on 9/11.
For a young skater it was a great job. Discounts on all product, got to see everything way before it was out, video premieres, etc. I still remember finding out that the whole team's info was in the database and looking up the home address for Heath, Rick Howard, and a bunch of other team members. There were actually a lot of cool girls that worked there (including one future porn star) and most everyone was fairly chill if you could handle orders properly. In the evenings when calls would get sparse it was not uncommon for some randos to call up and people would just shoot the shit for a long time with callers. When I started in 98 Alien Workshop decks were the biggest seller and had been for years, but then Flame Boy and Wet Willy came along and became the new champs. Kids loved those boards so much, it was like Bugs Bunny had a signature model or something.
Ultimately an online marketing company called Alloy bought CCS in 2000 and for awhile it seemed like things were going to stay as they were, despite how hyped the company was on the purchase (
https://skateboarding.transworld.net/news/alloy-acquires-ccs/) and CCS' ability to connect them to "Generation Y boys."
Matt Diamond, Alloy’s cofounder and CEO, recently stated in a press release that “CCS is hands-down the premier direct marketer to Generation Y boys. The effective multi-channel distribution model that CCS uses to capture this market is highly complementary with Alloy’s strategy and should add significantly to our financial performance and future profitability. We plan to leverage the CCS conduit to Generation Y boys to drive both merchandise and sponsorship revenues.”
But then they decided to take over everything in 2002 if I'm remembering correctly and moved the call center, which ultimately lead to a number of former employees/investors starting skate warehouse with the same infrastructure, location, etc.
I don't think I looked at any of the catalogs after this move, but I wouldn't be surprised if the art direction, etc. changed a bit in the '02/03 era. Rad to see this stuff pop up again and it brings back a lot of memories.