Boston Surfshop

Good idea...couple thoughts, if directly in the city make sure there is parking, nothing like buying a board then hopping on the T. Also, probably a good idea to diversify the product line a bit, surfing isn't immensely popular, but people still do purchase boardshorts, sandles etc, so having a good base will ensure that the store stays afloat and doesn't rely on solely board and wetsuit sales.

 

Try Cambridge/Somerville/Watertown area more likely to find a spot with parking. Should have a good customer base. There are plenty of surfers there and of course SUP guys. Sell skateboards and skate stuff and every little skater kid will be buying a surfboard once they realize there are waves here (just don't send them to any of the good spots). Sell boards made by local shapers.

 

GREAT IDEA!! i would shop at ur shop...yes there should be other surf stuff, sandles, shorts, etc...Also, i would recomend not to sell mass produced boards from china, and support the local surf shapers, like chum said cause the china crap is crap...also make sure you have plenty of surf essentials...wax, board ding repair, fins, leashes etc..as someone will need to fix their board if they ding it that day, and break a fin, as im sure all of us has happened to...If it was along a route of public transportation, like the red line for instance it would bring more business..especally for the kids that dont drive, they need to get to the shop easily..closer to the water, the better..thats just my 0.2c...and Good Luck!

 

btw

I am opening a surfshop in chinatown in 1-2 months, i was tired of meeting people in the ally behind my shaping shack.

sorry.

my web be www.bostonsurf.com

 

definitly, will be showing a short film on the whole chino surfboards and the creation of the store when we open.

 

You should talk to the guy who opened Paragon Surf Shop in Hull about a year ago. He might have some helpful insight on the challenges/opptys of opening a surf shop in the Boston area.

 

Yea We need a shop here.. and as soon as its up and going and you need an employee I'm ready to work for you, either one of you who starts a shop. hows anyone feel about the flat last two weeks unless you hit up RI or the Cape...

 

somuchsurf ive been looking into opening a shop in boston for some time now and am willing to help/dual ownership to get this shop going soon. Have a business degree, worked for shops in ri (still have plenty of contacts/sales rep friendships), shape surfboards, teach skate lessons, and live near the boston area. Not sure how to send u a message, i just created this name tonight after reading this posting, to hopefully get this started. Boston surfers deserve this to be done right! Let me know your thoughts. Cheers

 

Boston needs a quality surf shop

This is to both Chino and other guys looking to open a shop. Boston needs a good surf shop. There is demand but you need to know your audience. There are a lot of college kids in Boston and the outer lying towns that surf. That being said, the shop should have access to the T (not commuter rail). Also, dont push China crap, such as NSP, Bic and the like. Although it would would not be bad for you to keep a few in the back for those people looking to get into surfing who are in town for school. You should definitely sell local shapers boards, but if you want to make money you also need to sell the big names (lost, merrick, all of those).

Make sure your shop stocks everything a surfer in New England would need with quality suits and everything that goes along with it. Be sure to push the clothing market. Sell all the big name stuff and also your own custom stuff. With a name like Boston Surf there is a limitless product market you can tap into. Take a look at Eastern Boarder and the product line they have developed. They don't sell horrible graphic tees and things like that, but more simple tshirts that people will actually wear. Skate and snow stuff is a must, and once again products people actually want.

Final note, one thing i hear college age kids and others talk about a lot is the lack of website development and social networking that shops use. If you start a blog or message board on your site, actually use it weekly or as much as possible. Not every 6 months. let people know you are out there and that there are waves and when there will be waves (consistently). IF you are worried about blowing up spots or ruining the north shore with more surfers, a shop in Boston is probably not for your. Run contests and surf trips for the college kids in the city.

All of these tips are basically if you want to monetize and have a profitable shop. Obviously many will argue that you don't want to be mainstream and sell out to the man, but if you don't push what the people want and also be a surf shop, you will go out of business.

 

I would definitly suggest pushing snow and skate stuff. Since there is no surf in Boston people have to travel to surf spots. Because of this most of these surf areas already have established shops and therefore people can pickup what ever they need while at or on their way to various breaks. I think the majority of your sales will come from people who like the surfer image but do not consistently surf if they surf at all. I would bet that you will sell 5 times more t-shirts, board shorts and sandals than surf related products like wax, boards, leashes or suits. Im not trying to discourage you here Im just trying to be realistic. If you are looking to expand surf culture into Boston you will have to offer day trips with rental packages, lessons and transportation to the north shore, NH, Cape Cod or RI. If you want to make money sell the peripheral stuff and lots of it, you will essentially be opening a clothing store that sells boards and suits as well. It would be a great avenue to push custom shaped boards though. As for the skate and snow stuff I think you could have a lot of success selling those items.

 

Paragon

Is Paragon still open? Just wondering, went to Nantasket Wed afternoon drove by there after couple hour great session and it looked like a ghost town. Is it just closed in the off season. Looked dark but it was a pretty dreary day with all the rain could have been open I guess.

 

I'm pretty sure they're closed. They haven't been open in months; and the shop has nothing in it.

 

Thanks Sav, I was just driving by but it looked dead....

 

they did close, what kills the shops is the winter time. We get the best surf in the winter.

I started repairing my boards at least 10 years ago. I would have to drive at least 45mins, then wait a month and drive again to pick up. total driving time would be 3 hours.

On March 3 2004 i shaped my first board, I can work 14 hours days, be soo tired, be totally satisfied and want more. I love what i do and opening a shop would make sense. Dropping your surfboard off on a loading dock in a back alley of Chinatown isn't really good business. has character but Matt Damon did stab the wrong guy in the Departed in the alley i work out of.


Shaping bay in the back of the store? maybe

looking forward to this, very excited and stoked.

"If your not having fun your not surfing"

Jon "Chino"

 

As a resident of the Arlington/Somerville area, this thread's got me pretty excited.
I don't skate or snowboard so I'm not very interested in seeing a shop with that stuff but I'd imagine that carrying that sort of stuff would make good business sense.

I'd like to see everything I need to go from home to the water- racks, suits, gloves, booties, boards, wax, leashes, shorts, rashguards, fins.... you see where I'm going. I need a 4/3 suit and my options are the internet or Cinnamon rainbows for decent selections.

I'd love to have a local shop that I could help stimulate the economy at and keep my $$$ in MA (No offense folks in RI or NH).